In order to preserve Ukrainian roads from the devastating effects of overloaded trucks, the Ministry of infrastructure plans to install 10 Weight in motion complexes this year, which determine the weight of the vehicle, as reported by Uryadovyi Kurier newspaper.
The Ministry of Infrastructure claims to have a confirmation of the EU grant for the purchase of 100 such complexes. For the implementation of the project, the Ministry has formed a support team that has been working for one and a half years. The government plans to fully implement the project within 3-5 years.

Oleksandra Klitina is the head of the Support for Reforms Office under the Ministry of Infrastructure. Here is a recent statement from her found on the ministries official website.
"We have been able to obtain funding from the World Bank for this pilot project. There is also a confirmation of the European Union grant for the purchase of 100 weight in motion complexes to control the country's main routes. "

According to her, all the necessary legislative amendments were drafted and registered in Parliament for the full implementation of the reform: Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Certain Issues of Implementation of Dimensional and Weight Control No. 7318 of 17.11.2017 and Draft Law on Amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine regarding the proceeds from the implementation of dimensional and weight control № 7319 of 17.11.2017.

Transport safety service does not sit idle until the above innovations. In July it began to conduct mass raids on domestic roads. Violators are fined for as much as 510 UAH, and, according to Art. 265-2, are prohibited to move overloaded transport further until the elimination of the offence or by obtaining a permit from the police.

For the reference. The impact of one truck on the road surface is equal to the impact of 26 thousand cars. If the truck is overloaded by 25%, its impact increases almost three times - up to 70.5 thousand cars! Add to this the sun-warmed asphalt factor and one can see the devastating effect this has on the road!

Modern technologies of road construction are powerless against violators of weight control

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman believes that the problem with Ukrainian roads can be solved within three to five years. This requires stable financing, quality control of repairs and construction of roads, as well as control of the road maintenance.

"Control must be ensured. We spend billions of Hryvnias for construction, but loaded and overloaded transport destroys roads. We have to stop it, "- said the Prime Minister.

Road construction workers totally agree with the Prime Minister. Indeed, without weight control, any asphalt coating, even based on the most advanced technology, will be damaged.

"With 40 tons of total load allowed, our trucks carry 60, 100 and even more tons. And, despite the fact that we make high-quality multilayer road covering, in line with all the latest technology, it still heats up from sunlight to 60 degrees and higher. It's physics. And when an overloaded monster moves along such a new perfect surface, it simply destroys the cover, pushes it through like a finger through the warm butter. On the road, the track appears on the surface. Then the coating begins to gradually "spread" and in the spring it simply "melts" with the snow, "explains Yaroslav Pecherytsya, head of the production and technical department of LLC JV "Autostrada ".

Autostrada underlines the fact that their modern road surface is a level higher in reliability compared to what was done 10-20 years ago. Quality and a warranty for over 6 years provide a completely new approach to the road construction process:

• New machines allow to cut the old asphalt to the correct thickness;
• Cut asphalt is not disposed of but is used as a regeneration layer;
• Asphalt coating is produced using a completely new technology, which does not involve the replacement of components or stacking technology;
• The new road surface has a completely different structure and can last for as long as 10 years if subject to proper maintenance and adherence to the operating rules.

"Our renovated roads may last for more than 10 years, provided that they are properly maintained and adhere to the weight limitations. To do this, we have all the necessary conditions - new modern automated asphalt concrete plants. These operate certified laboratories, which carry out constant control of input and output raw materials. We have the most advanced technology and a highly professional team whose specialists have been in the road construction field for more than 20 years," stated Anatoly Vakar the director of Open Joint-Stock Company Autostrada. ”But all our technologies and efforts will be for nothing if there is no control over the weight of the trucks on the road."

To save the renovated sections of the road, the first steps have been taken on the M-12 line. Between Vinnytsia and Voronovytsia, the Autostrada has built two platforms for the weight control of heavy goods vehicles. Soon, stationary points for detecting offenders will operate here.

Compliance with the weight standards increases the lifetime of the roads

Carriers often violate the weight limits set by the law in order to increase profits. But few of them think that short-term profits will quickly result in losses when their own trucks break down by their own actions.

According to European standards, the limiting weight of a two-axle vehicle with a 3-axle semi-trailer of a total length of 13.72 m cannot exceed 42 tons; the weight of a similar 3-axle vehicle with a 2- or 3-axle semi-trailer cannot exceed 44 tons.

In Ukraine, the overloading of trucks is usually going unpunished for carriers. Therefore, weight in motion platforms will help to make the movement of such machines virtually impossible.

As weight control on domestic roads works only at a few points, road construction companies seriously reflect on the fact that excessively loaded trucks will leave visible marks not only on the heated new road cover but also on the reputation of the company. After all, despite the fact that the unscrupulous carriers are the ones guilty in destroying the cover, the consequences will have to be eliminated by the road building companies, burdened with contractual obligations. These clearly state that the warranty period of service of repaired cover is from 5 to 10 years. That is, in case of defects occurring on the cover within the time period, the operator must eliminate defects on his own at his own expense.