Businesses lament that the ongoing government drive against overloaded vehicles on the highways caused the tripling of carrying cost of exports and imports.
According to sources in the business circles, overall transport cost has gone up significantly following the move under which overloaded vehicles are either fined heavily or given a pushback.
Officials said the drive started on December 1 to protect roads and highways from the damage being done through haulage by overloaded vehicles. The preventive action goes on under a directive from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
According to the new directive, trucks and lorries or covered vans with two axles (six tires) are allowed to carry 22 tonnes, three-axle ones (ten tires) 30 tonnes and four-axle ones (fourteen tires) 40 tonnes. And the load includes the weight of the vehicles.
Prime-movers and trailers, used to carry export and import products, need to include additional axles in keeping with their load/weight, according to the BRTA instructions.
BRTA and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) have fixed the weight limits for motor vehicles with effect from the first of this month (December).
A truck of six tires (two axles), weighing 8-9 tonnes, could now carry another 12-13 tonnes only under the newly-set road rules, said a BRTA official.
He said earlier 26 tonnes were allowed to be carried by a two-axle vehicle.
The official said the measure has been taken following international standards to protect roads and bridges from dilapidation.
A meeting was held on November 27 last with representations from RHD, Bangladesh Truck and Covered Van Owners Association, and businesses to decide on the road-safety measure.
Most freight vehicles are being fined Tk 5,000 for carrying every additional tonne of weight (1000 kgs) while some have been pushed back to their starting place since the beginning of the drive, he said.
Chairman of Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association (BJSA) Mohammad Shahjahan told the FE that transport cost has gone up by nearly 200 per cent.
"Earlier, it would cost us Tk 20,000 to carry 26 tonnes-30 tonnes of products from Dhaka and Faridpur to Chittagong," he said. Now the transport cost has risen to Tk 60,000 as it takes three trucks to carry the same load of goods.
Md Mahmudul Huqe, Managing Director of Sadat Jute Mills, said importers in the sector require containers with the capacity of carrying 26 tonnes to 30 tonnes that measure one TEU (20-foot equivalent units).
"We appreciate the BRTA move, but urge the government to negotiate with the importing countries so that they could comprehend 22-tonne containers like that of the USA," he said.
The additional transport cost might force many exporters to minimise their exports, he said about the impact of the step on the country's foreign trade.
Dinajpur-based rice importer Rajib Kumar told the FE that transport costs of rice increased by Tk 0.35-Tk 0.50 per kg following the recent government move.
Md Golam Maula, Secretary of Moulvibazar Wholesale Merchants Association in the city said traders have to pay additional Tk 4000-Tk 5000 of extortion at per trip between Chittagong and Dhaka to many district/upazila level anonymous organisations.
"We welcome the government move for the sake of roads and bridges but government will have to take action to remove such extortion on the highways," he added.
General Manager of City Group, one of the leading importers of essentials and refiners, Biswajit Saha told the FE that more than 5,000 prime-movers and trailers with three axles ply the Chittagong route. Those can carry 45-46 tonnes of goods at a time against the new limit of 30 tonnes each. The relaxation has been made for them for a period of three months.
He said imported products, waiting for unloading at the seaport, have got three-month release time by order of the BRTA.
"But costs of carrying essentials to other districts have increased notably," he added.
Traders, however, appreciate the government move but urged removing what they called harassment on the highways.
BRTA director Md Mahbub-E-Rabbani said the drive will continue to protect roads and bridges from early decaying.
"Owners have been asked to increase the number of axles of their motor vehicles which could help in keeping roads safer and minimising transport costs," he said.
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