In order to curb frequent cases of transit accidents leading to explosion, the federal government of Nigeria bans 60,000 litre trucks from Nigerian roads with effect from 1st of March, 2025.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA through the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Mr Ogbugbo Ukoha announced that the decision was made in response to the frequent cases of accidents involving heavy-duty petroleum tankers across different regions of the nation.

Also, it was a concesus decision taken by stakeholders in the industry to mitigate the high level of trucks and frequent tanker explosions.
Beginning from 1st of March, trucks with an axle load of more than 60,000 litres of hydrocarbon will not be allowed to load at any depot.

Ukoha added that this is the first time concesus was built among the industry stakeholders and they will continue to encourage more co-operation to deliver a safe transportation of petroleum products across the country.

The NMDPRA vowed to ensure compliance with petroleum industry standard and specifications, stressing that recent social media claims about the quality of fuel products in circulation are baseless and should be disregarded.

With the new directive, authorities aim to strike a balance between ensuring efficient fuel distribution and prioritizing road safety for Nigerian motorists and communities.