Drivers of Armenian Trucks Forced to Pay Heavy Fines at Upper Lars

Despite reaching Upper Lars 10 days ago, many Armenian trucks are still not allowed to cross the Russian-Georgian border. In an interview with NEWS.am, Rafik Hayrapetyan, director of one of the transport companies stranded in Upper Lars, stated that very few trucks have managed to pass the border after the cargo inspection process. Mainly, only trucks loaded with cargo weighing up to 15 tons have crossed the border.

“Initially, they claimed that our trucks were overloaded and offered to impose fines that we could pay within 8 days; now they are forcing us to pay a fine of 50,000 rubles on the spot. Our trucks carry loads of 10-23 tons; only when exceeding 24 tons is it considered overloaded. Our drivers have been stuck at the border for more than a week, and the queues are not decreasing,” he said.

Hayrapetyan also mentioned that they have informed the relevant ministries and the government about the problem again, but have not received any response.

Earlier, it was reported that over a thousand Armenian trucks were stranded at the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Russian-Georgian border. The drivers of these trucks say that the Russian side is creating artificial obstacles for Armenian trucks by imposing fines of up to 100,000 rubles.

Later, the Ministry of Economy clarified that the issue primarily concerns the non-compliance of the loads with the established norms for axle loads. The ministry assured that the queues at the Upper Lars checkpoint are gradually diminishing.