Government increases freight loads for trucks

prashanthyr · 19th July 2018, 16:54

IMHO, This is somewhat similar to what Lalu Yadav did with trains when he was railway minister, where wagons were allowed higher loads, trains were lengthened (24 to 26 coaches for ex).
Essentially create a long term problem (legalise overloading / road wear and tear etc) to solve a short term one (revenue!)

V.Narayan · 19th July 2018, 18:40

The decision has its merits but at this crucial point in time is aimed at the transport community and for its political support. The present Govt's traditional backbone is the small & medium entrepreneur for whom not enough has been done in the last 4 years. And hence the need to catch up. But I will say in their favour they have at least made policy making and action taking in road and rail transport a live agenda. Both sectors were relegated to the boondocks after the 4th 5-year plan ended in c.1970

sgiitk · 20th July 2018, 09:51

I think the relaxation is accompanied by Zero overload. I hope this is strictly obeyed and enforced. Then it will be good. No more sand trucks with 150% overload.

Thermodynamics · 20th July 2018, 10:51

May be this is an off topic or perhaps a new topic but a related one, the Truckers strike link

Pleas
1. Reduction in Central and state taxes by getting diesel under the GST so that price of the deregulated commodity can be reduced.

2. "flawed and non-transparent" toll collection system that favours road concessioners, and alleged that the time and fuel loss goes up to Rs. 1.5 trillion annually on account of it.

3. High insurance premia and want a reduction in third-party premium, exemption on third- party premia from GST.

4. Exemptions and abolitions in direct taxes, national permits for all buses and trucks and also doing away with the direct port delivery tendering system.

Aroy · 20th July 2018, 11:33

Here is my take on the issue.

There are multiple criteria for determining a truck load carrying capacity.

1. The capacity of the pavement to take a load. This is fixed by road designers. This is the most relevant from government's point of view, as overloading will deteriorate the pavements faster.

2. Capacity of tyres - this varies between 2 and 4 tons for rated ply and inflation pressure.

For example though 1 tyre can bear 4T load (12x24), so a normal single rear axle with 4 rear tyres and 2 front can take 24T, the roads may be designed for axle load of only 8T per axle, hence a maximum of 16T. Beyond this the roads deteriorate at geometric progression, hence a limit on GVW.

Take the 10x20 14 ply tyre. It is normally rated at 2T, hence a normal truck with 6 tyres will have a GVW of 12T, and with 2.5T rated tyres 15T, and that is what both the manufacturer and the Highway authorities specify.

Overloading the truck will not only deteriorate the road, but also cause premature failure in tyres. To appease the truckers, many tyre manufacturers have beefed up 18 ply tyres which with higher pressure can carry higher loads.

3. Chassis design. Most truck bodies and chassis are designed with a large factor of safety, hence can take much higher loads than specified.

4. Engine power.

Most foreign trucks have a much more powerful engine compared to traditional Indian trucks. That enables them to maintain speeds in undulating terrain (and not crawl at snails pace). Increasing legal permissible loads will prompt operators to opt for more modern trucks with higher powered (but more efficient) engines.

So in my opinion as long as the axle load is within the design parameters (normally 8T), there is no harm in increasing GVW, as long as the vehicle is designed to carry the load at a reasonable speed in varying terrain.

The older notification
http://tis.nhai.gov.in/Admin/pdf/230...2PM04_9567.pdf

19th July 2018, 16:54	#16
prashanthyr BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London Posts: 546 Thanked: 249 Times	Re: Government increases freight loads for trucks IMHO, This is somewhat similar to what Lalu Yadav did with trains when he was railway minister, where wagons were allowed higher loads, trains were lengthened (24 to 26 coaches for ex). Essentially create a long term problem (legalise overloading / road wear and tear etc) to solve a short term one (revenue!)
	() Thanks

19th July 2018, 18:40	#17
V.Narayan Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Delhi-NCR Posts: 4,071 Thanked: 64,317 Times	Re: Government increases freight loads for trucks The decision has its merits but at this crucial point in time is aimed at the transport community and for its political support. The present Govt's traditional backbone is the small & medium entrepreneur for whom not enough has been done in the last 4 years. And hence the need to catch up. But I will say in their favour they have at least made policy making and action taking in road and rail transport a live agenda. Both sectors were relegated to the boondocks after the 4th 5-year plan ended in c.1970
	(1) Thanks

20th July 2018, 09:51	#18
sgiitk BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,969 Thanked: 4,788 Times	Re: Government increases freight loads for trucks I think the relaxation is accompanied by Zero overload. I hope this is strictly obeyed and enforced. Then it will be good. No more sand trucks with 150% overload.
	() Thanks

20th July 2018, 10:51	#19
Thermodynamics BHPian Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 832 Thanked: 4,131 Times	Re: Government increases freight loads for trucks May be this is an off topic or perhaps a new topic but a related one, the Truckers strike link Pleas 1. Reduction in Central and state taxes by getting diesel under the GST so that price of the deregulated commodity can be reduced. 2. "flawed and non-transparent" toll collection system that favours road concessioners, and alleged that the time and fuel loss goes up to Rs. 1.5 trillion annually on account of it. 3. High insurance premia and want a reduction in third-party premium, exemption on third- party premia from GST. 4. Exemptions and abolitions in direct taxes, national permits for all buses and trucks and also doing away with the direct port delivery tendering system.
	() Thanks

20th July 2018, 11:33	#20
Aroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,582 Thanked: 2,741 Times View My Garage	Re: Government increases freight loads for trucks Here is my take on the issue. There are multiple criteria for determining a truck load carrying capacity. 1. The capacity of the pavement to take a load. This is fixed by road designers. This is the most relevant from government's point of view, as overloading will deteriorate the pavements faster. 2. Capacity of tyres - this varies between 2 and 4 tons for rated ply and inflation pressure. For example though 1 tyre can bear 4T load (12x24), so a normal single rear axle with 4 rear tyres and 2 front can take 24T, the roads may be designed for axle load of only 8T per axle, hence a maximum of 16T. Beyond this the roads deteriorate at geometric progression, hence a limit on GVW. Take the 10x20 14 ply tyre. It is normally rated at 2T, hence a normal truck with 6 tyres will have a GVW of 12T, and with 2.5T rated tyres 15T, and that is what both the manufacturer and the Highway authorities specify. Overloading the truck will not only deteriorate the road, but also cause premature failure in tyres. To appease the truckers, many tyre manufacturers have beefed up 18 ply tyres which with higher pressure can carry higher loads. 3. Chassis design. Most truck bodies and chassis are designed with a large factor of safety, hence can take much higher loads than specified. 4. Engine power. Most foreign trucks have a much more powerful engine compared to traditional Indian trucks. That enables them to maintain speeds in undulating terrain (and not crawl at snails pace). Increasing legal permissible loads will prompt operators to opt for more modern trucks with higher powered (but more efficient) engines. So in my opinion as long as the axle load is within the design parameters (normally 8T), there is no harm in increasing GVW, as long as the vehicle is designed to carry the load at a reasonable speed in varying terrain. The older notification http://tis.nhai.gov.in/Admin/pdf/230...2PM04_9567.pdf Last edited by Aroy : 20th July 2018 at 11:38.
	(2) Thanks