For years, overloading was simply how trucking worked in Pakistan. An axle load survey by the National Transport Research Centre in 2020 found that roughly four out of five freight trucks on the national highway network were carrying more than the legal limit. That is changing, and fleet operators who plan for it now will spend less on tyres as well as fines.
What has changed
The Axle Load Control Regime has been enforced on national highways and motorways without relaxation since November 2023. In December 2025 the National Highway Authority told the Public Accounts Committee that it operates 236 axle load checking systems, with monitoring covering about 90 percent of national highways.
In August 2026 the Federal Minister for Communications ordered stricter enforcement again, after a briefing that reported around 30,000 axle load violations in six months. The direction included automating weigh stations, amending the NHA's legal framework to close loopholes, and, notably, fining the factories that load trucks beyond the limit as well as the vehicle owners.
The practical effect for fleets is that overloading is becoming both more likely to be caught and more expensive when it is. The pressure from shippers to "put a few more tonnes on" is also likely to ease once their own gates are liable.
What overloading actually does to a tyre
Every truck tyre has a load index or ply rating that sets the maximum load it can carry at a given inflation pressure. Go beyond that and several things happen at once.
- Heat. An overloaded tyre deflects more with every revolution. That flexing generates heat, and sustained heat breaks down the bond between the rubber and the cords inside. The damage is invisible until the tread separates or the tyre fails on the road.
- Casing fatigue. The casing is the most valuable part of a quality truck tyre, because a sound casing can be retreaded. Repeated overloading fatigues it, so a tyre that should have been retreaded once or twice goes straight to scrap.
- Irregular wear. Overloaded tyres wear faster on the shoulders and unevenly across duals, shortening tread life even if the casing survives.
- Bead and rim damage. Excess load concentrates stress at the bead, especially on tube-type bias tyres, leading to bead failures and damaged rims.
In other words, the extra tonnes carried on each trip are partly paid for in tyres, just later and less visibly.
A checklist for fleet operators
1. Know the real load on each axle
Weigh a representative loaded vehicle of each type, axle by axle, at a public or factory weighbridge. Compare each axle with both the legal limit and the combined rated capacity of the tyres on it. It is common to find that the steer axle or a particular trailer axle is the problem.
2. Match tyre ratings to the job
If an axle is legal but close to the tyres' capacity, a higher ply rating or load index in the same size may give useful headroom. Do not change size without checking the rim and the vehicle manufacturer's specification.
3. Get pressures right
Load capacity depends on pressure. An under-inflated tyre on a legally loaded axle can be effectively overloaded. Check pressures cold, at least weekly, and especially before long runs.
4. Match duals
On dual wheels, the two tyres must have the same size, construction and similar tread depth. If one is smaller or softer, the other carries most of the load and fails early. Never mix bias and radial on the same axle.
5. Use trailer tyres on trailers
Free-rolling trailer axles are best served by trailer-pattern tyres with stiff sidewalls. They wear more evenly and handle the scrub of turning loaded trailers. See our STA and trailer tyre range.
6. Protect your casings
If you retread, treat casings as an asset. Remove tyres for retreading before the tread is completely gone, and keep records of which casings have been overloaded or damaged.
7. Talk to your shippers
With factories now liable for overloaded trucks leaving their gates, it is easier to agree legal loading with customers. Use your axle weights and tyre cost records to support the conversation.
Plan the transition
Running legally may mean more trips for the same tonnage, which changes the economics of a fleet. But tyres, fuel per tonne-kilometre and maintenance all improve when trucks are not overloaded. A fleet that standardises sizes, buys tyres in planned batches and tracks cost per kilometre will absorb the change better than one buying emergency tyres at roadside shops.
If you are reviewing your fleet's tyre specification, send us your vehicle list with sizes by axle position. We can suggest a short list of standard sizes and quote them as a fleet order.
Sources: APP, August 2026 · PID press release No. 321 · The News, December 2025 · The News, "The overloaded truck tax" · ProPakistani, November 2023
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