MARITIME TRUCK OWNERS TO REGISTER EVERY TRUCK WITH NPA FROM MARCH 1

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has announced its readiness to commence the registration of every truck operating the Nation’s Ports with effect from the 1^st of March 2016 as part of the implementation of the minimum safety standards for truck operators at the ports which was earlier introduced in October 2014.

Speaking at a Stakeholders meeting in Lagos that had in attendance representatives of Maritime Truck Owners Association, FRSC, NPF, Customs and NPA, the General Manager, Western Ports, Chief Michael Kayode Ajayi, stated that the new policy would be inaugurated at Lagos Ports with an awareness campaign for truck owners.

It would be recalled that sometime in November 2015, a surveillance team was constituted by personnel of the Safety Department of Western Ports of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos with a mandate to rid the ports of substandard trucks by preventing them from entering the ports complex. The members of the team drawn then from the Western Ports Headquarters; Lagos Ports Complex (LPC) and Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) were involved in the physical inspection of trucks to ensure that only trucks which comply with stipulated safety standards entered into the ports within the Lagos area.

However, the New Registration requirement is therefore intended to check the problem of rickety trucks and the attendant breakdowns on the road, illegal payments, introduce CCTV, electronic port access control and also create a database of all registered trucks that make use of the port. Truck Owners are expected to register their trucks with the sum of N10,000.00 per unit and a sticker will be issued as evidence of payment.

The NPA had earlier informed the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) as well as the Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) of its intention to implement the policy.

The spokesman said the strategy to create awareness first was necessitated by the truck owners association’s appeal to NPA to make the operational standard’s implementation a gradual process in order to safeguard their business.

He stressed the need for truck drivers’ education on maintenance as part of the required standards. He averred that if rickety trucks are not patronised by the agents, the truck owners would be forced to maintain the minimum standards.

He also allayed the fears of truck owners concerning multiple levies at the ports, stating that this new policy will put an end to the issue of multiple levies because the N10,000.00 truck registration levy has been harmonized.

Under the new policy, NPA’s truck minimum standard focuses on truck head, carriage unit, tyres, vehicle particulars and warning devices. The Surveillance Team/Taskforce that had earlier been constituted will intensify inspections within and around the ports.