[TusharK]

The Government of India has revised the axle weights for commercial vehicles for the first time in 35 years.



According to a notification, the gross vehicle weight (GVW) for rigid trucks has been fixed at 49 tonnes and 55 tonnes for semi-articulated trailers and truck-trailers, with a permissible tolerance of 5%. Vehicles with pneumatic suspension are allowed to carry an additional load of 1 tonne for each axle.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also defined the maximum axle loads for different types of commercial vehicles. The maximum permissible load for single axle vehicles with a single tyre, two tyres and four tyres are 3 tonnes, 7.5 tonnes and 11.5 tonnes respectively.

For tandem or two axle configuration where the distance between the two axles is less than 1.8 meters, the permissible limits are 21 tonnes in case of rigid trucks, trailers and semi-trailers and 28.5 tonnes for puller tractors for hydraulic and pneumatic trailers.

The axle load for tri-axle rigid vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers where the distance between the outer axles is less than 3 meters is 27 tonnes, while modular hydraulic trailers with two axles and four tyres each can carry a maximum of 18 tonnes.

The revised limits are applicable for new vehicles. The government is yet to clarify its stand on older vehicles.

Source: Bloomberg

Link to Team-BHP News

[9thsphinx]

Interesting.

Never have ventured much into commercial vehicles but can someone please clarify the advantages & disadvantages of this revision?

I am not able to understand what would increasing or decreasing the axle weight affect.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

I am not able to understand what would increasing or decreasing the axle weight affect.

I think this move would most probably bring in the over-loading that is going on into the legal category. Its no secret that there is rampant overloading in India. However, there has been stricter enforcement in the recent years.

Also, one more point that irks me is the revision after 35 years!! Man, come on... technology has progress so much in that time. I'm sure today's trucks will easily surpass these capacities (if not already).

[speedguy]

There is no relation between truck technology & axle loads. Max permissible loading is defined by 'Indian Road Congress'. It depends upon quality of roads & bridges which can sustain such point loads.
Considering recent surge in highways & concrete roads, it is good & well timed move.
Regarding pros & cons:
Pros:
1. Existing 25 T GVW vehicle can be used for nearly 28T. So the sales will be affected for 31T vehicle as buyer will prefer 25 T vehicle (This is just example which is applicable for all tonnage capacity vehicles)
2. Nowadays there is stricter watch (Atleast on major highways) on overloading so this will help customers to remain trouble free for just 1 or 2 tonnes of overload
Cons:
1. CV manufacturers will take a hit as revenues might tumble due to lesser GVW vehicles are selling more
2. Will create initial confusion in authorities minds while checking GVW,as Pre & post rule vehicles will be mixed

[rageshgr]

Good move in the sense that:
1) More efficiency and throughput/profit for the transporter/owners of the payload
2) Efficient transportation might keep transportation charges in check
3) Lesser congestion as now lesser number of vehicles are needed for the same load (by a small %)

But, hope it does not lead to uncontrolled overloading of new and old vehicles and endangering roads as well.

[Rahul Rao]

I feel that this is only declaring the capacity increase.
Over the last 5 years, CV's have had a option of increase of tyre size from 10.00R20 (255mm width) to 285/80R22.5.
Brake drums have increased from 16" dia to 19" dia etc axle size is up, crawler gear from about 7.8:1 to 9.6:1 etc.
Secondly bus chassis in India were sold with 16.2 GVW but exported with 19 tr GVW, so the vehicles already had the capacity, and only the official tonnage is increasing.
Secondly there is a clause that vehicles made after Apr 2016 will get the added capacity endorced on them during their annual fitness test, provided tyres are of requisite width.

[Cooltronics]

The directive has suddenly taken the sheen of CV company shares.
Ashok Leyland tumbled 14% and Tata Motors is anyway in downward spiral and with this news, it has tumbled even further.
I think technically there was always scope for some more tonns of weight to be added to the carriers, govt. has now made the new normal.
Alternatively, companies will increase the cost of new Commercial Vehicles to compensate the loss due to reduction of sales and customers will still not mind as they can have more luggage transferred at lower cost.
Short term - lower sales.

[maddy42]

Some cons of this news:


Overloaded trucks cause a jam already in the ghat segment as the engine crawls due to the load, will it not lead to slower traffic due to this?
CV makers will now have to redo their capacities as their sales get affected.
Babus will make merry as more confusion always favors their greasy hands.
Can our roads bear this load? We have seen multiple bridge collapses either due to terrible maintenance or overloading, will this not cause further damage? Who will prevent a 28Tonne capacity truck from going over a bridge of 20tonne capacity?


Maddy

[GTO]

Man, this greatly affected the stocks of all truck makers! Market is worried that it might affect demand for new trucks.

I'm just worried that the already-rampant overloading menace will only become worse.

Sharing Kotak's report:

[SmartCat]

Ashok Leyland MD was on TV just now. He says:

- This is a bad idea because all trucks are designed ground up for carrying a particular load. Steering, brakes and engines need to be upgraded if they are to perform optimally with 30% extra load - and this will take some time to implement, even for newer trucks.

- However, the ruling will have negligible effect on sales. Analysts are always behind the curve. They said demonetization, GST etc will slow down sales but they have not. We expect to grow at 20% per annum.

[V.Narayan]

What the MD of Ashok Leyland is saying is, 'Hell our safety margins to cater for habitual over loading is now eaten up officially. The truckers will overload beyond that now thus making a re-design necessary'. In the 1980s when I worked in this industry it was known that the Tata 1210 was designed for 15 tonnes normal while official brochure said 12 tonnes. 12 = 15in trucker maths. Similarly the Tata 1612 was officially a 16 tonner but routinely used at 20 tonnes. The overloading was needed to earn the extra rupees to pay for the police corruption enroute.

[Santoshbhat]

I would say it's a good move. After 35 years some progress has to be made. Overloading will not stop . The base will now shift to the new limits, that's all, though the quantum could come down due to stricter enforcement .

CV manufacturers will now have to engineer their vehicles to meet the new norms with adequate tolerances for some overloading. Prices will move upwards, but lesser vehicles has to be good for everyone.

It now remains to be seen how road makers and drivers cope with this change.

[2000rpm]

I think this is a very bad move and have no idea from where has this suddenly come from? Lot of good points made above like impact on roads, gradient performance causing jams, non axle components. Like I remember GTO saying in another thread long time ago, the Auto industry lobby in India is very weak and has no say in any government policies.

Completely siloed decision in my view.

[vaasscit]

Positive : NEW Roads and bridges would be built (at least theoretically) to take up the added weight of the axle

Negatives :
1. The overloading is going to go up
2. Stranded trucks (especially the aged ones) on the highways is going to go up
3. Potholes would start emerge sooner than usual (overloaded trucks doing their job)

If the ministry thinks that just by changing tires the trucks can take extra load, someone has to tell them about gear box and axle gear failures due to overloading.

I'd have welcomed this move whole heatedly, had the government made sure that nobody can overload the trucks. But that is not going to happen.

I've seen 1.25 rated DOST vehicle carrying 3 tonn on Chennai-Vellore highway. I've heard tractor-trailers carrying 70 Tonn instead of 40 Tonn.

This move will only increase the overloading even further in my opinion.

[pranavGTI]

Nothing can be done to stop overloading. As said in above post the extra load money is to pay for Police and Toll. Most of the highways are tolled. The toll charges eat a significant chunk in the operating profit. With increasing diesel price, driver salaries, huge demand for educated drivers, highway tolls, and competition the freight carrier is left with no choice but to over load atleast 10% of the payload capacity. The Govt move will reduce the CV sales but on the other way it will help in “Carry and deliver more at a slightly low cost”.

IMHO freight load increase per axle isn’t too much. Commercial vehicle companies must evolve along with time.