The Government’s announcement that double cab pick-up trucks will no longer be categorised as commercial vehicles is a welcome relief to many.
Some years ago, a friend in a convoy on our way to Nyahururu was flagged down for speeding. He was driving a double cabin pick up truck.
He told the police officers he was doing approximately 75 kilometres per hour, but they could hear none of it. Even though they did not have a speed gun, they insisted he was hurtling at close to 140 kilometres per hour.
We were baffled, and infuriated at the same time. As fate would have it, his passenger was a was one of those staunch Christians. He too would not have none of it when the officers intimated that the situation could be resolved “if we spoke like elders.”
We refused to admit that he was speeding, but all the same, we “spoke like elders” and reached a deal.
Based on the recent announcement, double cab drivers will not have to go through what we went through because that vehicle is now classified as a non-commercial vehicle and does not have to adhere to the lower speed limit.
Ideally, the double cab has stopped being a cash cow for bribe-hungry officers.
But there is more to this announcement. First and foremost when it comes to insurance, double cabs will no longer attract the high insurance premiums. I have seen motorists who attempted to cover up the carrier of the double cab in the hope that this modification would turn the vehicle to a non-commercial one.
Also, double cab owners will not spend time on the queue together with matatu owners for the annual inspection farce.
As for speed, they can now cruise at up to 100 kilometres per hour, and that means they no longer need speed governors to choke their engines.
It is believed the move to “downgrade” double cabs pick up trucks will be beneficial to many traders, especially those in agribusiness sector.
The biggest winners though might be Public Benefits Organisations and semi-government bodies as these entities own more double cabin pick up trucks than any other type of vehicle.
Car dealers will definitely raise a toast to this announcement because many people hitherto discouraged from buying double cabin pick up trucks, can now go for them.
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