Tipper truck drivers call for weighing equipment at loading points

The National Sand and Stone Tipper Truck Drivers (NSSTTD) has  expressed concern about the lack of weighing equipment at loading points across the country, which makes it impossible to determine the weight of a load before departure.

As a result, the group explained that their vehicles were often deemed overloaded at checkpoints, with some of their members being arrested.

The National Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NSSTTD, Anthony Mensah, speaking at a press conference in Accra said the  L.I. 2180 on Device for determining of Overloaded Vehicle, Section 87 (2), stated that: ‘A warehouse and a company that manufactures or is engaged in the carriage of bulk goods shall provide and install a weighbridge or other approved device for weighing loaded motor vehicles leaving the company premises as required under the Eighth Schedule’.

However, he said that was not the case, stating that they do not deliberately intend to overload their vehicles.

“The blame must be shared among institutions such as the Ghana Standards Authority, the Department of Roads and Highways, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority”, he said.

Loss of revenue

Mr Mensah further raised concerns about a deliberate targeting of only selected individuals in the sand-winning industry by some officials of the Minerals Commission and its Inspectorate Division, using selective logos and flags for identification.

“As a result of this selective enforcement, we become victims of the system even though we are issued with valid Minerals Commission waybills.

“The state continues to lose massive revenue due to illegal sand-winning activities,” he said.

Vehicle weight

Mr Mensah also indicated that, per L.I. 2180, the maximum permissible vehicle weight was 27 tons.

However, he said the Ghana Highway Authority later reviewed it upward to 30.5 tons.

He said based on manufacturers' specifications, the common Chinese Sinotruk has a net weight of 16 tons and a gross weight of 25 tons.

“This means the truck can safely carry only nine tons, which is approximately 5.6 cubic capacity. Even with the revised permissible weight of 30.5 tons, the allowable payload becomes 14.5 tons, which equals approximately 9.06 cubic capacity.

“Yet, most tipper trucks on our roads are 16 to 18 cubic-capacity trucks. An 18-cubic-capacity tipper truck loaded to the brim equals about 30 tons of cargo plus 16 tons net weight, totalling 46 tons,” he said.

He indicated that it exceeded the permissible limit by 15.5 tons, adding that most tipper trucks were arrested for overloading even when drivers were simply obeying customer demands and operating within the physical design of the truck.

Efforts made

The national PRO stressed that for over a decade, they had raised alarms, written petitions,  and offered technical solutions, yet the authorities had failed to act decisively.

“We, therefore, call on the Minerals Commission, the Ghana Standards Authority, the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA)  and the Roads and Highways Ministry to take full responsibility and demonstrate fairness and transparency by first placing state-owned tipper trucks on the weighbridges, both loaded and unloaded, without favouritism,” he said.

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