Gov’t asked to review axle-load policy

The Ghana National Cargo Transporters Association (GNCTA) has requested Government to pass the ECOWAS reviewed axle-load policy of 68 metric tonnes, which is being implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger -- instead of the current 61 metric tonnes.

 

Axle-load is the acceptable weight of goods a vehicle is allowed to carry. An axle-load policy is intended, among other things, to prolong the lifespan of roads.

Currently, the axel-load policy among ECOWAS countries is not harmonised, according to a study that was initiated by GNCTA with support from the BUSAC Fund.

Alhaji Aliyu Baba, General Secretary of the GNCTA, explained at a stakeholder workshop in Accra that the axle-load policy has the tendency of prolonging the life-span of the country’s road network. 

He complained of no uniformity and accuracy in the weighing of trucks at designated weighing positions as a result of faulty weighing equipment. There is also the challenge of conveying perishable goods from the hinterland, where there are no weighing facilities. 

“Weighbridge operators may claim that their equipment is not working.  They may choose to delay reporting a malfunction or even disconnect the big screen that publicly displays a truck’s weight so no one else knows the real weight.  In addition, they may decide not to report that their printer is not working, or they may sometimes claim that their printer has run out of paper,” he stated.

According to a study on the implementation of the axle-load policy conducted by GNCTA, “possible solutions would seem to be automatic recording of weights, webcams recording all trucks entering and/or leaving each weighbridge, and integrating Ghana Community Network (GCNet’s) satellite tracking of all northbound transit trucks into the axle weight-control supervision protocols”.

The report also called for more robust audit requirements, providing better carrots and sticks for  weighbridge  staff  to  work  honestly,  and  placing  the  burden  on  any  operating organisation to prove that its staff are acting honestly. 

“Minimally, implementing agencies should have a stock of spare equipment such as printer paper to keep the system working,” the report said.

The stakeholder workshop was aimed at bringing the organised private sector transport operators together to stimulate economic development, reduce poverty and promote economic and social stability by creating jobs in the transport sector.

The programme was also targetted at improving relations between transporters and law enforcement agents, and simplifying the process for weighing of trucks, making it fair, transparent and efficient for the implementation of the axle-load policy.