Local truckers complain bitterly of being sidelined by foreign quarry

Feb 04, 2025 News

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… Chinese truckers making 2/3 trips before they can get 1

Kaieteur News recently posed as a truck driver after scores of local truckers repeatedly complained bitterly of being sidelined by a foreign company operating a quarry at Arisaru Mountain, Region Ten.

The local truckers ply their trade lifting aggregate from the quarry to their employers’ clients. They get paid by their bosses per trip and claimed that in the past they were able to make multiple trips per day but recently they have been sidelined by the Chinese-owned quarry in favour of Chinese owned trucks driven by Chinese nationals.

 

Now, the Chinese trucks, according to them, are making two to three trips per day while they can only get one after waiting for 10 hours or more- some days. The local truckers said that the setback has greatly impacted their pay, significantly reducing their income.

After reportedly getting no satisfaction from the management, the truckers turned to the media, voicing their frustration. Their multiple pleas led Kaieteur News to pose as a truck driver seeking aggregate for an employer. Kaieteur News began its journey late one afternoon after conducting some repairs to a truck with a capacity to lift some 48 to 52 tons of aggregate and had to wait some 19 hours before lifting 47 tons of ¾ inch aggregate from the quarry.

The truck arrived at around 20: 00hrs one evening and joined other local trucks outside of the quarry, waiting for a turn to enter. We made a request for the ¾ inch aggregate and was told that we will have to wait until the following day. Kaieteur News joined the rest of locals waiting outside of the quarry all night while the Chinese-owned trucks approached the scale and entered into the mine. They did not leave.  A few local trucks were allowed to enter and load up. Kaieteur News learnt that they had been waiting there for hours. Some had arrived very early in the day. A few left with their aggregate while others exited but waited outside of the quarry to leave at dawn the following day.

Meanwhile, the Chinese trucks remained inside the gates as the quarry closed off its operations around 02:00 hrs. the following morning. It was scheduled to be reopen at daylight around 06:30 hrs. When the hour arrived the gates were still closed but the Chinese trucks that had entered the previous night were leaving filled to capacity.  A few minutes after they left, the gates were opened and the locals including Kaieteur News rushed to book in their trucks for an early load.

Trucks were booked in the order of the time they arrived. Shortly after a line of local trucks, that had been waiting there for almost a day before Kaieteur News and other trucks had arrived, were allowed to enter. The rest were told to wait. After they left, Kaieteur News sought an update and was told that the aggregate it was there to uplift was not available and that the plant was only washing crusher run (a crushed form of aggregate used in the construction of roads).

This newspaper enquired about the Chinese trucks that had left early and was informed that they lifted crusher run. Kaieteur News waited for hours as the Chinese trucks returned and left again with another trip. While waiting the newspaper spoke with local drivers to find out how the long wait is affecting them.

Some said: “It is what it is” while others were vocal. To protect their identity Kaieteur News will not disclose who they are because they fear that they could land their bosses in trouble and get suspended from the quarry. Some vented their frustration saying that when the trail was all slush, they were the only ones who supported the quarry. “Now the road (Linden to Mabura trail presently under construction at cost of US$195M) get good dem bring a set of Chinese trucks and giving them priority over we”, one truck driver said.

Another added, “We don’t have a problem with the Chinese working but they must join the line like the rest of us,” as he accused the Chinese truckers of cutting in the line in front of them. After waiting an entire day and almost an entire night Kaieteur News was able to lift its quota of aggregate from the quarry leaving a long line of locals still waiting their turn.

Quarry management

Later Kaieteur News contacted the quarry’s management relating the local truckers’ claim that they are being sidelined. The quarry’s management denied the claims dismissing it as a “rumour” and stated the company does not prioritise any truck above the locals. They said that their distribution process for aggregate is a transparent one and asked the newspaper to produce the evidence proving otherwise.

Kaieteur News shared a video clip of local trucks waiting while Chinese trucks were leaving filled to capacity. The management said that the clip was not enough proof and said only a photograph of the waiting list could clear-up any misunderstanding the truck drivers might have. A photograph of a waiting list was provided and Kaieteur News explained that it will not reveal the identity of the truck drivers for the trucks booked but assured that it is in possession of evidence that the locals were only able to lift aggregate more than ten hours after booking in.

The management remained adamant that the list does not prove that the company is sidelining locals for Chinese trucks.  However, it did not deny that the Chinese trucks are making more trips than the locals who have to wait sometimes 10 hours and more for a load of aggregate. The management said that there is an explanation for this and assured that it has nothing to do with forcing the locals out of business or sidelining them.

Speaking with Kaieteur News one of the company’s representatives said that trucks might have to wait longer depending on the size of aggregate they are there to collect.  “There is one thing I think you are confusing, So Kinawa trucks (Chinese owned trucks) only load crusher run and the trucks that wait the long time is other size (larger size aggregate) so there is no wrong”, the company representative  explained while adding that trucks lifting crusher run is not limited to only  Chinese.  “Kinawa trucks or any other trucks that load for crusher run they don’t have to wait they can load like two, three, four trips everyday” the representative continued before adding “but the other size we don’t have enough (can’t produce enough at the same time) so they have to wait a day sometimes 10 hours more to wait for the stone because it’s a different size”.

No sidelining

According to the company representative crusher run is quicker to produce and that this was explained multiple times to the clients. The representative acknowledged that indeed truck drivers have raised concerns about the waiting time. “I got calls every day, they say trucks cut in line but when they confront me, they find out the truth,” the company representative told Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News then asked the company representative if there is any possible solution to the issue between the local truckers and the company and even suggested that perhaps it can dedicate specific days to produce larger size stones only and crusher run on other days. In response the representative said, “it is not as easy as you think, it takes a whole day to change the screen (to produce larger size aggregate).”

The representative said that the quarry has an operational plan on what size aggregate to produce first and it is created to suit its contractual obligations rather than retailers (most of the local truckers).  “We have signed contracts for crusher run,” the representative said, explaining that failure to meet contractual obligations will see the company having to compensate its clients. One of the quarry’s contractual arrangements is to supply materials to the Ministry of Public Works.  The representative assured that the long wait may not be “all the time” for the locals. “But for the last two weeks we have so many orders like big ones. So they have to wait. Every client I told them they have to wait for more than 10 hours even more than a day,” the representative said.

(Local truckers complain bitterly of being sidelined by foreign quarry)

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• aggregate, Arisaru Mountain, quarry, Region Ten, truck driver

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