Truck drivers under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have blamed the inefficiency of terminal operators and shipping companies to provide adequate cargo handling equipment as largely responsible for corruption.
Shipping Position Daily recalled that at a stakeholders meeting organized by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council last week, the Apapa Port Manager, Mrs. Fumi Olotu, had accused truck drivers on collecting at least N20, 000 for “Matching Brake”, a euphemism for abuse of the call up system in which trucks jump the queue for a fee
Alleging further, she said that drivers especially of manufacturers’ trucks collect at least N20,000 per truck to allow other trucks to come in their front on the queue, adding that she has pictorial evidences to back up the allegation.
She however urged manufacturers to warn their drivers to desist from such act to avoid being blacklisted by the NPA.
“And let me talk to manufacturers; go and talk to your drivers, most of the things we have observed is that you drivers are ‘matching brake’ and collecting N20,000, I have pictorial evidence, videos and documents to back it up. And I will explain what I mean by matching brake, because you have been given that priority to move around that belt, your drivers will now tell their colleagues I can allow you to stay in front of me if you bring N20, 000”
“So imagine if he does that for five trucks, we are talking about N100,000 and he does not even know the implication of what he is doing. Manufacturers talk to your drivers anytime we give you that opening and we see other trucks in front of you, we will blacklist that truck. I told them I have all the pictures and plate numbers; I am making a compilation”, she stated.
But reacting to this, the Vice Chairman of NARTO, Alhaji Abdullahi Inuwa told our correspondent in Apapa last week that in a situation where admitting a single truck into the terminal will take more than one hour, compromising is inevitable.
“When you talk of flying trucks or matching brakes, it is as a result of the inefficiency of the terminal operators and the inefficiency of the shipping companies to do the needful. Because a situation whereby admitting trucks into the terminal is talking one hour before a truck will be admitted into the terminal, what do you expect. Those trucks that will be filling up in a queue, there are other people who feel they are smart maybe they are avoiding demurrage or they are carrying perishable goods, they will want to beat the time
He nevertheless denied the allegation, and insisted that truck owners are not aware of such practices carried out by their drivers.
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