Salmon truckers call for ‘green highway’ through Chile's checkpoints
Salmon hauliers in Chile are requesting a “green highway” for trucks whose drivers are being delayed for hours at checkpoints aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19.
The establishment of different customs and sanitary barriers in the country means the journey time of salmon transporters has increased significantly, said Osvaldo Altamirano, president of the Association of Truckers of Chiloé.
Thousands of tonnes of salmon are processed on the island of Chiloé before being transported to the mainland.
Added to the number of checkpoints is the fact that in most there are no services, such as food, for example, causing “discomfort and wear and tear on drivers”, Altamirano told Fish Farming Expert’s Chilean sister site, Salmonexpert.cl.
Drivers exhausted
Faced with this situation, the transporters’ union is requesting a “green highway”, that is, “a special track for trucks and buses, separate from the other vehicles, since due to so much control, the trips are taking a very long time and they are exhausting drivers”, added Altamirano.
The association president last week had a meeting with the economy minister to explain the proposal. “We are working to give a little more facility to transportation. It is not that we do not want checkpoints, but that they are too many,” he said.
