The Southern Angola Truckers Association has called on the government to install weighing stations on the country's main roads, warning that the absence of such equipment is accelerating the deterioration of highways and bridges through unchecked vehicle overloading.
Speaking to ANGOP in Huambo on Wednesday, the association's director-general, Félix Dias, said the lack of weigh stations effectively enables hauliers to transport cargo well above legally permitted limits, with damaging consequences for road surfaces, bridges and the free flow of road traffic across Angola.
Dias singled out Huambo province as a priority location for the installation of roadside weighing infrastructure, citing its strategic role as a hub for the circulation and distribution of goods to multiple regions of the country. Properly equipped checkpoints, he argued, would strengthen enforcement and curb the structural damage caused by overweight vehicles.
The director-general said it was essential to deepen dialogue between the association and the government to resolve the sector's main challenges, which include the absence of weigh stations, the deteriorating condition of certain road sections and other operational constraints affecting the haulage industry.
Dias acknowledged the public investment already directed at road infrastructure, describing the more consistent focus on rehabilitating transport corridors as a significant step forward — one that is critical to facilitating the movement of agricultural produce and other goods to market.
On the question of social responsibility, Dias said the Southern Angola Truckers Association has been running awareness campaigns on road safety and compliance with the national Highway Code, as part of its broader mandate to professionalise the sector.
He added that the association's objectives also include defending the rights and interests of its members, promoting fair and standardised freight rate schedules, encouraging professional training and skills development for truck drivers, and improving access to social security and insurance services.
Dias also highlighted a formal partnership with the Huambo provincial government aimed at streamlining the issuance of cargo transport operating licences to association members engaged in freight haulage.
Founded in May of this year and headquartered in the city of Caála, the Southern Angola Truckers Association counts 3,000 members — comprising truck drivers and other professionals working across the transport sector — operating in the provinces of Benguela, Bié, Cuando Cubango, Cunene, Huambo, Huíla and Namibe.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/transporte/camionistas-defendem-instalacao-de-balancas-nas-estradas-nacionais/
