Video: Truck Drivers Block Goris-Sisian Road in Protest

Truck drivers blocked the Goris-Sisian road today, August 16, and later opened it after discussions with the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, Gnel Sanosyan.

According to the minister's press secretary, Sona Harutyunyan, the drivers expressed dissatisfaction with the newly installed scales on the road. If the weight of the trucks exceeds the specified limit, the drivers face fines.

The minister was in Syunik Province to monitor the work on the Kornidzor and Tatev-Agvan roads and also met with drivers who had blocked the Goris-Sisian road. They complained about the scales that had been placed on the roads. For several days now, trucks entering Armenia have been weighed, and overloaded vehicles are fined, requiring them to reduce their loads to the set limit. The drivers are demanding that the allowable maximum weight of 26 tons be increased to 28 tons. They presented a list of four demands to the minister.

A decision was made to reopen the road and hold a discussion in Yerevan involving the minister, drivers, and representatives of the State Committee on Urban Development, Technical, and Fire Safety Inspection. After this meeting, it will be clearer how acceptable the drivers' proposals are.

According to the minister’s press secretary, recent studies have shown that roads, including the Tatev-Agvan, are primarily damaged due to overloaded trucks. 'There has been a very strict requirement at the government level to ensure compliance with these norms,' Harutyunyan told the news outlet.

It is worth noting that as of May 17, the State Committee on Urban Development, Technical, and Fire Safety Inspection had informed that the maximum allowable weight of vehicles and the weight on a single axle, as well as the maximum dimensions of large axles, have changed. Therefore, the permissible maximum weight for mechanical vehicles with two axles must be 18 tons, while for three axles it must be 25 tons. For three-axle mechanical vehicles equipped with dual tires on the lead axle and pneumatic or similar suspensions, or when each lead axle has dual tires and does not exceed 9.5 tons per axle, the maximum allowable weight should be 26 tons. For four-axle mechanical vehicles, two of which are steering axles and equipped similarly, the maximum allowable weight should be 32 tons. The permissible maximum weight for a three-axle mechanical vehicle with a three-axle trailer also should be 40 tons, while for a mechanical vehicle with two or three axles without a trailer, it also must be 40 tons.