According to a recent report from the Swedish Transport Administration, 42% of HGVs operating in the country last year were overloaded.
The figures show that the although the percentage of overloads has dropped compared to 2018, the issue is much worse than it was in 2014.
Back in 2014, just 24% of HGVs were found to be overweight. In the following year, the figure rose to 38%, while between 2016 and 2018 it was 48%. The most recent figure thus represents a decline of 6%.
Despite the drop, the Swedish Transport Administration is still concerned by the scale of the problem.
“We take it seriously that almost every other heavy vehicle on the roads drives overloaded. This is a problem because it leads to increased road degradation, distorted competition and poorer road safety. We need to work on a broad front to get to grips with the problem, and our collaborations with the industry are important,” says Lennart Kalander, head of National Planning at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Photo: Polisen Stockholm – Trafik