Transporters\' unrestrained freedom

The strike enforced  by the owners and workers of prime movers and trailers lasted for a brief period, only five days in the last week of September. But its impact on businesses has been very severe.
The 14-wheel based prime movers and trailers do carry containers and other products of extra length. The strike enforced under the banner of the Prime Mover and Trailer Malik Sramik Oikkya Parishad caused serious disruption to the country's foreign trade.
Cargoes weighing more than 1.2 million tonnes, valued at about Tk 500 billion, got stuck up at the Chittagong port and private container depots in Dhaka and Chittagong due to the strike. Many exporters, including those involved in apparel exports, have suffered financial losses. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has already asked for compensation from the owners of prime movers.  
Media reports claimed that it would take at least one month to clear off the cargoes stuck up in Chittagong port and container depots.
Businesses are worried that the strike which was deferred until October 04 might again be enforced in the event of failure in finding out a common ground during the negotiations between the strikers and the relevant authorities.
The strike was enforced by the owners of prime movers and trailers when the Road Division issued on September 23 last the notification allowing 14-wheel-based long vehicles to carry a maximum of 33 tonnes of cargoes. The official measure was aimed at stopping the trailers from carrying goods beyond their approved capacity.  
But the so-called Prime Movers, Trailers Malik-Sramik Oikkya Parishad objected to the move and resorted to strike in protest against alleged harassment in the name of controlling the overloading of vehicles.
The official move to fix maximum load for the container carriers or any other carrier is very much justified. This is done in other countries for the safety and security of vehicles and other users of roads and longevity of roads and highways in particular.
The allegation of harassment made by the long-vehicle owners, however, cannot be dismissed forthwith. The people in and without uniform are seen very often harassing the drivers of goods-laden trucks, both short and long, with the objective of collecting illegal tolls. The mischief is done either in the name of checking documents or overloading.
Both parties, in fact, are at fault. In most cases, the vehicles do not have necessary documents or do carry goods beyond the approved capacity. A regular-size truck is authorised to carry a maximum load of five tonnes. But they would always carry more than that. That has become more of a norm. So is the case with payment of toll to the on-duty policemen and relevant others.
Though there are official limits to carrying goods by different types of vehicles, the provisions or facilities necessary to enforce the rules in this connection are virtually non-existent. The system of weighing the goods-laden vehicles is very limited and weak. Such weaknesses do create scope for harassment and other irregularities. The authorities are required to mend those problems before making any attempt to introduce discipline in the transportation of goods on major national highways.
The damage caused to external trade by the sudden strike by the owners of the container carrying long-vehicles is very severe in nature. Why would the transport owners resort to strike all on a sudden protesting a government notification that fixes the maximum loads for certain types of vehicles?
Harassment on highways and fixation of maximum load capacity for long-vehicles are two different issues. Are the owners opposed to limiting the load-carrying capacity of long-trailers or prime movers?  The wild-cat strike does prove that they are opposed to the fixation of load capacity.
In fact, the last week's strike by the owners and workers of long-vehicles does highlight the state of anarchy that has been prevailing in the country's transport sector for many years. Everywhere, owners and workers of motor vehicles, be it in transportation of passengers or goods, call the shot and the government is found succumbing easily to the demands made by them from time to time.
But such highhandedness is taking a heavy toll, in terms of valuable lives of people and longevity of roads, highways and bridges. An estimated 20,000 people die every year, mainly due to rash driving by men at the steering wheel of passenger vehicles. Many more are maimed for life. The absence of any effective punitive measures has made the transport workers so bold.  Knowledgeable circles often blame political patronage for the display of such crude defiance on the part of transport owners and workers.
The common people do feel that time is ripe for bringing an end to anarchy in the road transport sector.  The unruly section of motor vehicle owners and workers needs to be compelled to behave while they are on the roads and highways. If tough laws can be made and enforced to deal with relatively soft crimes, why should bus and truck drivers be allowed to get away with their crimes, including killing of innocent people on roads and highways?  
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