The Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) said it is concerned with increased cases of overloading by trailers along the Northern Corridor.
The authority warned that any driver found guilty faced a three-year jail term.
Officials said out of 90,000 trucks weighed at the Gilgil weighbridge, 500 of them were found to be overloaded, leading to the arrests of drivers.
Danka Africa Kenya Limited, a company contracted to manage the Gilgil and Suswa weighbridges said trailers with six axles were the most affected.
A manager, Jackson Kimuyu said that the vice is common with long-distance drivers ferrying goods to neighboring countries.
He said by lifting one axle, the drivers were carrying more load than allowed by the law.
“Most drivers lift the axles once they pass the weighbridges, once they do this, the weight that was to be carried by liftable axles is distributed to the remaining five. It is an offense to operate a defective suspension system,” he said.
He warned that those found breaking the law faced a fine of Sh1.5 million or a three-year jail term.
Kumuyu said they had embarked on the process of engaging the transporters following rising cases of physical attacks targeting their drivers.
