The EU wants to control the weight of trucks more effectively in order to protect the EU road infrastructure and improve safety. According to an implementing regulation issued by the European Commission last July, EU countries may require onboard weighing equipment (OBW) in newly registered trucks from 2021.
Implementing Regulation 2019/1213 issued by the European Commission in July 2019 describes uniform technical requirements for on-board weighing equipment in heavy goods vehicles. It is based on Directive 96/53/EC on dimensions and weights of trucks, to which a provision was added in 2015 stating that the Member States must monitor the weight of heavy goods vehicles more closely from 27 May 2021.
Article 10d was added by Directive 2015/719 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC. In accordance with paragraph 1 of that Article, by 27 May 2021, Member States shall adopt specific measures to determine which vehicles or vehicle combinations in use are likely to exceed the maximum authorized weight. These measures may be adopted by means of automatic systems established within the road infrastructure or by means of on-board weighing equipment installed in vehicles in accordance with paragraph 4,” comments Mariusz Hendzel from ITD-PIP.
EU countries have an alternative
On-board weighing equipment is therefore not the only option available to EU countries.
The legislator provides for two possibilities to introduce specific measures to determine which vehicles or vehicle combinations in use are likely to exceed the maximum authorized weight. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1213 of 12 July 2019 laying down detailed rules to ensure uniform conditions for implementing interoperability and compatibility of on-board weighing equipment applies to countries that have chosen to make on-board equipment mandatory. Countries which have not opted for the introduction of on-board weighing equipment shall use automatic systems established within the road infrastructure,” comments Mariusz Hendzel.
How would such on-board weighing equipment work? The emphasis will be on connectivity: any semi-trailer or trailer must be able to ‘communicate’ with any tractor or motor vehicle. In addition, from 2024 onwards, it will be possible to remotely control the weight of vehicles using DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications) technology.
Photo: ITD