Statistical Comparison of Two Approaches—Mobile Patrol and Checkpoint Control—in Detecting Overloading Violations (A Case Study of Intercity Roads in Isfahan Province)

Sareban Nejad, Parisa; Tavakoli Kashani, Ali; Najafpour Derav, Mohammad; Zahabion, Moeid

doi:10.22034/tri.2026.571364.3433

Statistical Comparison of Two Approaches—Mobile Patrol and Checkpoint Control—in Detecting Overloading Violations (A Case Study of Intercity Roads in Isfahan Province)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

parisa Sareban nejad ¹

Ali Tavakoli Kashani ²

Mohammad Najafpour derav ²

Moeid Zahabion ³

¹ Faculty of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology

² Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Applied Road Transport Safety Research Center, Iran University of Science and Technology

³ Head of the Safety and Traffic Department, General Directorate of Road Maintenance and Transportation of Isfahan Province

10.22034/tri.2026.571364.3433

Abstract

deterioration, higher maintenance costs, and reduced safety on road networks. Selecting an appropriate detection and enforcement strategy therefore plays a decisive role in the effectiveness of control measures. This study statistically compares the performance of two enforcement approaches, namely fixed roadside inspection using stationary stations and mobile patrol weighing, in detecting overloading violations. The analysis focuses on a case study of road corridors in Isfahan Province, Iran, and proposes policy recommendations to improve the allocation of monitoring resources. Records of overloading penalties from 15 roadside stations for the years 2020–2025 (1399–1404) and data from a mobile weighbridge program for the years 2020–2024 (1399–1403) were collected. To ensure a fair comparison, ten matched and comparable corridors were selected for the two methods, and the number of citations issued per day was calculated as the primary performance indicator. Descriptive results showed that, across all matched corridors, the daily detection rate under mobile patrols was higher than that of fixed roadside inspections. The mean daily detection was estimated at 2.19 for fixed roadside control and 7.32 for mobile patrols. Even the minimum detection rate of the mobile approach exceeded the maximum rate observed for the fixed approach. Statistical tests and paired comparisons also confirmed the superiority of mobile patrols as statistically significant. Based on these findings, increasing the share of mobile patrol weighing within the enforcement system is recommended to improve monitoring performance, curb overloading violations, and reduce the resulting network-level damages.

Keywords

Overloading

Fixed roadside enforcement

Mobile patrol enforcement

Violation detection

Pavement deterioration

Subjects