The Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, has announced government plans to significantly increase penalties for overloaded trucks, raising the maximum fine from GH¢5,000 to GH¢50,000. Speaking in an interview on GTV on January 26, 2026, the Minister described the existing fines as grossly inadequate and ineffective in deterring offenders whose actions cause extensive damage to the country’s road infrastructure.
Mr Agbodza explained that the current axle load control system applies graduated penalties depending on the extent of overloading. However, he stressed that even the highest fine under the existing regime remains cheaper than the economic benefit transporters gain from carrying excess loads. This imbalance, he argued, has encouraged persistent abuse of axle load regulations.
According to the Minister, the cost of repairing damage caused by overloaded trucks far exceeds the penalties imposed, making the current system economically irrational. To address this, the Ministry is revising the legislative instrument governing axle load enforcement to introduce stiffer fines and tougher sanctions. Among the proposed measures is the confiscation of vehicles belonging to repeat offenders.
The government’s proposal to increase fines for overloaded trucks from GH¢5,000 to GH¢50,000 is not only timely but long overdue. For years, our road infrastructure has suffered rapid deterioration, largely due to the persistent abuse of axle load regulations by freight operators who prioritize profit over public safety and national development.
Road construction is an expensive undertaking, funded largely by taxpayers and development partners. When a single overloaded truck causes damage equivalent to tens of thousands of cedis, yet escapes with a fine that barely scratches its profit margin, the system effectively rewards wrongdoing. This perverse incentive has allowed overloading to become normalized, particularly on major haulage routes.
International road engineering studies have long established that pavement damage increases exponentially with axle load. A truck carrying just 20 per cent more than the legal limit can cause several times more damage to road surfaces than a compliant vehicle.
The proposed GH¢50,000 fine restores balance by aligning punishment with impact. It sends a clear signal that the cost of non-compliance will now outweigh the financial gains of overloading. Equally important is the government’s intention to confiscate vehicles belonging to repeat offenders. Without such decisive measures, habitual violators would simply absorb fines as a cost of doing business.
Beyond infrastructure damage, overloaded trucks pose serious safety risks. They contribute to brake failure, longer stopping distances, and fatal accidents on highways already burdened by poor enforcement and congestion. Tougher sanctions therefore protect not only roads, but lives.
That said, enforcement must be consistent, transparent, and insulated from corruption. Higher penalties will only succeed if weighbridge systems are functional, enforcement officers are adequately resourced and political interference is eliminated.
The credibility of this policy depends on impartial application across all operators, regardless of size or influence.
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