New UAE federal law caps total weight of heavy vehicles at 65 tonnes
Electronic smart gates will automatically measure load and dimensions to boost road safety
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure today announced the issuance of a federal decree law for the year 2023 regarding regulating the weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles on the roads of the UAE.
Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, announced at a press conference in Abu Dhabi today that the new law is important in achieving security and safety on the roads - determining the weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles will help achieve this goal.
The law regulates and specifies the weights, dimensions, and heights of heavy vehicles that use the roads in the UAE. It also includes heavy vehicles licensed in any foreign country and allowed to enter the UAE, so that the total maximum weight does not exceed 65 tonnes per vehicle (including the load).
Heavy vehicles owned by security and military agencies and affiliated with police and civil defence departments are excluded.
Al Mazrouei said: “The implementation of the new law will begin [implementation] at the beginning of next year, 2024, when the weight is set at 65 tonnes per vehicle [including the load] on all roads of the country. The law will enter into force on October 1, 2023, but there is a grace period for companies and owners of trucks and heavy vehicles lasting four months.”
He added: “To reconcile with the new law, the actual implementation of the law and the accountability of violators will begin after the grace period of four months, on [February 1, 2024] and the [outcomes of the] implementation of the law will be evaluated in December 2024.”
Al Mazrouei said: “We are committed to improving the infrastructure, transport, and logistics sectors. The land transport sector is critical to our economic prosperity, as it contributes Dh14 billion to the GDP annually. The new amendments support the government’s efforts to ensure our infrastructure is one of the safest and most technologically advanced in the world, in line with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision.”
Automatic monitoring gates
The minister said that heavy vehicles will be monitored electronically and automatically through 24 gates that operate with high-precision systems and technologies to measure information for each vehicle and know its load, which must not exceed 65 tonnes, and measure dimensions, lengths and heights without the need to stop the vehicle or find out this information manually.
During the four months (from October 2023 to February 2024), the 24 smart gates will be constructed and installed across the UAE. The actual implementation of the law and the application of violations, penalties and administrative punishments will begin from February 1, 2024.
These gates operate 100 per cent electronically, and there will be 12 electronic portals under the management and supervision of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and 12 other portals under the management and supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, he added.
“Each gate will be equipped with electronic sensors, a 3D laser vehicle information measurement system, and high-resolution surveillance cameras to photograph the vehicle, its numbers and dimensions before crossing the electronic gate [with a 98 per cent accuracy rate].”
Diverse benefits
Al Mazrouei pointed out that “studies conducted by the UAE government showed that implementing the law will reduce the percentage of heavy vehicle loads by 28 per cent, and the cap will reduce the percentage of accidents and deaths resulting from truck and heavy vehicle accidents by 62 per cent. It will also reduce the percentage of carbon emissions resulting from the movement of heavy vehicles by 15 per cent”.
He said: “Implementing the new law will contribute to saving about Dh200 million in the cost of road maintenance due to heavy vehicles.”
UAE’s land transport sector
• 20 per cent of the value of the UAE’s non-oil trade during the first half of the current year 2023 was transported by land, with a value of Dh247 billion
• 23.3 per cent of re-exports, worth Dh79.5 billion, transported overland during the first half of 2023
• Dh132.7 billion of the value of UAE imports transported by land during the first half of 2023