Section 4

Weighing of Vehicles
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AACRA TRAFFIC AND AXLE LOAD STUDY MANUAL

CONTENTS
4 WEIGHING OF VEHICLES .................................................................................................................... 4-1
4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 4-1
4.2 OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................ 4-1
4.3 SELECTION OF SURVEY SITE ............................................................................................................. 4-1
4.4 EQUIPMENT FOR AXLE LOAD SURVEY ................................................................................................ 4-1
4.5 SURVEY FORMS ................................................................................................................................ 4-2
4.6 WORK PROCEDURE .......................................................................................................................... 4-2
4.7 AXLE LOAD EQUIVALENCE ................................................................................................................. 4-3
4.8 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................... 4-7

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 4-1 TYPICAL ESA VALUES FOR ADDIS ABABA TRAFFIC............................................................................. 4-6

TABLE OF FIGURES
FIGURE 4-1 AXLE LOAD SURVEY STATION.......................................................................................................... 4-2
FIGURE 4-2 WEIGHING OF AXLE ........................................................................................................................ 4-2
FIGURE 4-3 AXLE EQUIVALENCE ........................................................................................................................ 4-4
FIGURE 4-4 EXTRACTION OF EQUIVALENCY FACTORS FROM COMPLETED AXLE LOAD FORM ................................ 4-5

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AACRA TRAFFIC AND AXLE LOAD STUDY MANUAL

4 WEIGHING OF VEHICLES
4.1 Introduction
Axle load surveys involve the classification of vehicles and the physical weighing of each axle on the vehicle
which is selected for testing during the survey period. A representative range of vehicles should be selected
for testing covering the spectrum of vehicles in the classification system and passing through the survey site
during the survey period.
Inspectors need to be precise and conscientious in the exact classifying and weighing of each vehicle which
is tested at the survey station.

4.2 Overview
The types of survey sites used for conducting axle load studies include:
Permanent stations where the data collection is a continuous process for throughout the year
Temporary stations for a particular section of the road
This Manual covers temporary stations only. AACRA do not own any permanent weigh stations. ERA
operate permanent stations adjacent to the city boundary on the major roads at Alem Gela and Mojo. Axle
load surveys are generally undertaken at each site for a period of one (1) week. The critical information
required to uniquely identify each survey result is as follows:
Location described by Road Number as defined in the management system and a general
Site Description
Date the date of the test
Name of Inspector the name of the person undertaking the Survey.
This information is mandatory for all survey sites and shall be entered on all data collection forms.
The categories of vehicle adopted for axle load survey must match the categories used for classification
traffic counts to enable a representative axle load to be assigned to each vehicle class for calculation of total
pavement loading.
The adopted Equivalent Standard Axle (ESA) is 8.2 tonne in line with all the major international design
standards, despite the fact that the legal load limit in Ethiopia is currently 10 tonne (ERA, 2002).

4.3 Selection of Survey Site

The site selected for axle load surveys needs to be carefully considered to enable safe and easy access by
the vehicles to be tested and provide a sufficient, flat, even testing site out of the traffic stream.
The site should be selected in an area where there is good visibility in both directions of the traffic stream to
allow identification of vehicles to be tested. The site should be situated away from junctions or intersections.

4.4 Equipment for Axle Load Survey

The equipment required to undertake an axle load survey is as follows:
Safety Jackets
Clipboard
Standard Axle Load Survey Forms (attached)
Calculator
Chairs
Umbrella for protection from rain or sun
Traffic Control equipment including flags, cones and signs.
Scales
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Scale recharger / direct power supply.

Figure 4-1 and Figure 4-2 show a properly set up and equipped axle load study in progress in Addis Ababa.

Figure 4-1 Axle Load Survey Station

Figure 4-2 Weighing of Axle

4.5 Survey Forms

A standard form for axle load surveys is given in Appendix A of this Manual. This form has been developed
and modified for Addis Ababa conditions (AACRA, 2002).

4.6 Work Procedure

Before leaving for site, the inspector should ensure that the scales are fully charged and that the charger and
power adapter are also taken to site in case the scales require re-charging during the day.
The survey will be undertaken for 12 hours from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm every day for the full week the survey is
undertaken at the site. This is based on classification traffic counts in Addis Ababa which show this time
period to encompass both morning and afternoon peaks and negligible night-time traffic (AACRA, 2002).
The survey team should consist of five (5) people as follows:
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people are required to direct and control vehicles as they enter and depart the survey site.
people are required to position and control the scales and direct the vehicle into position on
the scales
1 Inspector is to be responsible for the overall operation of the survey and is required to read
the scales and record the results on the survey form.
The use of traffic police should also be made where ever possible to assist in the stopping and directing of
vehicles into the survey site.
The inspector will record the following information for each vehicle surveyed:
Time the time the vehicle enters to survey site;
Vehicle Type - the vehicles are classified for axle load surveys into four (4) categories:
o Light minibus and commercial van;
o Medium large bus and single rear axle trucks;
o Heavy dual rear axle trucks; and
o Articulated large trucks.
Plate Number the vehicles plate number, however drivers should be advised that the
survey is not legally binding and the police should not fine surveyed vehicles as this will distort
survey results as future drivers avoid the site;
Direction of Travel depending on the orientation and direction of the road the site is located
on this will either be North/South or East/West only;
The axle load in kilograms on each axle of the vehicle, this will obviously vary depending on
the size of the vehicle (ie 2 axles for Light and Medium; 3 axles for Heavy and >3 for
Articulated). Do not report individual wheel loads for each side of the vehicle - the scales
should be set to Total and the total axle load should be reported for each axle.
Total sum to the total of all axles for the vehicle.
A reasonable average rate of vehicle weighing in Addis Ababa is about 30 vehicles per hour although an
experienced survey team may be able to weigh more vehicles at peak times.

4.7 Axle Load Equivalence

For pavement design purposes the damaging power of axles is related to a 'standard' axle of 8.16 tonnes
(80kN) using equivalence factors which have been derived from empirical studies. In order to determine the
cumulative axle load damage that a pavement will sustain during its design life, it is necessary to express the
total number of vehicles that will use the road over this period in terms of the cumulative number of
Equivalent Standard Axles (ESA) (TRL, 1993).
The equivalence factors for each of the wheel loads measured during the axle load survey are determined
using Figure 4-3 or the accompanying equation to obtain the equivalence factors for vehicle axles. The
factors for the axles are totalled to give the equivalence factor for each of the vehicles (TRL, 1993).

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10.00

1.00
Number of Standard Axles

4.5
Axle load (kg)
Equivalenc e Factor =
8160
0.10

0.01
0 5000 10000 15000
Axle Load (kg)

Figure 4-3 Axle Equivalence

Analysis methods are available which provide different equivalence factors for single tyred axles, tandem
axles and tri-axle configurations. However, in accordance with the design methodologies adopted for Addis
Ababa conditions each axle in the multiple groups should be treated individually with equivalence factors
calculated using the above equation.
A completed axle load survey form is shown in Figure 4-4. Note that both empty and full trucks are weighed
during the survey to ensure the calculated average ESA for the vehicle class is indicative of the total traffic
stream and corresponds with the traffic counts.

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4.5
5280
1. Equivalenc e Factor = = 0.14
8160
2. EF for vehicle = 0.52

3. Average EF for class = 1.31

Figure 4-4 Extraction of Equivalency Factors from Completed Axle Load Form
Due to the simple and repetitive nature of the calculations, the data is best entered and calculated in a
spreadsheet. Repeating the process shown in Figure 4-4 for all test results and all vehicle classes provides
values for:
EFL the equivalency factor for the average light vehicle
EFM the equivalency factor for the average medium vehicles
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EFH the equivalency factor for the average heavy vehicles

EFA the equivalency factor for the average articulated vehicles
In the absence of detailed axle load survey for the traffic stream, typical values for vehicle class are available
for Addis Ababa (AACRA, 2002; ERA, 2001) as shown in Table 4-1. The limits for Addis Ababa are the 20th
percentile confidence limits from the available data.
Table 4-1 Typical ESA Values for Addis Ababa Traffic
Addis Ababa ERA
Vehicle Class Typical Lower Upper Typical Lower Upper
Car 0.03 0.00 0.10 0.00 - -
Light 0.73 0.39 1.07 0.70 0.30 1.10

Medium 1.31 0.73 1.89 1.70 0.80 2.60

Heavy 1.61 1.05 2.18 1.80 0.80 3.00

Articulated 3.15 2.15 4.14 2.20 1.00 3.00

Note that generally cars are assigned an ESA of zero for analysis purposes. However due to the
overloading of pickups and minibuses in Addis Ababa it was found the value of 0.03 ESA per vehicle was
more representative of the urban traffic stream based on the available data (AACRA, 2002).

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4.8 References
Addis Ababa City Roads Authority (AACRA), 2002, Pavement Maintenance Management System Data
Collection Manual, Addis Ababa City Administration, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Transport and Road Research Laboratory, 1978, Road Note 40 A Guide to the Measurement of Axle
Loads in Developing Countries using a Portable Weighbridge, Department of the Environment,
Department of Transport, Crowthorne, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Transport Research Laboratory, 1993, Overseas Road Note 11 Urban Road Traffic Surveys, Overseas
Centre, Transport Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

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