Minister Ivanov: Starting tomorrow, trucks will be monitored for real-time and on-the-go overload

One of the main commitments of this management was to implement the full functionality of the toll system. Part of the process is the function of weighing in motion of road vehicles with a permissible maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes. Its implementation starts tomorrow, 15 October, through the use of existing weight sensors built into the asphalt for traffic control and overload enforcement purposes. This was announced by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov. Today, together with the Head of the National Toll Directorate, Prof. Oleg Asenov, he checked the readiness to use this functionality of the system.

One of the main problems over the years has been the overloading of cars. Based on the sensors from tomorrow, the cars will be filmed in real time. Photographs and an invitation to pay a voluntary compensatory fee will be sent to the offenders. If it is not paid on time, higher penalties will be imposed, the minister explained. He pointed out that today's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government is expected to consider amendments to the Road Traffic Act, which provide for even more severe sanctions for heavy goods vehicle overloading. The violation is one of the prerequisites for faster depreciation of the republican roads, he stressed.

To date, 10 portal frames have been certified, on which calibration of measuring devices has been carried out. The goal is to reach 100 by the end of next year, as this violation is one of the most serious and affects traffic safety, Minister Ivanov further informed. He said that in the course of the day alone, the sensors have detected more than 200 violations with overloading cars over 3.5 tons.

Prof. Oleg Asenov stressed that the certification of this instrument is a reform that has only been achieved by one or two other EU countries. He handed over to Minister Ivanov the documents certifying the certification of the first 10 sensors and thanked for the support received for the introduction of the functionality of the system. Currently, it is located in the busiest locations, for which statistics have been collected for 3 months, explained the head of NTU. By the end of next year, the remaining sensors installed during the construction of the toll system will also be certified. Calibration was performed for each of them. The transport companies participated in the certification process with road vehicles and representatives in order to familiarise me with the functionality, Prof. Asenov further said. He expressed the expectation that the control of overloading of heavy goods vehicles will preserve the quality of road infrastructure, reduce the risk for road users due to overloaded trucks and ensure a level playing field for representatives of the transport industry.

In 40% of the frames there are such scales. They are in all major transport areas. As early as tomorrow on the NTU website, in the section for verification of violations, it will be possible to check for registered violations. Integration with service providers has also been implemented so that all those who have contracts with them can receive messages about overloaded vehicles, Prof. Asenov further informed. He assured that the system works objectively because it is electronic, and the rules will be for everyone. He added that a mechanism has been found to signal overloaded foreign vehicles and to sanction them as well.

Minister Ivanov stressed that the National Toll Administration is key to ensuring road safety and equal rules for all those moving on the national road network. He added that with the integration of the systems, the Ministry of the Interior can use the functionality that allows sanctioning foreign drivers of passenger cars that violate traffic rules, for which NTU teams assist the Ministry of the Interior. The aim is to punish all offenders so that they do not create conditions for danger to other road users.