The weight of vehicles on roadways is important because every road has a weight limit. These limits help keep roads in good shape.
Another important aspect of weight is that it impacts the severity of crashes when they occur. Trucks, as the biggest vehicles on the road, have many checks on weight. They also have limits to ensure they can safely travel and that their weight is not a safety risk.
Trucks over the limits
Unfortunately, many large trucks drive overloaded. The government sets limits for the maximum weight of a truck, but some companies or drivers decide to violate those limits. While they have to weigh in at various points on certain roads, the government cannot catch every truck that is overweight. So, they are on the roads with you every day, and the risks they pose are serious.
Risks of overweight trucks
Not only do trucks driving heavy pose structural issues with the roads and cause excessive wear but also they are more dangerous in accidents. These vehicles are already much larger than your typical car or passenger truck. A collision with such a heavy vehicle is tragic.
But there are further problems. Heavy trucks may have weight shifts that make it hard for the driver to control the vehicle, which increases the chances of an accident. They have a harder time stopping, and these trucks have more chances of rollovers.
A heavy truck is a dangerous truck regardless of how skilled and alert the driver may be. There are very good reasons for weight limits, but unfortunately, the pressure on drivers to deliver more goods quicker can lead to choices that make them disregard these restrictions. And such moves puts everyone on the road at a higher risk of a crash.
