Abu Dhabi-UAE: – In a press conference at its Abu Dhabi offices, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) today revealed the details of the amendments to the federal law regulating the weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles on UAE roads. The amendments were recently approved by the UAE Cabinet, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

As per the amendments, the permissible maximum weight of heavy vehicles will be set at 65 tons from 2024. They also identify the responsibilities of heavy vehicle operators, whether they own or rent it, and control entities to ensure compliance. The provisions of the law are applicable to heavy vehicles that use the UAE’s roads, including ones that are licensed from other countries and are permitted into the UAE. However, vehicles owned by security, military, police, and civil defense authorities are exempt from the law.

In coordination with the relevant federal and local authorities, 24 smart electronic gates will be installed by the end of 2024 to measure the weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles. Furthermore, MoEI will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to approve decisions specifying the maximum total and axle weight limits and charts of permissible maximum dimensions according to the vehicle classifications and the number of their axles. They will also set the list of violations, associated administrative penalties and their enforcement authorities, and the grievance mechanisms.

His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, 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 AED 14 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.”

The federal law regulating the weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles is expected to reduce traffic fatalities rate by 50% per 100,000 people. Raising the level of road safety is a priority for the UAE, given that studies indicate that deaths by truck crashes amount to 62%. Moreover, the law will cut down the annual road maintenance cost by AED 200 million and will reduce carbon emissions by five billion kgs by 2032.

For his part, His Excellency Eng Hassan Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Transport Affairs at MoEI, said: “The Ministry will leverage state-of-the-art technologies to monitor compliance with the permissible maximum weight and dimensions. We will deploy smart gates that detect the weight and dimensions of moving trucks and their number of axles using electronic sensors and 3D laser scanners that have 98% accuracy rate.”

He added: “The law is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance road safety, as heavy loads reduce the ability of trucks to travel at a speed commensurate with the movement of vehicles on the road. It also supports our net-zero commitment by reducing carbon emissions, in line with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.”

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