Transport Ministry eyes 960 cameras to catch overloaded trucks

The Transport Ministry said it plans to install 960 weighing-in-motion (WIM) and licence plate recognition (LPR) cameras on highways nationwide to identify vehicles carrying loads exceeding the legal limit.

Overloaded trucks can potentially damage roads, are prone to causing accidents and are often the source of bribery among state officials, Transport Minister Suriya Jungroongruangkit said on Wednesday.

So far, 192 sets of WIM devices and LPR cameras have been installed, he said, adding that the systems utilise 3D measurement technology to accurately check the vehicle’s weight in real-time.

Suriya, who doubles as deputy prime minister, said he hopes to bring the long-running “bribery sticker” racket to an end during his tenure as transport minister.

The term, “bribery sticker”, made national headlines in November last year after an overloaded truck with a star sticker on the windshield caused concrete slabs on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok to collapse under its weight.

Investigators believe the sticker was issued by state officials to signal to officers at checkpoints that it could pass as a bribe had been paid.

Suriya said there are 103 weighing stations nationwide and 106 mobile checking units, and these will be expanded to widen the search for law violators.

Between October 1, 2023, and June 19, 2024, a total of 2,107 vehicles have been stopped for carrying illegal loads compared to 2,659 vehicles stopped in the same period the previous year, he said.

The highest number of overloaded trucks stopped last year were in Ayutthaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Chonburi and Bangkok, respectively.