Axle Load Limits
REGIONAL MINISTERS ADOPT ELEMENTS OF DRAFT REGULATIONS TO CONTROL OVERLOAD ON
COMMUNITY ROADS
Regional Ministers of Infrastructure, Transport and Energy on Friday, 1st April 2011 endorsed the
provisions of a draft Supplementary Act stipulating the Axle load standards for heavy duty goods
transport vehicles plying public roads in ECOWAS Member States in order to protect West Africa’s
road infrastructure from degradation by overloaded vehicles.
The proposed Supplementary Act relating to the harmonization of standards and procedures for the
control of dimensions, weight and axle load of goods vehicles, a complement to existing regional
instruments to monitor vehicle tonnage and improve safety on the roads, will be considered by the
next meeting of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers who will then recommend it for adoption by
regional leaders.
The Act provides a harmonized mechanism for the standardization and control of the dimensions,
weight and axle load of heavy duty goods transport vehicles and ensuring the control of overload.
Member States are required under the proposed Act to impose prohibitive sanctions for noncompliance.
It stipulates the authorized total laden weight or authorized total transport vehicle for each type of
vehicle and requires Member States to formulate and incorporate in their official transport
documents a note, not only attesting that a vehicle’s weight and dimensions have been checked, but
also clearly stating its laden weight and axle load system.
Member States are also required under the Act to subject every vehicle, prior to registration and
entry into service, to technical inspection after which the dimension, weight and axle type should be
clearly inscribed on two plates affixed to the vehicle.
It further obliges the States to install equipment and devices to monitor compliance such as weigh
bridges, weighing scales and dimension gauges along road corridors including in facilities that
generate annual road freight for heavy duty vehicles of over 200,000 tonnes.
Operators of platforms such as ports, logistics depots, rail road, warehousing, industrial and storage
facilities that generate heavy duty traffic of over 200,000 tonnes are also required to equip such
platforms with the facilities for the inspection of the dimensions, weight and axle load of heavy duty
vehicles loading in their domains.
The operator will also be required to obtain a certificate of compliance from the national
administration responsible for implementing the Act.
Sanctions for non-compliance include overload shedding and correction of dimensions,
immobilization of vehicles and fines denominated in United States dollars but paid in local currency.
These will be reviewed periodically by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.
The Act is accompanied by an implementation road map that includes a graduated sanctions regime
applicable between 2011 and 2014 when all Member States are expected to be in full compliance.
This is to accommodate the differences in the implementation of the axle load regime in the region.
The one-day meeting of the ministers also proposed a draft Regulation relating to the denomination
and establishment of the rules for the functions, organization and mode of operations of the
ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU).
The PDIU, later re-designated the PPDU, was set up in 2005 as an ECOWAS Unit with responsibility
for developing bankable infrastructure projects and stimulate private sector investment in this
sector.
The draft regulation for the PPDU, which relocated to Lome in 2008, defines the governance organs
of the PPDU which includes a Steering Committee and a Directorate. It also defines the internal
administrative arrangements for the PPDU.
The nine-member Steering Committee is composed of representatives of the ECOWAS Commission,
the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, Member States, technical and financial
partners as well as the private sector.
Bridges
There are so many bridges within the country but the one notable among them is the Third
mainland bridge in Lagos (remarkable because of its length which is said to be longest in Africa).
Another is the Niger Bridge which connects the eastern states to the rest of the country. Also, there
is the Benue bridge which links the southern states to the northern states.
There is the sapele bridge which connects the midwest states and Oron – Calabar bridge which
connects the south states. Below you find a picture of the bridges. The map below also highlights the
rest of the bridges in the country and their actual state location.
International Corridors Leading to the Country
As a big country bordered by many countries like Chad to the north east, Niger to the north west,
Benin Republic to the south west, Cameroon to the south east, there are many corridors that have
had transit points for centuries. Historically some of these corridors were started by early settlers
while others were caved out to strengthen international or sub regional relations.
These corridors have impacted the culture, social relevance and economic proficiency of the
towns/cities along the borders. These cities are among the biggest in Nigeria and tend to be more
cosmopolitan and developed, and among them are Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and Calabar.
Road Corridors
In the event of a widespread emergency affecting Nigeria or other neighbouring countries it is
important to consider external corridors and neighbouring countries' ports for bringing to bear large
quantities of aid avoiding the likely congestion in the Nigerian ports. This section will look at the
purely national and international corridors within Nigeria and to those in the neighboring countries.