If your truck or commercial vehicle crosses a national highway fee plaza carrying more than its permitted weight, you now pay extra toll on a fixed slab: twice the normal fee when the excess load is between 10% and 40% over the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight, and four times the normal fee when the excess goes beyond 40%. This rule took effect on 15 April 2026 under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules, 2026, notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) through G.S.R. 279(E) dated 13 April 2026, issued under section 9 of the National Highways Act, 1956.
The amendment substitutes Rule 10 of the parent 2008 Fee Rules and applies only at national highway fee plazas. There is no overload fee at all if the excess is within 10% of the permitted weight. The overload fee is charged electronically only, through FASTag or other digital payment at the plaza, and the excess-load details are reported to the National Vehicle Register (VAHAN).
The slab works off the base fee, which is the normal toll for that vehicle class. The multiplier is applied to that base fee, not to any separate fine.
| Excess load over permitted GVW | Overload fee multiplier | What it means in plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 10% | No overload fee | You pay only the normal toll for your vehicle class |
| Over 10% and up to 40% | 2 times (2x) the base fee | You pay double the normal toll |
| Over 40% | 4 times (4x) the base fee | You pay four times the normal toll |
Two points are worth fixing in your mind. First, the multiplier is on the base fee for your vehicle class, so a heavier class with a higher base toll pays a higher overload charge in rupees for the same percentage of excess. Second, the bands are measured against the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW) for the vehicle, not against the axle rating alone.
The gazette itself uses a three-axle rigid truck to show how the bands are read. Suppose the permissible GVW is 28.5 tonnes.
So if the truck weighs anything up to 31.35 tonnes, there is no overload fee. If it weighs more than 31.35 tonnes and up to 39.90 tonnes, the 2x multiplier applies to the base fee. If it weighs more than 39.90 tonnes, the 4x multiplier applies. The same arithmetic works for any vehicle: take your own permissible GVW, add 10% and 40% to find your two cut-off points.
To make it concrete, picture Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak sending a consignment in a three-axle truck with a 28.5 tonne permitted GVW. If the loaded weight reads 35 tonnes at the plaza, that is roughly 23% over the limit, which falls in the over-10%-to-40% band, so the truck pays twice the base fee for its class, charged straight off the FASTag.
If you are charged an overload fee you believe is incorrect, or you want to understand how a particular plaza recorded your vehicle's weight, the Right to Information Act, 2005 lets you ask the National Highways Authority concessionaire's public authority for records. You can seek the weighbridge calibration certificate, the recorded weight log for your vehicle on a given date, and the basis on which the multiplier was applied.
For the wider context on how RTI works and what you can ask for, see the RTI Act 2005 guide and The RTI Playbook.
No. G.S.R. 279(E) amends the National Highways Fee Rules under the National Highways Act, 1956, so the 2x and 4x slab applies at national highway fee plazas. State roads and municipal tolls run under separate rules and are not covered by this amendment.
The National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules, 2026 were notified through G.S.R. 279(E) dated 13 April 2026 and came into force on 15 April 2026.
If the excess is within 10% of the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight, there is no overload fee. The 2x multiplier begins only once the excess crosses 10%, and the 4x multiplier applies once the excess crosses 40%.
No. The overload fee is collected electronically only, through FASTag or other digital payment means at the fee plaza. The excess-load details are also reported to the National Vehicle Register (VAHAN).
No. The toll multiplier is a fee charged at the plaza on the base toll for your vehicle class. Overloading is separately penalised under section 194 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which the transport authorities enforce independently of the toll.
Take your vehicle's maximum permissible gross vehicle weight from the registration certificate. Add 10% to get the point where the 2x band begins, and add 40% to get the point where the 4x band begins. For a 28.5 tonne permitted GVW, those points are 31.35 tonnes and 39.90 tonnes.