Haulage truck drivers on strike
The Ghana Haulage Transport Owners Association (GHTOA) has asked all haulage trucks to cease operations until further notice in protest against the implementation of the new Road Traffic Regulations (LI 2180).
Advertisement
The directive, which takes effect from today, Saturday, February 1, 2014, will affect all ports in the country including the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
A statement issued by the National Chairman of the association, Alhaji Amuda Maduga, said “all trucks are to stay put in protest until something is done to support our concern.”
The strike is in protest against the refusal of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to increase the allowed tonnage for six-axle haulage trucks to 68 tonnes to conform to that of the country’s neighbouring countries.
That, it said, was in spite of the association’s numerous pleas to the government to increase the tonnage to 68 in conformity with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (also known by its French acronym, UEMOA) to no avail.
Under the new LI, the allowed axle load for six-axle truck is 60 tonnes and was supposed to come into effect on January 1, this year.
However, to avoid any confrontation and misunderstanding between the law enforcement agencies and the haulage trucks transporters, the GHA embarked on a nationwide education to sensitise stakeholders on the new LI.
It said the new law required the drivers to reduce the weight of the cargo which would eventually affect their businesses.
Other Trending Stories
The association has, thus, called on the Ministry of Roads and Highways to reconsider some provisions in the regulations, saying that Ghana could not afford to lose out on the Sahelian-bound cargos, for which the country had spent huge sums of money to convince importers and exporters to route their cargo through the Tema and Takoradi ports.