Truck owners seek refunds over cancelled E-Call-Up bookings

By Godwin Oritse

The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has demanded an urgent review of the Electronic Call-Up (ETO) system following recurring cancellations of paid truck bookings, describing the practice as unfair and contrary to consumer protection laws.

AMATO said truckers incur avoidable losses whenever bookings expire due to operational delays beyond their control, forcing them to pay fresh booking fees.

AMATO’s Head of Research and Technical, Adeshina Ajibola, argued that the practice violates Sections 120 and 130 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, which guarantee consumers timely service and appropriate redress where services are not delivered. “The recurring cancellation of paid ETO bookings due to operational delays beyond the trucker’s control deserves urgent review,” he said.

Ajibola urged Truck Transit Parks (TTP), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other stakeholders to establish a transparent dispute resolution mechanism and provide refunds or transfer bookings where delays are caused by systemic failures.