TORORO Cement has been accused of damaging roads and unfair competition. The firm carries more than the recommended load when transporting its products, the roads authority said.
“We have learnt with a lot of concern that your trucks carrying cement from Tororo to your depots across the country are excessively overloaded,” Peter Ssebanakitta, the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) head, said in a notice to the firm.
“Your trucks carrying limestone from Amudat and Kaserem to Tororo are overloaded.” This practice, he added, was unfair to other firms and damages the roads.
Ssebanakitta pointed out that this is evidenced by the damage on Tororo-Mbale and Tororo-Jinja roads, adding that the damage to the roads was also manifested at outside the factory.
The development follows statistics showing that trucks transporting cement from the firm’s Tororo factory to Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan loaded more than 70 tonnes, exceeding the required load capacity.
However, B.M. Gagrani, the Tororo Cement executive director, said all the companies were notified about the roads agency concern.
“We don’t own these trucks. They only provide us with transport services,” he said.
“But we have instituted strict regulations that all drivers must follow.” Transporters overload to cut costs, gain unfair advantage over competitors and earn more profits. For example, the landing cost of a 35-tonne truck to Rwanda is estimated at 9.6m Rwandan francs (Rwf), while a 70-tonne truck costs about Rwf9m.
This situation has made other brands uncompetitive since Tororo cement distribute in large volumes and can reduce prices. Under the Traffic and Road Safety (weighbridges) Regulations of 2004, a truck is not permitted to carry more than 56 tonnes.
The problem comes at a time when Eng. John Nasasira, the transport and works minister, suspended the use of weighbridges over corruption. Weighbridge attendants were accused of extorting money from truck owners and drivers to clear their overloaded trucks.
The damage caused by such trucks to roads shortens their lifespan and increases the cost of maintenance. The roads agency has threatened the cement firm with heavy fines if it does not stop the vice. “We expect strict compliance with the regulations. If you don’t follow the regulations, you will attract heavy penalties,” Ssebanakitta warned.
“We hope you will cooperate in this regard as a way of restoring your corporate image with the public.” Experts have warned that the current and future financial support to the roads sector will depend on the ability to strictly enforce the axle load rules.
The Government is spending over a trillion shillings in maintenance and rehabilitation of roads across the country.
