Port-hinterland trucking constraints in Nigeria A.E. Ubogu * , J.A. Ariyo, M. Mamman Department of Geography, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria article info Keywords: Nigeria Constraints Trucking Harassment Rank-order Magnitude abstract A reliable and efficient transportation system contributes immensely to growth and prosperity of a nation. Nigeria, with its vast import traffic cannot afford to transport hinterland bound cargo in a manner not consistent with reliable practices. This study seeks to evaluate the rank-order and magnitude of the operational constraints associated with cargo haulage from Nigerian seaports to the hinterland. Data were obtained from primary sources through systematic administration of a questionnaire to truck driv- ers at the point of waiting in the seaport terminal. In all, 302 respondents were sampled. The results of the study reveals that ‘harassment’ from law enforcement agencies ranked first (Mean = 2.08). The results also shows that the association between nine pairs of the constraints were significant with the strongest negative correlation being that of delays and armed robbery, r = 0.599, p < 0.001. These results are fun- damental for the prioritization of palliative measures to improve the operational problems of trucking in Nigeria. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In the research literature, trucking operational difficulties have been considered from different dimensions. Studies of the operat- ing constraints of long haul trucking are usually done in conjunc- tion with driver behaviour (Golob and Hensher, 1997; Hensher et al., 1993), accidents (Loeb and Clark, 2007), disruptions in supply chain (Wilson, 2007; Hendricks and Singhal, 2005) and cost of operations (World Bank, 2007). The general approach of the behav- ioural theme has been to relate the operational problems of truck- ing to the behavioural pattern of long distance drivers. It is argued, for instance, that truckers by their nature indulge in long distance driving and so experience sleepless nights that are fundamental for the explanations of risks and subsequent accidents (Savage, 1989). This position has, however, not gone unchallenged. Loeb and Clark (2007) commenting on accidents of truck drivers have very well acknowledged that, indeed, the miles driven on roadways, alcohol consumption by truck drivers, and age of truck drivers have been shown to be positively linked to accidents. A recent study elsewhere (FHWA, 2009) have shown that high- way bottlenecks arising from delays is estimated to be caused by non-recurring congestion. The result of transitory events such as construction work zones, crashes, breakdowns, extreme weather conditions and suboptimal traffic controls are all cases of delays in freight transport delivery. Consequently, the report notes with dismay that truck delay bottlenecks increases costs to business and consumers. To other writers, their approach has been to exam- ine trucking operational problems within the framework of supply chain, since transport performs a critical role by enabling products to be made available at locations desired by the consumers (Potter and Lalwani, 2008) and that any disruption to material flows in the supply chain results in an abrupt cessation of the movement of goods (Wilson, 2007). According to Chopra and Sodhi (2004) trans- portation disruptions can occur as a result of natural disasters, la- bour disputes, terrorist activities and infrastructure failures. These disruptions have the propensity to stop the flow of goods when such goods in transit are interrupted. Imperatively, a disruption in transportation will certainly delay the arrival of consignments at destination points. However, several studies in Nigeria (Oni, 2000; Oni and Okanla- won, 2006; Ubogu, 2005; World Bank, 2007) suggest that poor roads, narrow bridges, menace of armed robbery on highways, harassment by security officials, touting, delays occasioned by traf- fic congestion, outright non-delivery of consignments consequent upon accidents, shortage or scarcity of fuel, incessant vehicle breakdown and traffic hold-up in the city centres are some of the operational difficulties confronting cargo haulage in the country. Quite often, commentators have identified poor quality of roads as a major drawback for trucking of consignments, in spite of the fact that, road haulage has been and still remains the most fa- voured mode for the movement of cargo (Oni, 2008). Unfortunately, this transport sub-sector is dominated by a large number of small-scale operators with most of the transport outfits not equipped with road worthy trucks. Other problems include overloading and the resultant damage to roads, poor vehicle main- tenance which is a factor of the incessant breakdown of vehicles as well as numerous police check points. Some operational difficulties 0966-6923/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2009.09.001 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +234 8033571591. E-mail address: ubogu2001@yahoo.com (A.E. Ubogu). Journal of Transport Geography 19 (2011) 106–114 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Transport Geography journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jtrangeo