KEY POINTS

• Zimbabwe plans to deploy mobile weighbridges in mining areas to stop truck overloading.

• Some trucks carry up to 70 tonnes on roads designed for 30 tonnes.

• ZINARA plans to repair existing weighbridges and install new ones, while imposing fines on offenders.

The Zimbabwean government plans to deploy mobile weighbridges in mining areas to prevent truck overloading, which authorities say is causing significant damage to the country’s road infrastructure.

Joy Makumbe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport, said the government would work with the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) to enforce vehicle weight regulations, particularly in areas with heavy mining and transportation activities.

She disclosed the plan after a joint meeting of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Transport and Public Accounts at Parliament Building in Mt Hampden on Monday, November 9.

Makumbe said she had recently visited a mining area where trucks were carrying loads of up to 70 tonnes on roads designed to accommodate a maximum weight of just 30 tonnes.

She warned that the practice was accelerating road deterioration and could undermine the same infrastructure that mining companies and transport operators depend on to conduct their businesses.

Trucks carrying more than double permitted road capacity

The transport ministry identified excessive truck loading as a major problem in mining communities, where heavy vehicles regularly transport minerals and other materials.

According to Makumbe, some operators are placing loads on roads that exceed their designed capacity by more than double.

She questioned the decision to overload trucks at the expense of infrastructure that businesses would continue to depend on in the future.

The permanent secretary urged miners and transport companies to comply with prescribed loading limits, warning that damaging roads through excessive loads could eventually disrupt their own operations.

She also reminded operators that the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) has weighing facilities in different locations where trucks can be checked before beginning their journeys.

Makumbe said mining companies and transporters without weighing equipment at their premises could use VID facilities to ensure their vehicles were loaded within the permitted limits.

Government plans mobile and permanent weighbridges

As an immediate measure, the Ministry of Transport and ZINARA will deploy mobile weighbridges in motion to mining areas to identify overloaded trucks and enforce existing regulations.

The initiative is intended to strengthen monitoring in locations where heavy mineral transportation has placed additional pressure on roads.

Makumbe said the government was also pursuing longer-term improvements to the country’s vehicle weight enforcement system.

She disclosed that ZINARA had issued tenders for the repair of existing weighbridges at border posts and toll plazas, as well as the installation of new facilities along sections of the road network where they are needed.

The planned improvements are expected to expand the government’s capacity to monitor vehicle weights and prevent overloaded trucks from damaging public roads.

Transporters face heavy fines for violating loading rules

Makumbe warned that truck operators who violate loading regulations would face substantial financial penalties.

She said ZINARA would not entertain negotiations or payment arrangements for offenders, insisting that transporters would be expected to pay the fines imposed for overloading.

The government therefore urged mining companies and transport operators to take responsibility for ensuring that their vehicles comply with weight restrictions before setting out.

The crackdown forms part of broader efforts to protect Zimbabwe’s road infrastructure from damage caused by heavy commercial vehicles.

With mining operations relying heavily on road transportation to move minerals, authorities are seeking to ensure that increased industrial activity does not come at the expense of the country’s transport network.