NAN-HE-3
Container
By Uche Eletuo
Lagos, Feb. 22, 2017 (NAN) The Association of Maritime Truck Owners of Nigeria (AMTON) has advised its members to firmly latch their containers on truck beds while in transit.
Chief Remi Ogungbemi, the AMTON President, gave the advice against the backdrop of increasing incidence of container falling off truck beds while in transit.
The association president told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the body would hence forth sanction erring drivers.
He said that truck drivers should do all within their control to reduce the incidence to the barest minimum.
Ogungbemi said that terminal operators where they loaded the trucks also had a critical role to play.
“Most drivers are always in a hurry to leave the terminal as soon as their trucks are loaded without cross checking if the cargo has been properly fastened to the truck.
“The recurrence of the incident has come to our notice as a body and prompt action will be taken to put an end to it,” the AMTON president said.
He said that it was unfortunate that other road users were the ones bearing the brunt of drivers’ reckless acts that had brought griefs to countless families.
Mr Emeka Okoroafor, a truck driver, however, blamed the incidents on bad roads.
He told NAN that the accidents were not intentional acts by drivers to drop containers off their trucks on other road users.
“It is because of the bad roads on which we operate and it also brings so much damage to our trucks.
“We prefer to leave the container unhooked to the truck to reduce the damage that can befall our vehicle if we drive into a pot hole,’’ the driver said.
He said that drivers were conscious of their individual safety as well as the safety of their trucks. (NAN)
EUC/ERO/TA
Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Tajudeen Atitebi