THE Fiji Cane Lorry Transportation Association has undertaken to comply with the weight limit for six-wheeler trucks carting cane to the mills during the 2019-2020 cane cutting season.
In a statement issued yesterday, Fiji Sugar Corporation CEO Graham Clark said they met the association and confirmed that they had the undertook to comply with the restrictions in a signed letter to the Prime Minister’s office.
“Key considerations noted were that last year, the weight limit for six-wheeler trucks was 17 tonnes and the average cane load delivered was 11.1 tonnes.
The average tare weight of a six-wheeler truck was 5.4 tonnes.
“With the 16.5 tonnes introduced this year and assuming the same average tare weight of a six-wheeler truck being 5.4 tonnes, this will enable an average cane load of 11.1 tonnes, unchanged from the average delivery of last year”.
The statement also stated that the Fiji Cane Lorry Transportation Association had committed to road safety and supports load dimension restrictions of a maximum load width of three metres and a maximum height of 4.3 metres from ground level which was in line with LTA regulations and will greatly assist in improving road safety.
It said six-wheeler trucks comprise 97 per cent of the lorry fleet delivering cane to the mills during the crushing season and sufficient notice had been given to all six-wheeler truck owners, regarding excessive weight being allowed in the past and the need to adjust these exemptions.
It must also be considered that significant damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure is caused by overladen trucks.
The Fiji Government has announced a significant reduction in tariffs for the importation of heavy machinery including trucks to enable a modernisation of the cane haulage truck fleet.
