New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026, targeting the persistent issue of overloaded commercial vehicles. According to the notification issued on Tuesday, April 14, the new regulations will take effect starting April 15, 2026. The amendment introduces a significant escalation in penalties to deter overloading, which has been a primary cause of road damage and safety hazards on national highways.
The revised framework adopts a graded penalty structure based on the severity of the violation. While the ministry has allowed a minor buffer of 10 per cent beyond the permissible Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) without additional charges, stricter penalties apply thereafter. Vehicles carrying between 10 per cent and 40 per cent excess weight will now be charged twice the standard toll rate. For heavy violators exceeding the 40 per cent threshold, the fee will be quadrupled. To ensure transparency, these fees will only be levied at toll plazas equipped with certified weighment devices or Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems.
In a move to further digitalize highway management, all overload penalties will be processed exclusively through the FASTag system. The data from these violations will be integrated with the national VAHAN database, allowing for better regulatory oversight of commercial transporters. While the rules aim for universal compliance, the notification specifies that these changes will not automatically apply to certain older private investment projects unless the respective concessionaires opt to adopt the new standards. This policy shift is expected to significantly reduce maintenance costs for national highways and improve overall road safety.
