The Executive Secretary and CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council, (NSC) has said that trucking business is the live wire of logistics. He stated this during the familiarization visit of the members of National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to the agency’s head office in Lagos recently. The team from NARTO was headed by the National President Alh. Othman Yusuf.
Hassan Bello noted that although other modes of transportation of cargo have their advantages such as barges, rail, amongst others, we need continue to maximize the advantages of the trucking system as it is mostly used for door to door delivery of cargo.
He explained the need for the continuation of the collaboration between NSC and NARTO, especially in the infrastructure of Vehicle Transit Areas (VTA) and Inland Dry Ports (IDP) projects.
Speaking further the ES/CEO said indicative freight rates needs more collaboration to know how much it will cost to move cargo from one place to another as NSC ought to publish periodical rates for moderation.
He also mentioned the need for re-fleeting, stating that the old trucks have littered the highways making cargo delivery sub-optimal.
Another area in which Mr Bello sought NARTO’S collaboration is the new legislative bill for carriage of goods by land which he revealed to be unregulated and cumbrous especially as there is no consequences for loss or damage of cargo he said the input of NARTO is necessary for this bill to be passed.
He called on NARTO and other stakeholders to invest in the VTAs to make sure they own it and urge their drivers to utilise them.
He further urged them to make sure trucks are up to standard. He emphasized the importance of latching containers to trucks to prevent accidents.
In his response, the national president NARTO, Yusuf Othman expressed satisfaction with the visit noting that he is happy that a member of NARTO will be on the committee for VTAs as requested by NSC.
Speaking on the need to clear the Apapa gridlock he mentioned the need for railways and barges to support movement of goods by trucks especially since there are too many rickety trucks on the roads, which need to be replaced.
He recognized the effort and importance of the NSC as port economic regulator towards the growth of the maritime industry.
