The neural network of a nematode C. elegans is well characterised. The sensory layer is at the top of information processing cascade, and communicates downstream to inter- and motorneurons, consequently driving an animal’s behaviour. The gentle touch is known to be mediated by six Touch Receptor Neurons (TRNs) but their role in modulating the locomotion is not recognised. Animals, whose touch cells are non-functional (mec mutants), are lethargic on-food but retain the ability to move normally under sensory arousal. The TRNs have been earlier implicated in optimising the locomotion gate during confinement, or during swimming. The mechanisms behind these phenotypes were never explained or not even linked. Thus, we hypothesised that the TRNs are responsible for sensing the mechanical load of the environment during locomotion and optimising the locomotory gait. Using polyacrylamide gels with tuneable elastic modulus, we observed the higher body curvature on the soft substrate (<2 kPa) in mec mutants. Next, we focused on calcium imaging used as a proxy for neural activity. Experiments in immobilised worms indicated no difference in the TRNs activity in WT and mec mutants, which hinted towards the role of the TRNs in sensing the mechanical load in a rate-dependent manner. We built the microscope platform dedicated to automatic tracking of the freely moving worms and performed the experiments. Wild type worms exhibited prominent calcium activity, particularly on the soft substrates, which was absent in mec mutants. The results revealed surprising TRNs’ contribution to locomotion as plantar mechanoreceptors.