Haulage transport owners urged to stop overloading

Sefwi-Wiawso (W/R) Jan. 5, GNA - A Kumasi-based haulage transport owner, Nana Kwame Adusei-Poku has expressed concern about the way some haulage transport owners engaged by the Produce Buying Company (PBC) to cart cocoa from the cocoa growing areas to the ports over-load their vehicles.

He explained that a single axle truck was permitted to load 510 bags of cocoa while the double axles truck was allowed to load 600 bags in accordance with the weight of the vehicle.

Nana Adusei-Poku, who was speaking to some haulage truck drivers at Sefwi-Wiawso on Monday, alleged that of late some truck owners had been loading between 700 and 800 bags of cocoa per trip instead of the stipulated quantity meant for the trucks in relation to their respective weights.

He pointed out that the overloading of the vehicles had been affecting the life span of the country's roads as well as weakening the vehicles. Nana Adusei-Poku said the overloading of the trucks had also been contributing to the rampant accidents involving haulage trucks.

He appealed to the Managing Director of PBC to compel the haulage owners engaged in cocoa evacuation to comply with the stipulated number of cocoa bags each truck was expected to load.

When contacted, the Western Regional Director of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Mr. Ako Nai-Kwade confirmed the concerns expressed by Nana Adusei-Poku.

He said many roads in the country did not last their life span and developed potholes as a result of overloading by some haulage transporters.

He disclosed that in order to check overloading the Ghana Highway Authority had started constructing load-weighing bridges on major roads in the country.

Mr. Nai-Kwade said since the country did not have many all-weather roads, it would be dangerous for haulage drivers to overload their vehicles.

He also appealed to the police to be extra vigilant in checking overloading of trucks on the roads.