OPTIMUM AXLE LOADS OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The cost of transporting a particular tonnage of road freight decreases rapidly as the amount of freight which each vehicle carries increases. On the other hand the cost of providing and maintaining the road increases as vehicle axle loads increase. Under most circumstances the total cost of operating the transport system initially decreases as axle load increases but passes through a minimum value at the optimum axle load. This paper discusses the relationships between axle load and road transport costs in developing countries and examines the dependence of the optimum axle load on the factors which influence it most strongly. It is concluded that the optimum axle load is likely to be higher than current legal limits in many developing countries except on lightly trafficked roads or where unusual conditions exist (a). The number of the covering abstract of the conference is TRIS No. 368448. (TRRL)