New regulations in the sphere of heavy cargo transportation will come into force in Belarus as from 19 September. The main changes have been clarified by the Transport and Communications Ministry, BelTA learned from the national legislation registry website.
The innovations are introduced by Council of Ministers resolution No.413 of 14 August 2026 “On the procedure for participation in road traffic of heavy and/or oversized vehicles”. The document replaces the provisions of the relevant instruction approved by Transport and Communications Ministry resolution No.50 of 25 August 2011.
The changes affect only vehicles, which movement on public roads, road structures, and streets of populated localities is allowed under a special permit issued by the RUP Beldorcenter enterprise to commercial entities in accordance with the legislation on administrative procedures.
Terminology describing administrative procedure 5.21.9 on obtaining special permits in more detail has been clarified. The list of required documents (data) and the validity periods of special permits, including reusable ones, have been determined. It has been supplemented with a CMR consignment note (in case of international carriage), and the form of the special permit has been clarified in order to harmonize it with the legislation of the EAEU member states.
The special permit form (for a certain number of trips) has been supplemented with information about the type of cargo. The route is highlighted as an independent condition of the special permit to ensure more accurate formation of law enforcement practice.
“Movement without obtaining a special permit or in violation of the conditions specified in the special permit, or while deviating from the route specified in the special permit, is prohibited and entails administrative liability for the driver and the shipper under Article 18.37 of Belarus’ Code of Administrative Offenses,” the ministry explained.
The list of goods that can be transported without breaking them up into parts has been clarified and supplemented. Indivisible cargo includes road equipment, forestry machinery and equipment, tanks as a type of industrial installation, any watercraft and aircraft, and cargo combined (packed) into one cargo unit indivisible by mass. The restriction regarding tank trucks based on the presence of liquid substances in them as well as perishable cargo based on the presence of markings and notes in shipping documents has been removed. Cargo requiring compliance with a special sanitary regime during transportation is equated to perishable cargo.
The requirement to provide an economic justification for why it is impractical to transport cargo in smaller shipments has been eliminated. However, it remains necessary to demonstrate that it is impossible to divide the cargo into smaller shipments or that doing so would be impractical due to a loss of consumer properties or the risk of damage to the cargo.
The option to submit a preliminary application electronically using the software and technical tools provided by RUP Beldorcenter’s SUVSR system has been implemented to determine a preliminary route and calculate the fare. The route can be calculated automatically, and approvals from the owners of transportation infrastructure, communication systems, and power grids can be obtained electronically. This will subsequently help reduce the time required to prepare an administrative decision once the owner (user) submits the full set of documents for the administrative procedure.
The requirements have been specified for the escort vehicle used when accompanying a convoy: it can be owned by a commercial entity, the weight must not exceed 3.5 tonnes (according to vehicle registration documents), the vehicle must be equipped in accordance with established procedures (with the relevant endorsements from the State Automobile Inspectorate and traffic police in the registration documents), an orange flashing beacon as well as communication devices and high-visibility vests for every crew member.
The responsibilities of the transport driver and the crew members of cover vehicles and escort vehicles are listed, including those related to interaction among them.
The owner (user) is now required to designate a person responsible for authorizing vehicle operation on public roads.
Due to road safety considerations the permitted speed when accompanied by an escort vehicle has been increased from 50 to 70 kmph on public roads with two or more lanes in one direction.
The requirement for simultaneous escort by both an escort vehicle and a cover vehicle is determined by RUP Beldorcenter and specified in a special permit.
The current requirements for permissible parameters regarding length, width, and height, including the conditions under which escort and/or cover vehicles are mandatory, remain within the existing limits, and any adjustments are made for the purpose of clarifying the standards to ensure uniformity and ease of practical application.
The full text of the commentary is published on the national legislation registry website.
