The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), through Danka Africa, has introduced a virtual weighbridge system designed to detect overloaded trucks travelling along major highways without requiring them to stop at conventional weighing stations.
The new technology targets transit trucks transporting heavy cargo, including shipping containers, construction materials, stones and sand.
The system is expected to help monitor vehicle loads while allowing trucks to continue moving along designated highway sections.
How the New Virtual Weighbridge System Works
Speaking to journalists at the Mlolongo Weighbridge in Machakos County, Danka Africa disclosed that it had been contracted to manage virtual weighbridge stations across Kenya’s eastern region.
The system uses piezoelectric technology, which involves installing specialised sensors on road surfaces to measure the weight of moving vehicles.
As trucks pass over the sensors, the technology captures their weight and records vehicle images. The information is then transmitted to a central data centre in real time.
This allows authorities to monitor heavy vehicles without relying entirely on traditional weighbridge stations, where trucks are required to stop for weighing.
KeNHA Targets Overloaded Trucks on Major Highways
The rollout is aimed at strengthening surveillance of heavy commercial vehicles transporting goods across the country.
Overloading is a major concern for road authorities because excessive vehicle weight contributes to road deterioration and increases maintenance demands.
The virtual weighbridge system introduces another method of monitoring transporters and identifying vehicles carrying loads beyond permitted limits.
However, details on the full rollout schedule, enforcement procedures and penalties linked to detections by the new system were not provided in the announcement.
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