TheCable

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Dangote Group have agreed that the company’s trucks will not ply the roads from 7pm to 7am daily.

The trucks will now move during the day only.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by Bisi Kazeem, the corps public education officer, he said the move was part of the agreements reached at a meeting between the company and the FRSC to reduce the rate of occurrence of crashes involving articulated vehicles.

The FRSC also tasked the group on prompt removal of broken down vehicles from highways and the need to intensify efforts towards achieving professionalism among its drivers.

Speaking at the meeting, Boboye Oyeyemi, the corps marshal, lamented the spate of crashes involving Dangote trucks and called on the group to make the training, retraining and certification of drivers a major priority in the operation of their fleet.

“There is need for the company to be strict in its recruitment process for drivers; requirements such as age for both entry and retirement should be made a priority issue to avoid under age driving and maintain a fixed age for retirement,” he said.

Oyeyemi also charged the group to establish more driving schools and also make it open to the public so that drivers and would be drivers can apply for training.

He said this will go a long way in making the highways safer for all to use.

According to Kazeem, the corps marshal gave the some ultimatums to be fulfilled by the company in order to reduce the rate of crashes involving its trucks. They are highlighted below.

“All Dangote trucks to be fully installed with Speed Limiting Device before 31 December, 2019,” he said.

“Dangote [is] to provide details of any driver who commits traffic infraction to FRSC for subjection to Emotional Stability Test

“The Company [is] to provide details of any driver who runs away after a crash to FRSC for flagging on the database so as to track such drivers and prevent reissuance of NDL.

“FRSC and Dangote Group [are] to commence a joint effort to ensure that all abandoned or broken down Dangote Trucks are towed within the next 30 days commencing from 18 September to 17 October, 2019.

“All Dangote Trucks [are] to have at least a mini first aid box

“Dangote Trucks [are] not allowed to drive from 7pm to 7am, any of the company’s truck found around that time will be impounded at sight.

“Foreign number plates on the company’s trucks [will] be replaced with Nigeria Number Plates before 31 December, 2019.

“Periodic and random driver’s eye check should be conducted for the fleet drivers.”

Speaking at the meeting, Juan Carlos Rincom, the head of the delegation, appreciated the FRSC for its “unwavering commitment to sanitising the highways” and pledged the company’s willingness to carry out all resolutions made in the meeting