Safety Starts with the Driver, not the Regulator – Oluwatoyin Bashorun

Oluwatoyin Bashorun has carved a distinct niche at the crossroads of fleet management, road transportation analysis, and supply chain efficiency, helping businesses slash fuel costs, tighten operations, and build safer logistics cultures from the ground up making her a voice the industry cannot afford to ignore. Transportation Agenda caught up with her in this exchange conducted by Abike Awojobi.

Fuel prices are at historic highs. Diesel is hitting 1,725 per litre in some hubs. How are fleet operators supposed to survive this?

It’s a crisis, but it’s also a turning point. The single most impactful strategy today is the Energy Transition to CNG. Let’s be honest: diesel at ₦1,725 versus CNG at roughly ₦450 per SCM is a massive difference. However, we must tell ourselves the truth, CNG trucks are expensive to buy and definitely not cheap to convert (costing upwards of 1.5M for heavy-duty engines).

Since most transporters can’t convert their whole fleet overnight, they must ‘manage’ through extreme efficiency. No container should ever return empty—’Deadhead’ mileage is a sin in this economy. You must plan your routes so every kilometer earns money. Combine that with strict diesel monitoring and route optimisation, and you can protect your margins while you gradually transition to gas.

You often talk about technology, but many say Nigeria isn’t ready. What’s your take?
The problem isn’t the technology; it’s the literacy gap. A majority of those running transportation in Nigeria are not literate, so using tech feels like a burden. Drivers often can’t communicate effectively, and many fleet managers think ‘tech’ just means having a GPS tracker. But true efficiency comes from using the full toolkit: mobile cams for real-time visibility, sound recorders for accountability, and even tire seals to prevent roadside tampering. We are dragging our feet while the tools to stop revenue leakage are right in our hands. We need to move from ‘seeing’ our trucks to ‘managing’ them digitally.

Road safety is a major concern. How do we fix the culture?
Safety starts with the driver, not the regulator. The truck is the driver’s office, and he must understand it intimately. Driving is far more than just turning wheels; it’s about a culture of constant training. Before any journey, there must be a route survey. Does the driver know the terrain? Is the vehicle road-worthy for that specific area? In all sincerity, we’ve seen better roads lately, I can speak for Lagos State specifically but a good road doesn’t fix a bad driver. As transporters, we must ask: How often do we train? What is our maintenance culture? And crucially, never joke with insurance. No heavy-duty truck should move without it. At the very least, have a Third-Party policy, but Comprehensive is the gold standard. Professionalism starts with being protected.”

You’ve had a unique journey as a woman in this space. What has that taught you?
It taught me to dare to be different. I standout because I do things differently. Perhaps it’s because I’m a Mass Communication graduate, I research a lot. I stay informed. In a male-dominated industry, you can’t just work hard; you have to work smart and be better informed than the person next to you. My background in communication allows me to bridge the gap between complex logistics data and human leadership.”

Is our last-mile problem about roads or something else?
It’s a Model problem. If you have a perfect infrastructure but a broken business model, it’s like putting a live fish on the sand, it won’t survive. When you have a proper structural model, every other thing falls into place. Infrastructure is just the road; the model is the vehicle that carries the business.

What policy change would you ask from the government right now?
Beyond the economics, I’d ask for security. As a transporter, I want to know my drivers are safe. We need to deal with the issues facing transporters in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, which is a safe place to drive generally, but we must say a firm ‘No’ to hoodlums and illegal ‘tax’ collectors on the road. A safe road is a profitable road.

Lastly, what about Electric Vehicles (EVs) and AI? Are we ready?
Nigeria is a bit far behind on the EV conversation, and we must be realistic. In the last two months, light has not been stable, some areas haven’t had power at all. How long will it take a heavy truck to charge? We need to take it one step at a time. Let’s get CNG grounded first. It’s the practical bridge to the future. Once we have a stable power grid, then we can talk about Electric. For now, let’s focus on the tech that works for our current reality.