Strong indications have emerged that importation heavy duty trucks also known as truck heads into the country through the seaports no longer exist due to the high levy and duty placed on the commodity by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Customs Service.
Since the introduction of the automotive policy under President Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2013, there has been a massive decline in the units of vehicles imported, most especially the heavy duty trucks which are often used for haulage purposes.
Apart from the partial 35% collectable on cars, duty payable on truck head is three times higher in comparison, a situation shippers described as bad business.
For instance, imported truck head which attracted a duty of N50,000 in 2013 now attracts N250000 and above, while duty on imported fire service truck is now about N1.2 million, up from the N120,000 collected two years ago.
Also tipper lorry with had a duty of N60,000, previously now attracts N350,000 and above.
Meanwhile, surface duty of truck head is N350,000, and can be cleared for N600,000 to N650,000 respectively.
Speaking on the dwindling business of importation of heavy duty trucks, President of Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS); Reverend Jonathan Nicole lamented that importers can no longer afford to ship in such vehicles into the country because of the unstable nature of government policies.
Nicole noted that there is no way the policy on automobile can aid transport development in the country, because according to him, importers cannot ship in heavy duty truck again.
He however, faulted the past administration led by Goodluck Jonathan saying that the auto policy is unpopular.
However the situation has made the Nigerian importers to look elsewhere to remain in business.
Investigations carried out by Auto Port Weekly in the last two months revealed that most of the trucks imported into the country are basically owned by Conglomerate like Dangote Group and Flour Mills Nigeria Limited etc.
But, the average shipper who imports such commodity as a means of livelihood no longer does so due to the soaring duty on the item.
Auto Port Weekly was however shocked during a visit to some of the shops where such vehicles are sold, some of the trucks have been unsold for a long time and are already in bad shape.
A dealer; Oliver Ugoma at Berger Cement Bus Stop along the Apapa Oshodi Expressway told our correspondent last week that, "buyers can't even come closer to know the cost of the truck, not to talk of buying”,
According to him, some of the dealers took the advantage in 2013 , when the auto policy was announced, they increased the price of their trucks by 40%, but the situation has changed because transporters are no longer interested in buying such vehicles, because of the high price tag.
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