Measured and weighed: garbage trucks in the Russian Federation want to be equipped with load sensors

Russian garbage trucks can receive sensors that determine the load on the axle. This initiative was made by the Ministry of Transport. This should reduce the damage that such cars cause to roads. Experts doubt that the proposed measures will be effective. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

With scales on board

The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation has developed a draft government decree on additional requirements for vehicles transporting municipal solid waste (MSW). The document has been published on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts.

According to the project, garbage trucks operated on public roads must comply with the requirements of the technical regulations "On the safety of wheeled vehicles." In addition, the maximum load on each axle of such a vehicle, including the mass of attachments necessary for loading, pressing and transporting waste, should not exceed the permissible values provided for in the "Rules of Movement of heavy and (or) bulky vehicles."

Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Agaryshev

According to the rules, depending on the type of road and the type of vehicle axles (single-ramp, double-ramp, converged axles) This load varies in the range of 3.5–26 tons per axle (group of axles).

In addition, garbage trucks should be equipped with "automatic weight control equipment, which in real time allows the driver to receive information about the current weight and load on each axle of the vehicle."

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The explanatory note to the draft resolution notes that currently vehicles used to transport MSW often exceed the permissible parameters stipulated by the "Rules of Movement of heavy and (or) bulky vehicles." At the same time, as Izvestia reported, at the end of winter, the State Duma adopted a law establishing a moratorium on fines for overloading garbage trucks until March 1, 2028.

"Starting from March 1, 2028, weight and dimensional control will be carried out in relation to these vehicles. The design of vehicles manufactured by plants that are used to transport municipal solid waste and do not comply with the requirements stipulated in the "Rules of Movement of heavy and (or) bulky vehicles" must be brought into compliance with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation," the explanatory note to the document says.

The proposed solution is aimed at the possibility of achieving the indicators of the national project "Infrastructure for Life": bringing 85% of highways of federal significance and at least 60% of roads of regional and inter-municipal significance to a standard state, follows from the accompanying documents.

Photo: Global Look Press/Maksim Konstantinov

If adopted, the resolution will enter into force on September 1, 2026 and will apply to vehicles carrying MSW that were put into circulation after March 1, 2028.

Constructive question

The proposed measures do not solve the main problem of garbage trucks, which leads to exceeding the permissible axle loads. It lies in the design features of such machines, as well as in archaic axial load standards, said Taras Koval, vice President of the Association of Transport Experts and Specialists.

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— Garbage trucks are equipped with a massive plate that presses waste into the back of the car. It puts a significant load on the rear axle of the car, especially for two—axle models, which "punches" on the scales even with a small amount of garbage carried in the bunker, he noted.

This was one of the main reasons for the introduction of a three-year moratorium on fines for overloading for vehicles transporting MSW, the expert believes. Some manufacturers of such equipment, using the moratorium, actually began to push buyers of garbage trucks to drive with an advantage, he noted.

— There are examples of how a number of manufacturers clearly demonstrate the advantages of high—volume garbage trucks, openly saying that there are no fines for overloading, so you can safely buy them instead of less spacious models without fear of overweight sanctions, - Taras Koval told Izvestia.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Maxim Blinov

Equipping garbage trucks with scales that show the load on the axle can partially solve the problem of overloading, says the vice president of the Association of Transport Experts and Specialists. This will give the driver, regardless of the type of garbage loaded, the opportunity to check whether the car meets the established standards, he explains. However, a ban on carriers with large-body models in their fleet from participating in tenders for the removal of household waste would make it possible to deal with overloading more effectively, Taras Koval believes.

— This would force operators to switch to more compact models, which are simply physically more difficult to overload beyond the norm, — the expert is sure.

It won't affect everyone

The average age of trucks in the Russian fleet, including garbage trucks, exceeds 20 years, said Anton Shaparin, vice President of the National Automobile Union (NAS). At the same time, the proposed measures to equip them with scales relate to a very small part of such equipment, he noted.

Photo: Global Look Press/Svetlana Vozmilova

— It is assumed that the requirements will apply only to garbage trucks that are put into circulation after March 1, 2028. Thus, they do not apply to equipment that is already in operation and will be purchased by operators over the next two years," Anton Shaparin emphasized.

Therefore, in its current form, the proposed document will not have a serious impact on the situation with overloading of garbage trucks, he believes. As a result, such equipment will continue to cause significant damage to roads, the NAS Vice president believes.