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BALKH PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The 101st Sustainment Brigade, with the 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, hosted a shura for local transportation businesses at Forward Operating Base Dehdadi II here, May 9.
The meeting between the local populace and the brigade is the beginning of the Afghan Trucking Network, which is slated to replace the current trucking system September of this year.
The current Host Nation Truck system in place across Afghanistan profits foreign companies with only a small fraction of money trickling down to the drivers. The ATN will build contracts with local trucking companies, and will allow the truck drivers to take home more money after completing routes through Afghanistan.
Sustainment Brigade Commander Col. Michael Peterman said the initiative here puts the money in the local economy and links it to local governance.
“For the last four or five years, the way the Army has structured contracts is putting Pakistani drivers on the road, and large companies out of Kabul that, over time, have paid their truckers very little, almost one penny on the dollar,” he said.
Under the new ATN system, the brigade will build contracts with local businesses based on their capabilities.
The brigade conducted market research of the truck companies during the shura and their ability to transport different supplies, including fuel, food and military cargo, from Dehdadi II to outlying FOBs and outposts across Regional Command North.
“By bringing someone from the local communities, they will have pride, ownership and a sense of accomplishment when they’re able to do the job locally versus someone coming from outside,” said Sgt. Maj. James Davis, operational contracting support for the 101st Sustainment Brigade.
While supplies move throughout the Northern provinces, necessary equipment and cargo will be brought into country from Afghanistan’s northern neighbors through border crossing such as Hairaton Gate.
“Afghanistan will have free business trade with its bordering countries, and be able to transport those supplies and equipment while avoiding pilferage of their supplies and equipment,” Davis said.
A majority of equipment is currently brought into country through Pakistan, and as the trucks travel through Pakistan, the trucks are subject to multiple dangers and pilferage. The ATN aims combat these issues by involving the local leaders.
“The concept is to eliminate corruption, pilferage and stealing by first engaging the leadership in each province that can make the transportation seamless and make it easier for us to cross provincial boundaries and cultural boundaries,” Davis said.
The brigade leadership met with businesses and leaderships of the Balkh Province. Over the next few weeks, the leaders will meet with leadership of the other provinces in RC-North.
“Working with each provincial governor,” Davis said, “we’re able to communicate our mission by allowing the truck owners and local truck companies to cross those boundaries without having to be stopped or utilizing our cargo as payment.
“If we make payment competitive and get payments to drivers, it will do a couple things,” Davis said. “It will support the COIN [counter-insurgency] initiative from Internatioal Security Assistance Force and US Forces Afghanistan Commander, Gen. David Petraeus. It will also put money back in the economy.”
By hiring the truck companies locally and directly, the Lifeliners can guarantee the drivers receive their fair share, while also cutting out the foreign companies who take a significant piece of each payment, Peterman said. In the end, the contracts will cost less, and the drivers will take more money home after each trip.
“This initiative is going to be cheaper for the US government,” Peterman said. “When we start this, it will cost us half of what we’re spending now for each truck. We will minimize the corruption, minimize the attacks on our trucks, create a more efficient distribution system, and the American people get a lot more value for their money.”
The ATN will pool the resources from each province, and in turn create an industry for the Afghans. By building the infrastructure, the local companies will learn business practices. Also, an industry will be in place as America withdraws its troops and sends back equipment, Davis said.
“They can move their cargo, move their lumber, move whatever commodity they need to, and they will have the capabilities to do that,” Davis said. “As the agricultural sector increases, they can move food down south where the food is not as plentiful. Bottom line, we are growing the capabilities for them to be self-sustaining.”
Now, the initiative plans to help improve the quality of life for the Afghans by providing jobs and paychecks as they assist the brigade is moving supplies and equipment throughout Afghanistan.
“I really think that the Afghans driving for me are a part of Task Force Lifeliner,” Peterman said.
The brigade is benchmarking the use of the ATN across Regional Command North, and it plans to bring the system through RC East and Capitol.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2011 08:39 |
| Story ID: | 70208 |
| Location: | BALKH PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 285 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Lifeliners Afghan leaders, work to initiate new trucking network, by Michael Vanpool, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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