Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport, wants to transform the Centre for Road Transport Services into a road inspection body following the model of Poland and other countries. The new entity envisioned as a road inspection authority, will have stronger powers to control trucks, especially in terms of overload and adherence to regular breaks.
The law proposed by Kupka is expected to be presented next spring and should become effective in 2025. The minister emphasized that transforming the center into an inspection body will not cost the state any money because it will not involve hiring new state employees.
The Centre currently lacks sufficient authority, according to Kupka. During its checks, the police have to assist, and if the police officers have to leave for an urgent event, the Centre’s employees cannot continue with the initiated control.
The new inspection body, as Kupka suggests, could more consistently penalize overloaded trucks on Czech motorways and other traffic problems. The minister emphasized that the proposal is supported by Czech freight transporters who believe that the change will ensure consistent conditions for both local and foreign entities.
Former Transport Minister and Deputy Chairman of ANO, Karel Havlíček, said the opposition movement generally supports the proposal. However, he emphasized the need for greater involvement of high-speed scales on motorways to control overloaded trucks.
According to Kupka, a combination of both measures is necessary: a more significant extension of high-speed scales and the creation of a new inspection body with more extraordinary powers. By the end of next year, there will be 13 of these scales in operation on Czech motorways. Currently, there are six.