AXLE LOAD STUDY FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA

The SADC-countries intend to harmonize legislation on road traffic, including weights and dimensions of heavy vehicles. This study provides background material on the axle load issue. The objective is to estimate an optimum maximum axle load, i.e. the highest axle load that should be allowed for regular traffic if the objective is to minimize the combined cost of road keepers and road users. The study uses the HDM-model to estimate a marginal cost per ESA-kilometre for road links typical for the trunk road network in the SADC-region. This estimate, which is approximately 1 US cent, combined with the cost of bridge wear and the cost of road haulage is a model that determines the optimum axle load. (A)