Truck drivers’ strike action over movement restriction threatens port operations

The backlog of cargoes at the nation’s seaports will likely increase as truck drivers, under the aegis of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and National Association of Road Truck Owners (NARTO), Wednesday, commenced strike action to protest against the restriction of truck movement to night time by the Lagos State government, BusinessDay has learnt.

Industry watchers say that if cleared cargoes are left un-lifted from the ports, there may be congestion at the ports.

Recall that against the backdrop of a fatal truck accident that claimed three lives at Ojuelegba last week, Oluseyi Whenu, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, said the state government would henceforth go tough on any trailer and long vehicle that contravened Section 2 (i) (ii) of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law.

He said such vehicle would be impounded and made to pay the stipulated fine accordingly.

This section of the state traffic law forbids trailers from travelling within the Lagos metropolis between 6am and 9pm. It states that “any driver found contravening the provisions of this section shall have his vehicle impounded by a duly authorised officer of the authority and shall upon conviction be liable to a fine of N50,000, or a term of imprisonment for six months or both.”

The implication of the strike action is that the truckers have withdrawn their trucks from the road “with immediate effect” over the restriction of movement, and this will have serious implication on port business.

‎The military, police and various traffic task forces have started impounding our trucks and that is why we have decided to withdraw our services with immediate effect until normalcy return. The state policy restricting truck movement to night is difficult because the safety of our trucks, drivers and the cargoes cannot be guaranteed, said Remi Ogungbemi, chairman, AMATO.

According to him, there are hijackers that hijack goods in the daytime; thus, movement at night is more dangerous due to the high rate of insecurity in the country.

Sulaiman Adeleke, a member of the association, said: “Government needs to provide stree lights for movement at night, create trailer parks, repair the roads and also ensure safety of trucks and cargoes to enable trucks operate at night.”