Strong indications have emerged that come January 2017, truck owners may commence implementation of new charges on cargoes to be freighted from Nigerian ports, by almost 100%.
Auto Port Weekly gathered that the various truck owners group are consulting on how to inflate the charges by January next year.
Our correspondent who was told by top officials in the cargo haulage business said a meeting of concerned truck owners within the maritime industry will hold this week to finalise modalities on what the new charges will entail.
One of them said "a meeting will hold this December to finalise how we will fix the new charges "
According to them, there is need to increase cost of transporting cargoes out of the seaports, adding that the roads linking the ports have render thousands of trucks useless.
Speaking specifically on the development, a top executive of Joint Council for Seaports Truckers (JCOST) who prefers anonymity disclosed that the government has failed in providing amenities for the people, thus there is need to hike up cost of haulage services.
He disclosed that "there is no how we will not increase our fare, if we must meet up and remain relevant in the business"
"The arrangement is on, for us to see how we can increase the rate we are charging now because the rate at which truckers are working now is unfavourable for us"
"No trucker is breaking even at the moment and what we are putting into the business is more than what we are getting in return"
"As we speak, the business is no longer attractive and I think we need to encourage ourselves by increasing the rates", he lamented.
He recalled that the Nigerian Shippers Council had met with the various truck owners groups some years back on charges, but affirmed that there will be no going back on the January 2017 date.
The trucker maintained that the N10,000 fee collected by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for enforcement of minimum standard for truck operating at the ports also contributed to the proposed rate hike.
However, when contacted for confirmations last week, Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Tin Can Island Chapel, Alhaji Isiaka Olalere, confirmed that a meeting will hold by December as part of efforts to increase the charges.
He however declined to give details of what the new cost would be. He said the meeting would decide what will be implemented in January.
Auto Port Weekly also recalls that, the Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) Chief Remi Ogungbemi had recently revealed plans that members of his group will increase their charges across the country ports by a possible 100%.
Ogungbemi had lamented that truckers are currently running at a loss and that the trucking business is no longer attractive. He however assured that the association in collaboration with other truck groups would not do this without carrying other stakeholders along, especially the Nigerian Shippers' Council.
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