A lesson learned from shipping heavy cargo through Kenya: total weight legal does not always mean axle weight legal
I recently learned an important logistics lesson when shipping heavy cargo through Kenya.
For high-density cargo, such as forged grinding balls, total weight is not the only thing that matters. Even when the gross vehicle weight is within the legal limit, uneven load distribution can still cause one axle group to be overloaded.
In this case, the total vehicle weight was legal, but one axle group was overloaded by 680 kg. The truck was required to redistribute the load or offload part of the cargo before continuing.
This was a useful reminder for us:
When shipping heavy cargo, we should not only calculate the total weight, but also pay attention to how the cargo is distributed inside the container and on the truck.
For exporters, freight forwarders, and buyers dealing with heavy products, this small detail can affect the whole delivery schedule.
Has anyone else experienced axle load issues during inland transportation in Africa or other regions?