Container trucks operate illegally  Only 4 per cent of container truck operators in the northern port city of Hai Phong have permits to transport goods by container trucks, according to the Ministry of Transport.   The city has 1,035 companies and co-operatives operating nearly 5,000 container trucks. However, only 46 companies have business permits for transporting goods by container trucks, with only 662 container trucks operating legally.-Photo baohaiphong The ministry made the announcement following a series of inspections of transport businesses in the city last week. The city has 1,035 companies and co-operatives operating nearly 5,000 container trucks. However, only 46 companies have business permits for transporting goods by container trucks, with only 662 container trucks operating legally. Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho on July 18 asked the city's authorities to boost their management of transport of goods on the road, especially by container trucks. "Operators will have their business suspended if they are found to be using container trucks without a permit," he said, adding that violators' names would be announced in the media. Chairman of the city's Association of Goods Transportation Le Van Tien said that to be eligible to operate container trucks, business must have a Business Registration Certificate and Permit for a Transport Business. However, there is no punishment for operators who did have the permit, he said. In addition, many businesses using container trucks failed to meet safety requirements. Vice head of the Viet Nam Road Administration Nguyen Van Quyen said the scale of local transportation enterprises was still small as a majority of them owned about 10 containers trucks, and many had only two or three trucks. It was difficult for many of these firms to meet safety and management criteria required for a transport permit. At an online meeting earlier this month, transport officials and experts said lax management and poor supervision by transport agencies were behind the recent sudden rise in road fatalities. Director of Hai Phong's Transport Department Dam Xuan Luy acknowledged the shortcomings in State management of transportation. He said that 90 per cent of the 13,000 transport firms in the city did not have business licences and 97 per cent of traffic accidents in the city occurred on the road. Source: VNS