Govt revises haulage rate
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works has announced revised prices for transportation of goods effective January 10 2020.
In a statement dated January 23 2020 and signed by Principal Secretary Francis Chinsinga it states that minimum haulage rates were revised and agreed upon at a meeting held at the ministry’s headquarters which was attended by shippers, transporters and other stakeholders.
The statement also said the current rate for local haulage is K58.50 per tonne and per kilometre (km) while the minimum agreed rate is K70 per tonne and per km.
Chinsinga said in an interview on Wednesday they do not regulate the rates as they have to be agreed upon by the shippers and transporters, among other stakeholders.
“The pricing will depend on the route which goods are being transported, therefore we cannot say that we have put limitations on percentage to transport prices,” he said.
Meanwhile, the association’s chairperson Lyton Dzombe has commended government for reviewing the rates.
“We are happy because this is what we have been seeking for a long period,” he said.
On January 7 this year the association threatened to demonstrate in protest against government’s failure to ensure equitable distribution of businesses in the transportation sector.
The association also complained that it has been advocating for 60-40 percent road transport business distribution, with locals getting 60 percent and foreigners getting the remaining 40 percent.
Additionally, they felt that transport rates dictated by government were low, making transport owners fail to meet the newly-agreed minimum wage of K100 000 per driver. In October last year, truck drivers engaged in a two-day industrial action demanding a pay rise from K30 000, a development which resulted in the grounding of over 1 000 trucks nationwide.
