Safety standard: FG bans tanker drivers, trailers from highways

Feeral government has directed relevant government agencies to ensure that tankers and trailers that fail to comply with minimum safety measures should not be allowed to ply highways henceforth.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr.
Boss Mustapha, who gave the directive at a one-day stakeholders’ forum on haulage transportation in Nigeria, said government was worried about the rising spate of road accidents involving articulated vehicles in recent times, resulting in high casualties, both human and materials.
The SGF decried the recent incident at Otedola Bridge in which 12 lives were lost and 55 vehicles burnt; saying disobedience to tariff rules and regulations was one of the major causes of road accidents on highways in the country.
He said nothing has been achieved despite the plan of action marshalled out at the 2015 National Summit on Tankers and Trailers Haulage Operations on standards, enforcement, institution’s capacity and legal.
The SGF told stakeholders that the federal government would set up an inter-ministerial committee to ensure full implementation of the directives to check the menace.
Also speaking, representative of Lagos state and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Taiwo Salami, said there was conspiracy between the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigeria Shippers Council on enforcement of regulations on the stipulated tonnage allowed by the tankers and trailers.
He said 98 per cent of the traffic on Nigerian Ports were caused by haulage vehicles going to drop containers, adding that the vehicle involved in the Otedola bridge incident was carrying 60 tons instead of 15 tons, which is three times more than its capacity.
In his remarks, the Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr.
Boboye Oyeyemi, the country lost N7.1 billion to road traffic crashes involving tankers in the first quarter of 2018.
He said non-adherence to transport regulations, compromise by operators and non-compliance with standards were responsible for accidents on highways across the country.
He said from next year, any articulated driver that has not gone through the compulsory annual retraining would not be allowed to drive.
The FRSC boss also stressed the need for the government to ensure speedy conclusion of the ongoing upgrading and extension of the rail system to reduce product lifting by road.
He also called for the restoration of the toll gates to serve various advantages, including a pin-down point for standards compliance and enforcement.