Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/315150
DRIVER REPORT overflows in heavy rain. e traffic then comes to a halt and has to wait until the waters subside. We pass a tanker that overturned in the op- posite direction during the morning. e locals quickly removed its contents. Everything went well on this occasion, but sometimes a spark causes the flammable fuel to catch fire – with a number of casualties or even fatalities as a result. e truck and a couple of other crash- damaged vehicles on the side of the road clearly illustrate Matthew's description of the traffic climate in a country where no traffic rules ap - pear to apply. But Matthew drives calmly and safely. Back home in Lagos, he has a wife and four children – but he only sees them on Sundays. "We work long hours, and I can't get home in the evening. e traffic in Lagos is far too chaotic. But, on Saturday evening, aer work, I go home and spend Sunday with my family. We usually go to church." The daytime in Nigeria quickly turns to night, and when Matthew drives into the Eko Atlantic site, it is already dark. A long line of trucks has formed to dump their cargo where the protec- tive wall meets the sea. Matthew waits under the floodlight until it is his turn to drive up, turn on the narrow pier and then reverse and dump the granite blocks into the sea. e waves beat rhythmically against the wall and, even if the temperature has dropped, the air is still warm, salty and damp. From the shore, all that can be seen are a few pale lights from Lagos. e working day is over. Behind his seat, Matthew has a rolled-up bundle which he takes out in the evening and spreads over the two seats in the cab where he sleeps. At four in the morning, he is once again ready to start the day. at is when the first trucks leave Eko Atlantic and head north. Q "We work long hours, and I can't get home in the evening. The traffic in Lagos is far too chaotic. But, on Saturday evening, after work, I go home and spend Sunday with my family." M AT T H E W U DE , T RUC K DR I V E R 18 D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #2 /2014