Whether you are in the transport industry or not, you would surely have seen overloaded trucks. Not only they are unsightly but they are dangerous as well. I am sure you would have dreaded that the consignment would fall on you the moment you get stuck near one in traffic.Here are some of the most common issues that are associated with overloaded trucks and you will notice that they are not only concerned about accidents and damages to other people.
Accidents
As was discussed before, accidents are the most common issue with overloaded vehicles, specially trucks carrying consignments. If a vehicle is overloaded, the controllability of the same decreases and the driver may not be able to maneuver the truck as he/she wants and, therefore, the vehicle may go out of control and overturn, etc.In addition, the amount of breaks and the distance one should be applying the brakes differ when the truck is overloaded. Even though the truck is not overloaded, the load may not be evenly distributed causing the vehicle to behave in an unexpected manner. Thus, it would be prudent to use a technology such as axle weigh pads to ensure that the consignment is not overloaded on one part of the vehicle making it accident prone.
Operational and maintenance costs
If the owner of a fleet is extremely money minded, he/she may not worry too much about the accidents. However, the fact that overloading can cost more in the long run than taking two or more trips to deliver the cargo will surely get his/her attention.It may be obvious to a person who is well versed with vehicles that carrying a huge load puts extra burden on the vehicle, specially, the engine. Thus, the fuel consumption will be higher than that of carrying the approved weight. Moreover, the additional strain on the vehicle will expedite the wear and tear and the frequency of repairs and their magnitude will be significantly increased over time. Therefore, all transport fleet owners are encouraged to purchase a good and reliable http://www.truckweighbridge.com.au/ if you want to save money and make your business cost effective.
Losses to the public
An aspect that is not readily visible and generally overlooked is the loss to the public caused by overloaded vehicles. The most apparent out of the losses to the others is the loss to time. If you had ever been stuck behind an overloaded truck you would know what I mean. The drivers will be driving well below the allowed speed limit and will not dare to increase speed with the fear of meeting with an accident. Even the least experienced drivers will adhere to this as they fear for their lives. Moreover, they will not be able to steer the vehicle to a side as the load is unsure and the whole vehicle may turn over or fall off the road if there was even the smallest obstacle. Although, not so apparent, the damages to public property such as roads, bridges, etc. can also result from the transport of overloaded vehicles. In the light of the above, it is obvious that there are a lot of issues associated with overloading trucks and all the stakeholders in the transport industry should take extra care to remedy them.
