Consumer Rights’ Agency Seeks Operational Standards for Road Haulage

James Emejo and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr. Babatunde Irukera, has called for guiding principles for road haulage in the country.

He said the proposed framework should identify, what is acceptable and not tolerable in operation of haulage services to minimise road mishaps.

Irukera, at a joint stakeholders’ forum on, “Safe Haulage Operations for Sustainable Road Usage in Nigeria,” which was in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), said such guides would ensure fewer road accidents in the country.

Specifically, he said adopting self-regulation and adherence to the law by major stakeholders and citizens to help protect lives.

The FCCPC boss, said there is the need for authorities to set “operational time” for vehicles to operate as witnessed in developed countries where the infrastructure is better adding that this would not only address safety but also traffic management in Nigeria.

Irukera said, “The key issues are safety and protection of life even the vehicles. Secondly is durability of the infrastructure- roads and the vehicles and third is traffic management.
“All of these three things are complicated severely by the way we carry on haulage. How can we get to a point where we are self- regulating to make sure that these vehicles do not carry weight in excess of their capacities?

“Secondly is operational time for these vehicles to operate even in developed countries where the infrastructure is better, they have time that they operate. Address safety and certainly address traffic management.”

He also said that the country should be able to operate speed limiters in haulage including tracking devices and hour counters to monitor how many times a vehicle is in operations.
He added that there should be consensus between industry and regulators in ensuring that appropriate crew operational time and rest time is observed.

He added, “And the appropriate mechanisms, tools or technologies for implementing these principles would be the next stage and those are quite available.”
He further pointed out that within the first nine months of 2021, 441 accidents recorded in Ogun State involved articulated vehicles.

Corps Marshal/Chief Executive, FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi described road safety as a shared responsibility and solicited the cooperation of all transport operators in achieving a sustainable, safer road and its attendant impact of reducing the rate of fatality and actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Represented at the forum by Deputy Corps Marshal, Ojeme Ewhrudjakpor, Oyeyemi, also expressed confidence that the partnership with the FCCPC would go a long way in promoting effective road safety that will engender social and economic development in the country.