PROLOGUE

Not too long ago, 1^st of July 2010 to be specific, a comprehensive guideline and requirements for the registration and safe operation of articulated trucks (including tanker and trailers) was rolled out by the Federal Road Safety Corps of Nigeria.

Recently, our crew was privileged to be at a recent training workshop for some haulage practitioners. It was however quite an amazement for us to discover that not a few were completely unaware of any policy in that mold.  And yet it has been business as usual for most of these practitioners.

It is with this mindset that we have chosen to present to you in parts ALL that you need to know about the Road Safety Registration for Tankers and tractor-Trailers (RSRTT) which is an extension of the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme (RTSSS).

Please note that you can also directly access the FRSC’s website www.frsc.gov.ng for a more comprehensive understanding of this Policy and to download the required registration forms that will set you on the path to becoming compliant.

INTRODUCTION        

1.0.      Driving articulated Lorries (Tankers/Trailers) requires special skills and knowledge of traffic laws and regulations in force in the Country.  In Nigeria today, many drivers of articulated Lorries (Tankers/Trailers) are not qualified to operate such vehicles as they are not properly licensed and also lack the basic requirements to operate such vehicles, hence high incidences of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) on the highways. In view of this high rate of road crashes resulting from unprofessional conduct and carelessness by some tanker/trailer drivers on the highways, the Federal Government mandated the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to establish Minimum Safety Requirements for heavy good vehicles.

2.0.      The administration of minimum safety requirements among others, demand the Articulated lorries (Tankers/Trailers) operators to conform to the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme which ensures the registration of operators with at least 5 (five) vehicles in their fleet and compliance with set-standards. Operators with vehicles less than five are also to comply with the minimum safety standards as clearly spelt out in traffic laws and regulations. The responsibilities of FRSC include monitoring, certifying, registering and enforcing compliance with regulations governing safety operations of articulated vehicles in Nigeria. Consequently before any driver could be legally permitted to operate articulated vehicles on the nation highways, especially on inter-city roads, he has to be certified in skill and attributes.

3.0.      Furtherance to the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme   (RTSSS ), registration of companies, all tankers/tractor-trailers or any other form of articulated vehicle, including those conveying dangerous goods are also required to comply with the guidelines on safe operations of this category of specialized vehicles. They are also expected to be properly registered and their services adequately regulated in line with laid down guidelines for safe operations.

 

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS    

4.0.      Federal Road Safety corps registration process mandated tanker/tractor-trailer transport services/ operators to define the type of heavy good vehicles business operation they are engaged in, then register their transport companies with the FRSC. Each Operator is assigned a unique Registration Number which serves as identity for collation and monitoring the company’s safety compliance records. It is not a form of licensing. These records include safety review, crash investigations and facility inspection activities. All tankers/tractors- trailers operators are mandated to visit a nearby FRSC command to obtain registration forms and other necessary information that will guide them to complete the forms accurately. And the appropriate registration form is the Road Safety Registration for Tankers and tractor-Trailers (RSRTT) series. All applicants for Articulated Lorries (Tankers/Trailers) Operators must be incorporated and must have insurance and legal process documents before authorization is issued by FRSC. Below is a list of registration application forms, which are colour coded:

RSRTT: Tanker Registration Form (Red colour)          

RSRTT: Trailer Registration Form (Blue colour)          

RSRTT: Tanker/Trailer (Dangerous goods) Registration Form, (e.g. hazardous chemicals, poisonous gas, etc (Yellow colour)         

Note: RSRTT- means Road Safety Registration for Tankers / Trailers

5.0.      Articulated lorries (Tankers/Trailers) operators must have specific Insurance and Legal process agent document on record before the FRSC will issue the actual authorities. Liability and Cargo Insurance Forms must be submitted directly by the office of the Insurance Company handling the cover. Applicants for registration should contact FRSC to request filing of the required forms immediately after obtaining their designated docket numbers. These completed forms must be received within 90 days after the FRSC has published notice of intention to register the applicant. Applicants are advised to ensure that the name and address of the business as set out in all pre-registration records matches exactly the information provided in their Form RSRTT1-3. Any deviation will result in rejection of the pre-registration process.

6.0.     Applicants for registration of vehicles should contact FRSC to request for the completion of required Form. These completed forms must be received within 90 days after the FRSC has published Public Notice of Intention to register applicants. Applicants shall ensure that the names and addresses of the business on registration forms tally with earlier licensing records. Verification and confirmation of information supplied by applicants shall be carried out and any false claims shall lead to cancellation of the application and possible prosecution.  Application processing fees are not refundable.

(To be Continued……)

Comments

comments