-gov’t moves to enforce 15-tonne per axle limit across roadways

THE Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Public Works, has underscored that true development goes beyond building infrastructure – it requires preserving it.
On Thursday last, the ministry began enforcing the 15-tonne per axle weight limit for trucks, marking the first phase of a national effort to protect the country’s roads. During a public demonstration and inspection exercise on High Street, Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, stressed the importance of compliance, outlining measures that will ensure the new regulation is strictly upheld.
The robust enforcement plan developed by the ministry will involve mobile teams dispatched to multiple locations across the country. These teams will be equipped with the necessary tools to inspect and weigh trucks.
“I would like to inform the nation that mobile teams will be dispatched on various roads. In the next couple of days, every trucker, every transportation provider, whether it’s sand, aggregate, cement, steel, whatever is the merchandise or material that you are using, [there]will be testing and enforcing [of] the weight limit,” the minister explained.
Minister Edghill emphasised that the initiative is a way of protecting the country’s infrastructure while it undergoes development, adding, “We cannot as a country continue to build infrastructure, roads and bridges, and shortly after have them damaged because of the indiscriminate use and carrying of excessive loads by trucks and vehicles.”
During the demonstration, the ministry utilised weigh-in-motion scales, which measures the weight of trucks and provide printouts indicating whether vehicles comply with the regulations.
“These weigh-in-motion scales will test both the front and the back. You will get a printout, and it will show you exactly what is the tolerance. You will be able to know if it is more than what is allowed and what is carried,” Minister Edghill stated.
He also outlined the enforcement schedule, noting that the initial 48-hour period would serve as a trial, while the following days would see the initiative fully rolled out across Guyana.
“In the next couple of days, we will be documenting as we go along. Actual enforcement will begin once these 48 hours of trial are completed,” he said.
Citing the project as a decisive but necessary move, Minister Edghill warned operators that trucks exceeding the limit will face penalties.
“Once you are caught carrying more than 15 tonnes per axle, you will remain parked until you remove the weight, and then you will be prosecuted by the police as well. So, we are giving everybody notice,” he said.
The ministry plans to implement the enforcement programme across the country, including major highways and village roads. As the minister explained, truck drivers will see ministry weight testing officials, working with the police force at busy areas like the Linden Soesdyke highway and the East Bank corridor.
While a first for Guyana, the initiative is expected to have a major positive impact on the lifespan of the nation’s infrastructure, aimed at safeguarding roads, highways, bridges, and village streets throughout the country.