Trichy: The Regional Transport Office (RTO) department officials here on Wednesday collected a sum of 2.42 lakh in penalty from 18 goods carrier owners after they were found transporting goods more than the permitted limit.Officials said that a team of officials headed by Trichy East RTO A Pandian carried out a vehicular inspection on Chennai bypass road near Sanjeevi Nagar and Palpannai junction. In the drive conducted between 4 am and 9 am, as many as 18 multi-axle trucks and mini trucks were intercepted by the officials for transporting an excessive quantity of goods. Under sections 113 and 114 of The Motor Vehicles 1988 (Permit violations), the RTO department officials levied a penalty varying between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per vehicle intercepted.“When such heavy vehicles ply with overloaded weight, chances are high for the trucks to develop snag in its braking system. Overload and subsequent brake failures are one of the major causes for fatal highway accidents,” G Nedunchezhia Pandian, motor vehicle inspector, Trichy East RTO told ToI. The overload factor was also attributed to the accidents in which the driver ends up losing his control over the vehicle and colliding with the vehicles approaching from the opposite end.RTO officials said that a sum of Rs 2.42 lakh were levied under section 194 (for overloaded cargo carriers) and was collected from members on the spot. Welcoming the move, residents asked the RTO authorities and city traffic police wing to conduct periodical inspections along the National Highways and city roads to penalise the unauthorised parking of trucks, jeopardising the safety of fellow commuters. RTO sources added that such inspections and penalisation based on the complaints would continue along the highways passing through the city.

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