Truck drivers gather on a highway in Basra governorate holding banners during a protest demanding a unified truck weighing system and an end to inconsistent fines, with heavy trucks parked behind them. Photo by 964media.
Basra truck drivers protest lack of unified weighing system, cite inconsistent fines
BASRA — Dozens of dump truck drivers protested Thursday outside a cargo scale facility under construction on Airport Highway, saying the absence of a unified weighing system at Basra’s entrances has exposed them to repeated and inconsistent fines and left heavy transport largely unregulated.
Drivers said weighing procedures vary sharply from one entry point to another, with discrepancies that can result in fines differing by as much as 200,000 Iraqi dinars, about $136. They said Basra remains the only governorate without functioning, standardized truck scales at its approaches, despite the volume of heavy vehicles linked to ports, border crossings and industrial activity.
Protesters called on local authorities to activate the central scale and complete stalled weighing stations at the governorate’s entrances, arguing that a single, official system would end what they described as regulatory disorder, reduce arbitrary penalties and help protect roads from damage caused by overloaded trucks.
The demonstration followed appeals made Wednesday by drivers operating near Umm Qasr port and the Safwan border area to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Basra officials and security leaders to release five colleagues detained at the Safwan police station. Those drivers were arrested after a protest earlier in the week against the “Masarak” truck tracking system.
Drivers said they have faced mounting pressure in designated parking areas and stressed that their protests are legal. “These sit-ins are meant to improve working conditions and organize the transport movement in Iraqi ports,” one protester said.
Mohammed Kazem, a dump truck driver, said the core problem is the lack of a clear, fixed weighing mechanism. “Unlike other governorates, Basra does not rely on official weighing stations that accurately determine loads before trucks enter the city,” he said. “This has damaged roads and exposed drivers to repeated fines because the rules are applied differently from one location to another.”
Ali Nima, another driver, said the penalties have become an added burden on livelihoods. “In the absence of a clear system that allows drivers to comply in advance, fines have turned into a constant threat,” he said.
Nima and other protesters urged the Basra governor and the Roads and Bridges Directorate to end what they called regulatory chaos by bringing the central scale into operation and completing weighing stations that have been stalled for months, including a site near the Hammar–Mushrif area. They also called for new stations in Zubair district and at other approaches to the city so loads can be regulated before trucks reach urban roads.
Drivers said completing the stations would protect Basra’s streets, lower maintenance costs and put an end to fines they say stem from the lack of an organized system rather than deliberate violations.