Empty return trips, prolonged cargo delays, and poor utilisation of trucks are increasing inefficiencies in Nigeria’s haulage sector, prompting industry stakeholders to call for greater use of technology and collaboration to reduce the cost of moving goods.
Speaking at the 2026 HAULMACE conference in Lagos, themed ‘Technology as an Enabler for More Efficient Haulage Operations: The Need for Industry Collaboration,’ industry players called for stronger collaboration and wider adoption of technology to address persistent bottlenecks in Nigeria’s freight industry.
Jean-Claude Homawoo, co-founder and chief executive officer of Lori Systems, in his keynote address, said trucks often return without cargo after delivering goods, while some spend a significant portion of their operating time waiting to load or offload.
Homawoo illustrated the problem with a 30-tonne truck travelling from Lagos to Kano. After delivering its cargo, the truck could wait between two and four days for another load heading south. Without one, it returns empty, incurring fuel and operating costs without generating revenue.
Read also: Logistics operators nurse old wounds despite reform gains
“This problem is compounded by poor coordination between shippers and transporters,” he said, adding that trucks operating on some routes served by Lori Systems spend between 45 and 95 percent of their journey time waiting to load or offload goods,” he said.
Data from Lori Systems’ Nigerian platform showed that only about two in every 100 northbound trips were followed by a return load for the same truck through the platform this year.
Homawoo, however, said the rate increased sevenfold to nearly five percent after manufacturers in northern Nigeria began moving goods south through the platform in June.
The figures highlight the potential for digital freight platforms to match available trucks with cargo, improve backhauling and reduce the number of vehicles returning empty. However, he stressed that such solutions require shippers to share cargo forecasts and commit return loads, while transporters must provide reliable services and maintain verifiable performance records.
Homawoo argued that digital freight platforms could improve truck utilisation and reduce logistics costs, but would have limited impact without trust and collaboration among stakeholders.
Alfred Okugbeni, convener of the HAULMACE conference, said Nigeria’s haulage sector was facing a gap between available transport assets and the volume of work required, while existing investments were not being fully utilised.
Okugbeni identified digital freight platforms, smart backhauling and fleet management systems as tools that could help match available cargo with transport capacity, reduce idle truck movements and improve operational efficiency.
He, however, stressed that technology alone would not resolve the sector’s challenges without cooperation among shippers, manufacturers, cargo owners, haulage operators, logistics providers, financial institutions, insurers and government agencies.
“Collaboration is necessary to translate technological investments into lower costs, better supply chain visibility and stronger industry competitiveness,” Okugbeni said.
The event organised by Haulage & Logistics Magazine, brought together operators, manufacturers, technology providers and other industry players to examine how digital platforms and stronger collaboration can improve goods transportation.
Omotunde Ogunbowale, emphasised that technology must be supported by coordinated action from government, shippers, transporters, financial institutions and logistics companies.
For an industry responsible for moving goods across the country, participants said improving coordination, reducing avoidable charges and making better use of existing truck capacity would be critical to lowering logistics costs and improving the movement of goods.
On the financing gap affecting smaller operators, Homawoo urged banks and insurers to consider lending against transport contracts and digital proof of delivery rather than relying mainly on conventional collateral. He said such arrangements could help operators access funding, receive payments faster and invest in newer vehicles.
He also called on transporters to improve vehicle maintenance, train drivers and work collectively to secure larger contracts, noting that smaller operators could strengthen their bargaining power by adopting common performance standards and records.
Juliet Onyema is a transport journalist who reports on Nigeria’s transport and automobile industry. She covers emerging Electric Vehicles (EVs), ranging from adoption to usage, automobile firms and transport policies which affect them, and also recurring trends affecting commuters’ mobility interstate and intrastate.
