The Federal Government has disclosed the ban of trucks carrying more than 60,000 litres of hydrocarbon products from loading at depots and using federal roads, effective March 1, 2025.

It added that by the fourth quarter of 2025, the maximum load limit will be further reduced to 45,000 litres.

The Executive Director of Distribution System, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ogbugo Ukoha, disclosed this at a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

He stated that the announcement followed a meeting between the authority and industry stakeholders, prompted by recurring accidents and explosions caused by overloaded petroleum trucks.

Recall that last week, the government, at a meeting with stakeholders, hinted at plans to impose a ban on trucks with 60,000-litre capacity, preventing them from operating on federal highways.

This decision comes in response to the rising number of petrol tanker accidents, which have claimed 493 lives in the past three years.

However, the President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, opposed the ban, warning that it could result in the loss of over ₦300 billion in investments.

Othman warned that over 2,000 trucks would be abandoned, with each truck representing an investment of over ₦150 million.

Despite this concern, the regulatory authority, after a fresh stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday, announced the ban as part of a broader plan. It outlined timelines for implementing 10 resolutions aimed at reducing truck-related accidents and fatalities.

The NMDPRA director stated that the consensus decision was reached during the meeting with stakeholders, including the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, and the Directorate of State Services, among others.

“Beginning from March 1, 2025, trucks with a capacity in excess of 60,000 litres will not be allowed to load in any loading depot of petroleum products.

”Also by the fourth quarter, we will also preclude the loading of transportation of petroleum products of any truck in excess of 45,000 litres. That is the breaking news for today,” Ukoha said.

He explained that the ban would be implemented in phases to give investors time to adjust to the directive.

According to him, truck owners, in particular, need time to redesign their vehicles and redirect their investments.

“Historically, we have seen an increase in the tanking capacity, the truck capacities moving from about 27,000 to 33,000 to 45,000. And I recall that the records show that in 2020, there was a stakeholder meeting where it was determined that 45,000 should be the cap.

“The Ministry of Works also has made interventions because the impact on the roads is a reality. Our study of the recent fatalities also suggests that trucks in excess of 60,000 litres have contributed to this. But at the same time, as a regulator, when you would like to begin to enforce, you also have to balance a lot of considerations.

“Yes, it will have an impact on the investment and all, but we are having conversations to give everybody comfort as to, and that is why we have staggered the implementation of even the 45,000 plus to Q4 so that it gives room for all stakeholders. It has to be a win-win for everybody.”