An appeal from truck drivers in southern Russia has provoked a reaction from officials.

After truck drivers from the Rostov region, Kuban, Stavropol, Dagestan, Kalmykia and Chechnya recorded an appeal demanding that the operation of the checkpoint in the Kagalnitsky district be checked, Rostransnadzor announced plans to conduct a test. The fines have put the operations of companies and private carriers at risk.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," truck drivers from the Rostov Region, Kuban and Stavropol, Dagestan, Kalmykia, and Chechnya demanded an inspection of the automatic weight-and-dimension control point in the Kagalnitsky District, after the installation of which carriers began receiving large fines en masse.

Fines for drivers have become a threat to the transportation business

After the drivers sent a collective appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan, Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin, and Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyusar, they were invited to a test run of the weight-and-dimension control point control in the Kagalnitsky district.

Sergey Petrov, a private carrier from Rostov-on-Don, is one of those who received hefty fines at the weigh control point in the Kagalnitsky district.

"I received 11 fines from this frame for a total of approximately 100,000 rubles. Each time, it's the same: allegedly exceeding the axle load by 10-15%. I've been transporting construction materials along the same route for five years, never had any problems, the weight is always within the norm—we check before departure. I consider the fines unjustified because I have waybills with weight coupons—they are all within the norm. I called Rostransnadzor, and they told me to file a lawsuit if I don't agree. "Should I work or go to court?" he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

After our appeal, we were invited to a check weighing station.

According to him, not everything was working properly at the weighing station from the start.

"The asphalt there is ruined, cracks all over the lane where the sensors are, and deep ruts. The reports themselves say 'automatic recording,' without an inspector's signature. When you pass this station, the display doesn't light up at all, you can't see the weight or axles. You just drive on and a week later you get a fine. After our appeal, we were invited to a check weighing station. I didn't go, and I don't know if anyone agreed or not," he noted. He.

In three months, I've been issued 17 fines, the amounts vary widely, probably around 150,000. It's a disaster; I'm working on the brink of profitability, and there's nowhere to get that kind of money.

Andrey Yalymov from Krasnodar received 17 fines in three months.

"I have three cars. In three months, I've been issued 17 fines, the amounts vary widely, probably around 150,000. It's a disaster; I'm working on the brink of profitability, and there's nowhere to get that kind of money. The fines are unjustified because the system counts the axles incorrectly," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"I called the governor's office, and they said it wasn't their responsibility. They referred me to the Ministry of Transport, where they gave the same answer: everything is working properly, no errors. At the checkpoint, the sensors are located on a section of asphalt that has sunken, revealing huge potholes and cracks. When a truck drives over such a surface, it sways, and the sensors detect who knows what. The reports list the address of the facility and the camera number, but there's no photo evidence of the violation itself, just numbers," he said.

The fines are unjustified because our vehicles are regularly weighed at stationary checkpoints, all the data is correct, and we have an archive of weigh tickets for the year.

Logistics company YugTrans has encountered serious financial problems due to fines.

"Our fleet consists of about 20 trucks, and we received 38 fines from this frame for a total of about a million rubles. This is a blow to the business, and we are experiencing serious financial problems. The fines are unjustified because our vehicles are regularly weighed at stationary points, all the data is normal, and we have an archive of weight tickets for the year," company representative Evgeny told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Rostransnadzor requested all available tickets and documents for review.

"We have contacted many places, and we are receiving "A formal reply was received that the matter had been forwarded to Rostransnadzor. They told us to hand over all the tickets and other documents for review. But first, they had to fix all the faults at the checkpoint so we wouldn't get fines again, and then everything else. Our drivers say they've never seen the numbers on the board. It's unclear what they're using to calculate the fines," he noted.

Nikolay from Stavropol constantly transports the same goods at the same weight, but still gets fines.

"I've received 11 fines in a month and a half, the total amount is over 100,000. I transport agricultural products, the cargo weight is always the same, and I know the truck by heart. "I think the fines are bogus," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

He contacted the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate and Rostransnadzor, but his requests were ignored.

"I contacted the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate at the location of the complex, and they said they aren't responsible for automated systems; it's Rostransnadzor's problem. I called them and explained the problem at length, but they stopped listening when they found out it was about the Kagalnitsky District. "I don't know how to solve this problem," he said.

Drivers should join forces to file a lawsuit

Lawyer Leonid Yeltsov advises drivers to file a class action lawsuit.

"Truckers need to appeal the fines en masse in court, citing the inaccuracy of the automatic recording data. To do this, they need to gather evidence: weight tickets from stationary scales, technical documentation for the vehicles confirming the actual number of axles, and so on. "It's possible to prove in court that the device's readings are unreliable due to improper installation on damaged pavement and technical failures," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

In addition, he said, it's necessary to contact the prosecutor's office.

"If the Ministry of Transport and Rostransnadzor don't respond, it's necessary to contact the prosecutor's office with a request to investigate the legality of the operation of the faulty equipment and the inaction of regulatory authorities. At the same time, file a collective complaint with the Federal Antimonopoly Service and contact the regional ombudsman for the protection of entrepreneurs' rights regarding the mass violations of carriers' rights. The main thing is to act collectively and document each appeal so that it can later be proven that officials are ignoring the problem," he advised.

As a reminder, the Platon system is malfunctioning due to electronic warfare (EW) against drones, resulting in drivers receiving large fines, according to truckers who recorded a video appeal to Vladimir Putin in February 2023. The authors of the video appeal came to Krasnodar from various regions, including Adygea, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, and the Volgograd and Rostov regions. Following the complaint, officials finally paid attention to the problem of erroneous fines.

The Platon system imposes a toll on trucks traveling on federal highways. Its introduction in 2015 led to protests by heavy-duty truck drivers, including in southern Russia. You can read about the carriers' dissatisfaction in the "Caucasian Knot" article "Truckers against Platon: has the protest fizzled out?" The "Caucasian Knot" also prepared "Chronicle of Truckers' Protests in Southern Russia".

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