NYC Expands Crackdown on BQE Overweight Trucks
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New York City has started ticketing overweight trucks headed toward Staten Island on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, expanding its automated enforcement program after a sharp drop in violations on the Queens-bound side.
The enforcement began June 22 after a 90-day warning period that resulted in more than 3,000 notices sent to trucks exceeding state weight limits. The city’s weigh-in-motion system, which uses in-road sensors paired with automated cameras, now issues $650 fines to overweight southbound trucks crossing the BQE’s triple cantilever in downtown Brooklyn.
The technology has been in place for Queens-bound traffic since 2023. In its first year, the program led to a 60% reduction in overweight vehicles, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. City data shows the monthly average of overweight trucks dropped from 7,920 to 3,041.
“We are expanding our role as a nationwide leader by cracking down on overweight vehicles on the BQE, now deploying state-of-the-art roadway weight sensors for Staten Island-bound traffic,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
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The BQE’s central section — a 70-year-old corridor critical to New York’s freight movement — has faced ongoing structural concerns, particularly along its layered cantilever span between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. City officials say overweight vehicles accelerate deterioration and drive up maintenance costs.
New York was the first state in the U.S. to authorize automated enforcement of vehicle weight limits through WIM systems. While similar sensors are used elsewhere to collect data, New York’s program allows for direct violations and fines without requiring trucks to stop.
The BQE (labeled as Interstate 278 above) is known for its layered cantilever span between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. (Google Maps)
The expansion to southbound enforcement marks a second phase in the city’s broader effort to use WIM systems to protect aging infrastructure.
New state legislation now permits the technology to be deployed at 11 other sites across the city, including the Williamsburg and Queensboro bridges, the Long Island Expressway over Woodhaven Boulevard and several movable bridges over city waterways. State-run locations outside the five boroughs, including the Bear Mountain and Mid-Hudson bridges, were also approved for future use.
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NYC DOT officials say they are working with state agencies to expand the program and are urging national standards to help other cities adopt similar enforcement. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is scheduled to consider adding WIM enforcement guidance to its official handbook at a regulatory meeting in July.
The system’s current threshold allows for a 10% overage before triggering a violation. For example, trucks with a legal gross vehicle weight of 40 tons are allowed to weigh up to 44 tons before incurring a fine.
