Authors : Luqman M. Audu; Ibrahim Rasheed; Aliu Sulaiman; Isah A. Umar

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 7 - July

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/bs42kwup

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/m4zv4n9m

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jul739

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Abstract : Passenger and payload overloading remain major contributors to road traffic crashes, accelerated pavement deterioration, increased vehicle operating costs, and reduced transportation efficiency in many developing countries. Despite existing regulations, persistent non-compliance with manufacturers' Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) continues to compromise road safety and infrastructure sustainability in Nigeria. This study presents an engineering assessment of passenger and payload overloading among commercial public transportation vehicles operating within Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria. The study was a 12 month field survey of 500 commercial vehicles at 10 major interstate transport terminals. The vehicles were divided into four groups: Toyota Hiace buses, Toyota Sienna vehicles, Toyota Sharon vehicles and Peugeot 504 Station Wagons. Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) was calculated from the measured curb weight, passenger load, driver weight, cargo load and fuel weight, and compared to the manufacturer’s GVWR to evaluate vehicle load compliance. Loading characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics, and an exploratory one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the monthly cargo loading data to compare the loading patterns across vehicle categories. The results showed that the highest passenger overloading was 42.9% in Toyota Sharon vehicles followed by Toyota Sienna and Peugeot 504 Station Wagon vehicles 25.0%, while Toyota Hiace buses had the highest annual average cargo load of 151.3 kg. Cargo loading increased in January, November and December, due to seasonal travel demand. The ANOVA test showed a significant difference in the mean of cargo loading among the vehicle categories studied with F (3, 44) = 4.48, and p = 0.0079. Thus, the type of vehicle significantly affects the characteristics of cargo-loading. The results also show that the main reason for Gross Vehicle Weight violations is passenger overloading and the cargo loading is within the estimated manufacturer payload capacities of the vehicles considered. The study shows that better regulatory enforcement, routine monitoring of gross vehicle weight and deployment of intelligent weigh-inmotion technologies would improve compliance with vehicle loading, enhance road safety and promote sustainable public transportation in Nigeria.

Keywords : Passenger Overloading; Payload Overloading; Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR); Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW); Commercial Transportation; Road Safety; Vehicle Load Compliance; Edo North Senatorial District.

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