Truckers Urged to Transport Loads Safely

Truckers travelling along the St. Mary segment of the north coast highway are being urged to transport loads more responsibly due to growing safety concerns regarding debris falling from trucks.

Parish Disaster Coordinator for St. Mary, Adrian Tate, who spoke to JIS News during a meeting at the St. Mary Municipal Corporation on Tuesday (March 24), said that “we’re having serious issues along this main thoroughfare with the truckers creating a hazard on our main roads”.

“We’ve seen where it has caused damage to windscreens and persons have gotten injured based on falling aggregates from these trucks while traversing behind them,” he pointed out.

He revealed that parish authorities are now intensifying efforts to clamp down on violators with a coordinated response already in motion.

“There’s a team currently monitoring these areas from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Island Traffic Authority (ITA). So, there’s enforcement along the main thoroughfare,” Mr. Tate said.

He noted that the goal is to hold truck operators accountable and curtail the unsafe practices.

“So, we’re continuously monitoring them and trying to penalise the perpetrators,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Tate said that while the issue of debris falling from truck has been a long-standing issue, “we are slowly seeing some improvement. However, we need to get to that optimum point where all our road users can be safe”.

One of the main concerns is that many trucks continue to operate with uncovered or improperly secured loads.

Mr. Tate reminded that safety regulations are put in place to protect all road users.

“To the truckers leaving the aggregate plants, please adhere to the police restrictions and guidelines on the main road. The appropriate way for truckers to carry their load is to have it secured and not overloaded,” he said.