Daily News Reporter
TRUCK and bus plying along the Central Corridor
now save up to 78 per cent of weighbridge stoppage times, thanks to the
directive by President John Magufuli to allow transit trucks to stop at only
three instead of maximum of eight weighbridges on Tanzania side.
An analysis done by the Central Corridor Transit Transportation
Facilitation Agency (TTFA) has shown that drivers now spend only 48 minutes on
average at weighbridges instead of nearly four hours before President
Magufuli’s instruction in April 2016.
The analysis, which was done from data collected by TTFA’s
flagship project, Central Corridor Transport Observatory (CCTO) with support
from Trademark East Africa (TMEA), revealed that from June 2015 to April 2016
haulers spent an average of 222.4 minutes (3.42 hours) on weighbridges between
the Dar es Salaam Port and the borders between Tanzania and Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda
up to Congo DR.
However, since President Magufuli’s pronouncement in April, that
transit trucks and buses should only weigh at Vigwaza (Coast Region), Njuki
(Singida) and Nyakahura (Shinyanga), they now spend only 48 minutes, which is
22 per cent of time they lost before.
Other weighbridges installed between Dar es Salaam and the
western borders include Mikese (Morogoro), Kihonda (Morogoro), Nala (Dodoma),
Mwendakulima (Shinyanga), Kyamyolwa (Kagera) and Mutukula (Kagera).
Weighbridge crossing time is calculated by subtracting arrival
time of the truck or bus at the weighbridge from its departure time at the
weighbridge based on Global Positioning System (GPS) survey data. “Live GPS
devices are installed on the trucks when the journey starts and monitored
throughout the route to capture time and delays,” say Ally Kakomile, Survey
Supervisor for CCTO.
For transit trucks or buses to be able to enjoy the pleasure of
stopping only at three weighbridges, they need to obtain special stickers
designed by the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications at $40 each,
which is paid once.
According to the ministry’s procedures, the haulers are required
to apply for the stickers to the Permanent Secretary (PS), while indicating the
details of the vehicles and the transit route expected to ply. However, as of
July 28th, 2016 only 254 transit trucks had obtained the stickers, which
represent less than 2 per cent of the total of 13,000 transit trucks registered
by government.
A representative of Tanzania Truck Owners Association (TATOA)
noted that Ministry’s decision to introduce stickers which includes a cost of
$40 per sticker was one of the factors discouraging transporters from acquiring
the said stickers.
TATOA also said that the stickers provided only consider one
route per truck/bus forgetting that some trucks could change routes (between
Central and Dar es Salaam corridors) depending on the destination of the cargo.
This, therefore, has created a situation where a single truck will need
multiple stickers (2 or 3).
“For transporters with 200 trucks, 3 stickers will cost lot
money that’s why transporters opt to weigh their trucks in all 7 or 8
weighbridges depending on your destination (Uganda or Rwanda/Burundi/Congo
DR),” said the officer who preferred anonymity.
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