The issue of heavy trucks disregarding traffic restrictions and operating on inner-city roads in Pleiku City (Gia Lai province) is causing severe road degradation and public outrage. Particularly in the Le Van Huu and Ha Huy Tap street areas (Yen The ward), the road surface has developed numerous large potholes and craters, causing significant difficulties for commuters.
Severely damaged Le Van Huu road surface in Pleiku due to overloaded trucks.
Trucks Defy Bans, Roads Severely Degraded
Residents point to overloaded trucks carrying tens of tons of goods as the primary cause. Despite signs prohibiting trucks over 10 tons at the beginning of Le Van Huu street, at the intersection with Truong Son street, overloaded vehicles are still a common sight.
According to a reporter’s observation, at 9:20 PM on November 19th, a semi-truck with license plate 19H – 058.55, carrying sand from Kon Tum to Pleiku, entered Truong Son street and then turned onto Le Van Huu street, despite the road having a sign prohibiting heavy trucks. After approximately 800 meters, the truck stopped at a building materials store.
A similar situation occurs on Pham Ngoc Thach street (Dong Da ward). This route also has a 10-ton weight limit, but between 4-5 PM on November 19th, many heavy trucks were still brazenly operating. Specifically, semi-trucks with license plates 81H – 028.20, 81H – 005.55, 81H – 028.70, and 81H – 027.76 drove from Le Dai Hanh street onto Pham Ngoc Thach street to transport sand at the Khanh construction material yard.
Local Authorities Pledge to Enhance Control
Mr. Doan Huu Dung, Chairman of Pleiku City People’s Committee, stated that he has directed functional agencies to patrol, control, and strictly handle overloaded vehicles operating within the city.
Residents Fear Further Road Degradation
A resident living on Pham Ngoc Thach street mentioned that the Khanh construction material yard, spanning thousands of square meters, has been operating for many years and uses heavy trucks to transport sand day and night, causing road damage. Mr. Thai Hoang Thanh, leader of neighborhood group 4 (Yen The ward), also confirmed that many overloaded vehicles travel on Le Van Huu and Ha Huy Tap streets, exceeding the permitted weight limit of 9-10 tons. “These two roads are repaired every year, before Tet and after the rainy season, but they are damaged again within a few months,” Mr. Thanh said.
Mr. Do Trung Hung, Chairman of Yen The Ward People’s Committee, stated that Pleiku City People’s Committee has planned to upgrade the road and requested functional departments to strictly handle the situation of overloaded vehicles.
City Police Face Difficulties in Control
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Thanh Binh, Deputy Chief of Pleiku City Police, said that traffic police forces have handled many cases of overloading and oversized vehicles, including those on Pham Ngoc Thach and Le Van Huu streets. However, due to the large area and limited manpower, patrols and controls cannot cover everything. Some businesses and individuals have taken advantage of this to operate overloaded vehicles on prohibited routes. Mr. Binh stated that Pleiku City Police will increase patrols and controls during peak hours and strictly handle violations in the near future.
High Level of Overload
According to the Vietnam Register, the truck with license plate 81H – 028.20 pulling trailer 81R – 010.45 has a permitted gross vehicle weight of 36.8 tons. If carrying the allowed load, when operating on Pham Ngoc Thach street, the vehicle would overload the road bridge by at least 270%. The truck with license plate 81H – 005.55 has a gross vehicle weight of 30 tons if fully loaded, which would overload the road bridge by 200%. Both of these trucks are registered at 36 Ly Tu Trong, Tay Son ward, Pleiku City.
