KARACHI: The country’s goods movers — in both the formal and informal sectors — are at loggerheads, with a registered body calling for the implementation of an axle load regime (ALR) on motorways and highways, and its rivals trying to campaign for an amendment to the existing rules, introduced through the National Highways Safety Ordinance (NHSO) in 2000.

While the authorities have struggled to implement the NHSO 2000 in its true spirit and letter on the highways for years, one side asserts that adherence to the law would minimise the risk of accidents on highways, while the other contends that limiting truck weight will double transportation costs, ultimately burdening consumers who are already grappling with exorbitant inflation.

Claiming to be the only SECP-regis­tered transporters’ body, the Fleet Oper­ators Association of Pakistan (FOAP) maintains that the government, despite its commitment to enforcing the axle load limit, has repeatedly relaxed it in favour of commodity importers and traders.

On Oct 20, a delegation from the All Pakistan Oil Tankers and Goods Transp­orters Association requested Sindh Gove­rnor Kamran Tessori, to suspend the implementation of the axle load limit until negotiations are held with all stakeholders. The governor assured the delegation that he would engage with the relevant authorities and convene a meeting of all stakeholders to resolve the issue through mutual understanding.

SECP-registered body calls for implementation of existing weight limits; other group claims move will increase transportation costs

But FOAP calls for the full implementation of the ALR to bring the transport industry in line with international best practices, ensuring the safety of lives, national assets on highways and motorways and supporting CPEC projects to establish Pakistan as a transit hub.

FOAP Chairman Murtaza Ahmed Ali said the association’s members have filed lawsuits in the Sindh and Islamabad high courts to demand strict adherence to the ALR and the national trucking policy. Despite commitments, however, the federal government has repeatedly relaxed the regulations to favour commodity importers and producers, he says.

Human life is invaluable, he said, adding that according to a 2016 World Bank report on road safety, accidents cost Pakistan $12,550 million, equivalent to about 4.5pc of its GDP.

FOAP has also urged the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Sindh Zone and the Local Goods Transporter Association (LGTA) to reconsider their positions in light of the loss of lives and the threats to road safety, he added.

FOAP Secretary General Zahoor Iqbal said that since countries like Afghanistan were strictly following axle load management, the load of an 80-tonne Pakistani trawler is divided into three vehicles to comply with the law.

PFMA Sindh Zone Chairman Aamir Abdullah, however, pointed out that in any country, the rail network typically handles 60 per cent of freight traffic and suggested that Pakistan should increase its use of railways for bulk cargo transport before considering the implementation of axle load regulations.

He said that reducing the load on trucks and trailers by almost half, as required by the ALR, would increase transportation costs, leading to higher demands for diesel and tyres, which would only raise import bills.

Around 500,000 tonnes of grain are expected to arrive in Oct, with 162,301 tonnes already arrived in September from Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria, he said, adding that it was financially unfeasible to transport 160-170 wheat bags in a truck instead of 300, which would add to the burden on millers, ultimately affecting consumers by driving up flour prices, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2023