In the Zhetysu region, video footage has been made public showing cement truck drivers bypassing weighbridge control points. Against this backdrop, JSC "NC "KazAvtoZhol" has explained in detail the damage that overloaded lorries cause to roads. However, the spotlight has fallen on another issue — why vehicles are able to circumvent a system that was created specifically to detect overloading.
WHAT "KAZAVTOZHOL" REMINDED US OF
In its publication, JSC "NC "KazAvtoZhol" explained that the damage to the road structure depends not only on the total weight of a vehicle, but also on the load transmitted through its axles and wheels.
It notes that increased load first deforms the asphalt concrete surface, then affects the lower layers of the road pavement. With systematic repetition of such loads, rutting, cracks, subsidence and potholes can appear.
The company also stated that compliance with weight regulations reduces the need for premature road repairs and called on carriers not to permit systematic overloading.
However, the questions that have arisen around the weighbridge control system concern not only the carriers themselves. The effectiveness of monitoring those who breach weight restrictions has also come under scrutiny.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE WEIGHBRIDGE CONTROL SYSTEM
Earlier, the FBRC editorial team reported on a video from the Kerbulak district of the Zhetysu region, showing cement truck drivers bypassing weighbridge control points. Among the vehicles spotted were lorries bearing the JSC "NC "KazAvtoZhol" logo.
After the first video appeared, the company stated that the violations had been rectified. However, shortly afterwards, on 9 September, a new video emerged, again showing weighbridge control being bypassed.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SYSTEM'S OPERATION
Moreover, as the FBRC previously reported, people associated with the establishment of the automated measuring station (AMS) system in Zhetysu at its creation stage now occupy key positions within the structures responsible for transport control and road infrastructure.
That is precisely why the repeat episode of stations being bypassed, following the first public statement that the violation had been resolved, raises further questions not only about the drivers, but also about the organisation of the control system itself.
QUESTIONS HAVE ALSO ARISEN BEYOND ZHETYSU
The situation in Zhetysu is not the only incident to have drawn attention to the weighbridge control system. In the early hours of 28 August, unidentified individuals set fire to an AMS station on the Astana — Karaganda highway.
The Police Department of the "Saraishyk" district of the Astana Police Department informed the FBRC editorial team that the CCTV camera at that section of the highway was not operational.
Against this backdrop, the publication by JSC "NC "KazAvtoZhol" looks particularly telling. The company reminds carriers of the dangers of overloading, yet questions arise first and foremost over why lorries are able to bypass a system that is supposed to detect that overloading.
Especially given that among the vehicles spotted in Zhetysu were lorries bearing the logo of KazAvtoZhol itself. So it seems the company is telling people how not to damage roads, while attention is focused on how well compliance with these rules is being policed.
