FRSC identifies causes of frequent tanker accidents, profers solution

THE Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi has identified reasons behind the frequent crashes involving tankers on the nation’s highways and affirms that his agency and other stakeholders are working together to find lasting solutions to it.

Oyeyemi who spoke to Journalists in Abuja, noted that overloading, lack of weigh bridges, use of old trucks, and inappropriate use of right trucks, were some of the factors responsible for the accidents.

He said, “It’s just that all those tankers are over 30 years. They are aged. We have again seen that most of those tankers were not designed to be pulling 60,000 litres of petroleum products. There is a serious axle load violation.

“A tanker used to be designed for 33,000 litre product; later it was reviewed to maximum load of 45,000 litres. Now, you see these tankers carry 60,000 litres, 75,000 litres. NUPENG even told us that some carry 99,000 litres on a road designed for 33,000 litres.

“This is why our roads do not last up to the expected time. When some of these trucks are climbing, the capacity of the heads cannot pull the load they carry; they end up drawing back and eventually hit the concrete.

“Some of the trucks are designed for oil rigs and get converted to carry fuel on the highways. There is an agency that is supposed to certify the tankers before allowing them to carry petroleum products. When agencies concerned are not doing what they are expected to do effectively, this is the price the nation pays.

“The absence of weighbridges on our roads led to this abuse. The same thing with the trailers; a trailer that is supposed to carry 600 bags of cement is seen carrying 1,000 bags of cement. The pressure is on the road.

“That is why we are working with the Federal Ministry of Works to make sure that the weighbridges are brought back. It is part of the decisions of the National Council on Works that even if we cannot have the full weighbridges, let us have the mobile weighbridges. And randomly, you stop those trucks and check them.”

The corps marshal added: “Enforcement is a collective responsibility. It you observe when we started dealing with unlatched trailer beds, they stopped travelling in the day time. In three months we pounded over 3,000 trucks and prosecuted them before mobile courts. In Lagos, they started going through Ikorodu and Ota.

“They abandoned the expressway. We pursued them. The advocacy, enlightenment and education with the enforcement are working; at least there is respite. The key issue now is the compliance with the axle load specification by the articulated vehicles.

“If there are no weighbridges, the mandatory period the roads are supposed to last will not be met. That is why weighbridges and toll plazas are coming back. The minister of works has said so. FEC has approved it.

“If we have toll plazas, we automatically will have weighbridges. The law is very firm; you must weigh your load and if there is excess, you ware-load. The toll plaza is also for security administration. It will also bring revenue to the government to maintain the roads.”

He, however, explained that “The frequency is not as alarming as it seems. The data last year is not as high as in the previous year. I must commend the leadership of NUPENG-PTD for this.

The issue is that once there is a crash involving a tanker, the situation is worrisome; it usually leads to monumental losses. There was one tanker explosion at a village after Gboko, Benue State, last year; it almost razed a whole village because it was during dry season.

“We have carried out about six studies on why tanker accidents occur on the Otedola Bridge in Lagos; the last one was directed by the Minister of Works and Housing (Babatunde Fashola). The studies show that there are no engineering defects on the bridge. There was no problem.”

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