Windhoek
Namibia has taken a decision not restrict the movement of heavy motor vehicles on public roads. The decision was taken during a one-day national dialogue in the capital on Wednesday on the regulation of heavy motor vehicles and the working conditions of truck drivers.
The dialogue was initiated by the Ministry of Works and Transport that in 2015 directed the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) to consider similar restrictions, as Botswana that prohibits any vehicle exceeding 10,5 metres in length to drive or cause to be driven along public roads between 18h00 and midnight on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, on a public holiday, or any day preceding a public holiday.
Currently, Namibia does not restrict the movement of heavy motor vehicles on its public roads and this has been faulted for a number of serious and fatal collisions, which in some cases resulted from fatigued truck-drivers.
In a recent incident a truck collided earlier this year with a minibus near Casablanca settlement, about 13 km from Omuthiya in Oshikoto Region. Both vehicles caught fire, killing 15 people in the minibus.
Also, unlike South Africa, Namibia does not have a Road Traffic Management System (RTMS) as a self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and transporters engaged in the road logistics value chain to implement a vehicle management system that preserves road infrastructure, improves road safety and increases the productivity of the logistics value chain.
Addressing the media yesterday, NRSC chairperson Eliphas !Owos-Oab said the restriction of driving of heavy motor vehicles would negatively affect the country’s economy and its competitive advantage in terms of trade and import and export with landlocked countries in Southern African Development Community (SADC).
He said self-regulation emerged as the preferred option going forward. In this respect, he said the Namibia Logistics Association (NLA) and Private Sector Road Safety Forum (PSRSF) representing transport operators pledged to come up with a self-regulation model within a week, to be considered in a tripartite arrangement involving the NRSC and truck drivers.
He said the meeting also tasked the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations as a matter of urgency to address the issues raised by truck drivers in terms of conditions of employment and to engage the concerned groups.
!Owos-Oab said further tripartite engagement between government, transport operators and truck drivers should be initiated within 14 days.
He said the outcome of the tripartite engagement outlines the country’s position on the regulation of heavy motor vehicles and employment conditions of truck drivers and ultimately aims to produce a self-regulatory model within the framework of existing road traffic and transport regulations.