The Chairman, Association of Maritime Trucks Owners (AMATO); Chief Remi Ogungbemi has said the 30 percent slash on haulage rate for cargoes may not be feasible unless the challenges confronting truckers are not removed.
Recall that the truck owners decided to cut the cost of moving haulage from the ports to different parts of Lagos by 30 percent as part of measures to cushion the effect of lockdown on consignees, after a meeting with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
However, speaking with Shipping Position Daily last weekend, the Chairman of AMATO Chief Remi Ogungbemi stated that the 30 percent haulage rate slash may not be visible unless the government removes the challenges and the parasites extorting truck owners.
Ogungbemi lamented that the high charges by truckers is as a result of some of the challenges that are facing the truckers, even as he informed that only a fraction of the rates charged by truck owners comes back to them at the end of the day as a result of what he called ‘cankerworms’.
He said truck owners can decide to slash the haulage fee by 50 percent if the government get rid of some of these parasitic on the roads.
He urged the government to set up a committee that would look into removing the parasites.
"Most of these charges are not our making, it’s as a result of some of the challenges that are combating truckers because there are lot of things that are going on, all that money you are hearing as being collected by truckers do not go to the truckers’ purse, so there are many devourers that are devouring the proceeds”
"So these are the areas I think authority should look into to remove all those parasites and cankerworm that are eating up truckers on daily basis, because if those monies collected by truckers are going to the truckers’ purses, you wouldn't see any rickety trucks on the road, but the truth is what comes back to the truckers is just peanuts”, he lamented.
"At the meeting, we looked at how we can help our nation because the whole thing still falls backs to the consumer in the market, so we decided to remove 30 percent, but what will make things work is let government help to remove some of these parasites that are extorting truckers.
"Let there be a committee that will see how all those cankerworms and parasites can be removed from our way.
"We are even looking forward to how 50 percent can be removed, it is possible but so many challenges confronting truckers is the issue.
"Even though 30 percent we mentioned may not be realistic if those parasite and parasitic extorting truckers are still there", he said.
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