Shippers Council, FRSC Meet Truckers Over Implementation of New Safety System

Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) play host to Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) over a new haulage safety system in the maritime industry.

Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps in a tete-a-tete with Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council.

At a meeting which held at the head office of the Council, both government agencies engage truckers to enlighten them in readiness for the implementation of the new haulage safety system.

Executive Secretary of the NSC, Hassan Bello said that the new haulage safety system became necessary following the rickety nature of about of trucks operating in the ports.

According to him, "It is worthy to note that the collaborative partnership between the NSC and FRSC under Boboye’s watch has recorded reasonable landmarks especially in traffic management and safety of cargo transit.”

He further noted that 70 per cent of cargo movement in the country is by road and that is why it has conceptualized the development of Vehicle Transit Areas, to provide convenient rest areas for truckers and other road users to ensure the safety of life and cargoes.

He said that NSC also has the mandate to ensure efficient and effective services delivery is enforced across the transport chain.

Responding, FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Opeyemi urged haulage operators and transporters in the country to comply with the road transport standardization law.

He added that the law is a regulation that set the minimum standard for vehicles, and that the compliance of minimum standard of the road must not be compromised.

The FRSC boss also attributed the high spate of truck accidents in Nigeria to the utilization of expired trucks with over 90 per cent of such vehicles having exceeded the 30-year expiration period.

He lamented that some truck accidents occur because most of the truck heads are pulling more than they were built to handle, while others carrying the actual size have already outlived their lifespan.

He said that  another issue which leads to accidents are several trucks,  in the country  that operate without taillights and tailboard reflectors that should enable other road users quickly spot trucks at night.

Speaking on the Apapa traffic gridlock, the FRSC Boss, pledged to work with NSC in a bid to proffer lasting solutions to the traffic menace, adding that he would also engage the Ministry of Works and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo on the issue.

"With effective collaboration between FRSC, Shippers' Council, and other stakeholders, we can get the desired results to eliminate the Apapa traffic gridlock. Let me start by thanking the Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, and all the critical haulage stakeholders in attendance."

"These stakeholders have keyed into the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) signed between NSC and FRSC to address several critical areas of road haulage. 

With the full implementation of the MoU and other plans with NSC and other stakeholders, we should see a new road haulage system in the country in terms of minimum safety standards, training of truck drivers, and linkages in terms of access to drivers’ license database for truck operators and the Apapa traffic situation. 

NSC will work out the immediate implementation because we are talking about actions that lead to the loss of lives and valuable properties," Boboye said.