Transporters have appealed to the governments to fast track harmonization of border crossing policies. They want testing of Covid-19 on drivers to be done at the border crossing and the drivers who tests negative be allowed to proceed with the journey.
In a letter signed by the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) chairman Mr Newton Wang’oo, the transporters said that they are reluctant to pick Rwanda bound cargo from various ports of loading due to this.
States like Rwanda are deploying relay driving that is seeing truck drivers’ swap with their counterparts in Rwanda at the border.
The regional road transport and freight forwarding industry led by the Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA), in a petition made recently to the EAC Partner States , observed that they were experiencing challenge of getting equally competent truck drivers across borders due to lack of a harmonized Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) professional driver training.
“The levels of exposure to various technologies is posing road safety and asset integrity challenges,” the petition said.
Small and medium sized transporters lacking capacity to mobilize the requisite resources may be driven out of business, the petition said. Also, relay driving will create difficulties in handling insurance claims related to the cargo and the trucks in case of any eventuality, uncertainty on the safety of the cargo, the trucks as well fuel due to the of involvement multiple drivers.
For cargo finding its way to temporary ICDs at borders, there is uncertainty on the safety of the cargo after it has been dropped at the border.
“Contractual obligations between transporters, freight forwarders and shippers demand cargo to be delivered to their designated delivery points,” the petition said.
Delay in return of empty containers that have to be left at borders, lack of the necessary cargo handling equipment and storage facilities at borders and the extra cost of storing and eventually moving the cargo to its destination, has made transporting of transit goods a huge nightmare.
The truckers and cargo freighter want testing capacity at borders be enhanced through deployment of more medical personnel and equipment to minimize the time taken by truck drivers at borders.
They also want EAC Partner States fast track establishing a harmonized regional approach on testing and management of the truck drivers during the COVID-19 period, which was agreed upon by EAC heads of states in a recent summit held via video conferencing.
They should consider testing truck drivers at the start of their journeys and or at designated facilities along the corridors to facilitate easy passage through borders.
There is need to continue sensitizing the general population on the critical role being played and the sacrifice made by truck drivers and all freight logisticians in the time of COVID-19.
Governments should take a leading role in engaging key logistics service providers such as ports, shipping lines and warehouses to cushion freight forwarders and the shippers against the negative effects of COVID-19.
“ There is need for s continuous dialogue with the Partner States on freight logistics related proposals for management of COVID-19 and any other necessary post COVID-19 interventions to avoid recurrence of the current challenges in future,” the joint communication said.
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