TIA in the working group: solutions to strengthen heavy-duty vehicle control

On April 16, Egidijus Skrodenis, Board Member of the Transport Innovation Association (TIA) and CEO of MC Baltics, together with TIA Director Rugilė Andziukevičiūtė-Buzė, participated in a working group meeting at the Ministry of Transport and Communications dedicated to the development and coordination of a plan for strengthening the control of heavy-duty vehicles. During the meeting, they presented key directions for improving heavy-duty vehicle control.

Today, the heavy-duty transport sector on Lithuanian roads faces significant challenges. Overloaded vehicles, particularly in the domestic transport segment, contribute to road deterioration, increased air pollution, higher accident risks, and rising operational costs.

There is a clear need to strengthen weight control by leveraging technological and IT solutions, as well as ensuring more efficient enforcement and administration of violations. It is also important to create conditions for the use of more advanced vehicle configurations by increasing permitted dimensions.

European best practices show that higher-capacity vehicle combinations—featuring greater weight, length, and additional axles—can reduce the number of heavy-duty vehicles on the roads, lower CO₂ emissions, and improve logistics efficiency.

During the meeting, we presented the following proposals:

🟦 Develop smart transport control innovation frameworks such as “SANDBOX” and “TESTBED”, enabling rapid response to market needs and real-world testing of solutions. This would help Lithuanian businesses attract foreign investment, retain talent, and strengthen the innovation ecosystem

🟦 The current weight control network is insufficient; therefore, it is necessary to expand the infrastructure of automated (WIM) and mobile weighing stations, as well as implement alternative solutions such as video analytics and V2I technologies

🟦 Ensure a more comprehensive approach to enforcement by assessing not only weight violations but also attempts to evade control, including illegal lane crossing and restricted access violations for heavy-duty vehicles

🟦 To enable faster and more efficient processing of violations, system integration and automation must be strengthened

🟦 More effective enforcement and international cooperation are needed. Some violators (particularly foreign carriers) still avoid liability, highlighting the importance of strengthening cross-border data exchange, ensuring stricter border control, and expanding the authority of mobile inspection units

The next working group meeting is planned to analyse and discuss the integration of institutional systems. Members of the Transport Innovation Association will participate as experts, sharing insights on current challenges and opportunities.

We believe that achieving real and long-term change requires a consistent, data-driven, and innovation-based action plan that ensures effective control and a more sustainable transport sector in Lithuania.