The effect of overloaded heavy commercial vehicles on the road infrastructure: Assessment of land transport operators in Abu Dhabi Emirate

Abstract

The road infrastructure is one of the fundamental facilities necessary for the growth of a modern economy. It is critical, therefore, to have a safe and reliable infrastructure to aid the effective transportation of good and people. In the United Arab Emirates, on March of 1986, late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan established a federal law across the Emirates to regulate the maximum weight carried and dimension limits of the heavy commercial vehicles. However, the law was deactivated a few years after its implementation in the 1990's. As a result, the overloading violations rates by land transport operators that transport materials via heavy trucks in the Emirate has increased over the years due to the lack of an effective regulatory framework to monitor the heavy trucks maximum weight limit. An overload, in the commuting system, is defined as a load that exceeds the legal truckload limit and varies by the truck types specified by the number of axles. The heavy trucks overload negatively affects the road infrastructure by placing undue pressure on the road leading to severe and frequent damages of road and safety of other road users. This research assesses the impact of overloaded heavy trucks on the road infrastructure in AD by conducting a trend analysis using Weigh-In-Motion data. Also, the study analyzes the overloading behavior of land transport operators during the four seasons over the years, of spring, summer, fall and winter. This study also examines the attitude and behavior of these operators towards overloading using survey responses and an ordinary least square regression model. The study contributes towards preserving the emirate's road infrastructure, enhancing the safety of road users and heavy trucks operations, and reducing the economic cost of road maintenance. Recommendations for both local operators and governmental agencies are discussed for effective policy implementation and monitoring of overloading in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Date of Award	Mar 2019
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Praveen Maghelal (Supervisor)