Lahore Bars Tractor Trolleys From 7 am to 11 pm, With New Safety Rules

Tractor trolleys cannot enter Lahore between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm. City Traffic Police Lahore announced this on 10 September 2026, together with new safety rules: a full tarpaulin cover, rear lights, reflective tape and a valid licence for the driver. Trolleys can still move in the city from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am.

We read the announcement on the City Traffic Police Lahore website, where it was posted in Urdu on 10 September. Its headline gives the reason. Tractor trolleys are less than 1 per cent of vehicles in the city, but they are involved in 9 per cent of fatal accidents.

The post says the Chief Traffic Officer, Syed Abdul Raheem Shirazi, told officers to enforce the movement hours "strictly". So this is a crackdown on timings, backed by new equipment rules, rather than a rule that appeared overnight. If you haul bricks, sand, crops or fodder into Lahore, your city day now starts at 11 pm.

Tractor trolleys can enter Lahore only from 11 pm to 7 am

From 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, tractor trolleys are not allowed to enter Lahore city. That leaves an eight hour window at night. The traffic police say they will check the hours on main roads every day and report on them daily.

Here is what the announcement requires, point by point:

Trolleys are 1 per cent of traffic but 9 per cent of fatal crashes

City Traffic Police Lahore says tractor trolleys make up less than 1 per cent of vehicles in the city but are involved in 9 per cent of fatal accidents. That gap is the reason given for the new hours and the safety rules.

Two more numbers were reported with the announcement but are not in the post we read on the police website: about 73,000 tractor trolleys registered in the city, and 18 fatal accidents involving them in 2026 so far. We treat both as reported.

Fines for tractor trolleys run from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000

The announcement does not set a new fine. The fines come from the Twelfth Schedule of the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965, which City Traffic Police Lahore publishes. Tractors and trailers sit in its highest column, with most offences at Rs 15,000.

These are the amounts in that column for the offences the crackdown targets:

Entering the city in the banned hours would most likely be charged as "plying where and when prohibited". That is our reading of the schedule. The announcement itself does not say which offence the police will book.

One trip can add up fast. A trolley stopped at 9 pm with no back lights, an unlicensed driver and an overloaded bed faces three separate fines, Rs 40,000 in total, before any impounding. You can look up any challan on your vehicle through the Punjab e-challan check.

What farmers and transporters should do now

Plan trips into Lahore for the night window, fit a tarpaulin, back lights and reflective tape, and make sure the driver holds the correct licence. Those four steps cover every rule in the announcement and avoid the most common fines.

1. Time your entry. Reach the city limit after 11:00 pm and finish city driving before 7:00 am.
2. Cover the load fully with a tarpaulin, so nothing falls or blows onto the road.
3. Fit working back lights and reflective tape on the rear and sides of the trolley.
4. Check the driver's licence covers a tractor. A car licence is not the right category.
5. Do not overload. The police were told to act on overloading specifically.

If your driver needs a proper licence, the process is set out in applying for a driving licence in Pakistan. A tarpaulin also keeps dust and loose soil off the road, which matters more as smog season in Punjab starts.

What the announcement does not say

The police post names no routes, no exemptions and no start date beyond 10 September. It does not mention crop season, emergency loads or government work. Until City Traffic Police Lahore says otherwise, treat the hours as applying to every trolley entering the city.

We also did not find a separate Punjab notification or order on the traffic police website setting the hours. The post only tells officers to enforce the existing movement timings.

This matters for the season ahead. Rice harvest and sugarcane crushing both bring more trolleys onto Punjab roads in the autumn. Farmers near Lahore who sell into city markets are the ones most likely to feel the night-only rule. Burning the leftover straw is a separate offence with its own penalties, covered under crop burning fines in Punjab.

Common questions

What time can tractor trolleys enter Lahore?

Only between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am. Entry from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm is not allowed, according to City Traffic Police Lahore.

What is the fine for a tractor trolley in Lahore during banned hours?

The traffic schedule lists Rs 15,000 for a tractor or trailer "plying where and when prohibited". The announcement does not name the exact offence, so that is our reading.

Do tractor trolleys need reflectors and lights?

Yes. The police require back lights, proper night lighting and reflective tape. Driving at night without proper lights carries a Rs 10,000 fine for a tractor.

Is there an exemption for crop season?

None was announced. The police post mentions no exemption for harvest, crushing season or any other load.

Does the rule apply outside Lahore?

The announcement is from City Traffic Police Lahore and covers entry into Lahore city. Other districts have not announced the same hours on that page.

Last checked and sources

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The 7:00 am to 11:00 pm entry ban, the tarpaulin, back light, reflective tape and licence rules, the orders on overloading, speeding and dangerous driving, the daily monitoring, and the 1 per cent and 9 per cent figures are from the City Traffic Police Lahore announcement of 10 September 2026 on its official website, which we read in Urdu. The fines are from the Twelfth Schedule of the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965, as published on the City Traffic Police Lahore offences and penalties page. The figures of 73,000 registered trolleys and 18 fatal accidents this year were reported but are not in the police post, so we mark them as reported. We found no route list, exemption or separate notification.