The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News.
An open letter to Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh and CEO Chester Williams
By Lennox Lamb: Minister and CEO,
Families should be able to receive their homes while other families travel safely home.
That should not be too much to ask.
Belize needs to make certified, properly equipped and insured transport a condition of moving a house on our highways. Before the house leaves the yard, somebody must check that the operation is ready—and put their name to it.
My friend Mr. Shaw helped plant the seed for this recommendation, and I gladly share the credit.
But let me begin fairly.
These houses serve a real purpose. For a Belizean trying to put a roof over the family’s head, a prefabricated house can offer a practical, affordable way forward. We should respect the manufacturers, the workers and the people buying them.
Anybody who has tried to build anything knows that every dollar counts.
But so does every life.
Pastor Julian Bol died on November 29, 2025. Dean Martin Perez died around midnight on December 17, 2025. Sergeant Jovanni Ponce died on October 10, 2026. All three deaths involved collisions with houses being transported. All three happened at night.
Three families. Three people who did not make it home.
We do not need a fourth name.
And fairness does not disappear because we are upset.
CEO Williams said the movers in the first two incidents complied with their permits, including lighting and front and rear escorts. Police also confirmed front and rear escorts in the Ponce collision.
But Williams said that house measured thirty by forty feet, against a twenty-foot width limit for houses moved intact. He called that a clear violation. The Belize Home Movers Group said the operator was not a member. The police investigation remains ongoing, and responsibility must be established through that process.
Still, the policy question is right in front of us.
If compliant moves can end this way, we must ask whether compliance is demanding enough. And if, on the CEO’s account, a house ten feet over the permitted width could leave the yard and reach the highway, the checks did not stop it.
Either way, start in the yard.
The rules already restrict house moves to 9 p.m.–5 a.m., following the August 2025 directive. The CEO has also described the twenty-foot limit, escorts and lighting on all four corners.
With three deaths at night, let us examine whether that travel window and those lighting requirements offer enough protection. I am not deciding between night and day from my chair. Let the evidence answer that.
On October 13, the CEO suggested requiring movers to contact the Department of Transport before every move for an inspection, even with an annual permit. Possible weekend restrictions were also under consideration, with Cabinet to decide.
I welcome that. It is a sensible place to start.
Now let us give it a system that can last.
Create a public register of certified house-transport companies. Keep entry open to every company meeting the same standards.
And make the qualification mean something.
Proper hauling equipment. Trained drivers and crews. Front and rear escorts. Reliable communication. Clear oversized-load signs. Lighting that shows the full width and corners of the house.
A flashing light somewhere in the convoy cannot be the whole safety plan.
For every trip, name the responsible company. Record the dimensions, route, travel time and precautions. Document the departure check. Where the house cannot safely share the road, require an approved traffic-control arrangement or move it in sections.
Require insurance that actually covers the operation and harm to other road users, with appropriate bonding for specified obligations, including infrastructure damage.
Yes, proper delivery will cost more. Keep that addition modest and proportionate to the price of the house. We also know what it costs a family when somebody never comes home.
Manufacturers should put compliant delivery in the quotation. Purchasers arranging their own transport must meet the same standard.
Safety cannot disappear because somebody offers a cheaper trip.
Government must inspect, audit, conduct roadside checks and suspend unsafe operators through a fair process. More officers may help. But we should not have to wait for a patrol to discover what should have been corrected before departure.
The Belize Home Movers Group has said it wants all movers brought up to the same safety standards. There is willingness to work with.
Minister and CEO, could we bring manufacturers, movers, insurers, police and road-safety professionals together within sixty days, and publish draft standards for public comment within ninety?
For one family, that house coming down the highway represents sacrifice, savings and a future.
The people coming in the opposite direction have families and futures too.
Families should be able to receive their homes while other families travel safely home.
The post Bringing One Family’s home should not stop another from reaching theirs appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.