Abnormal load weighbridge for Richards Bay port

Specialised abnormal

load weighing company,

MGI Weighbridges,

working together with the

Department of Transport

Freight Directorate in

KwaZulu Natal, has

received the green light

from Transnet Port

Terminals (TPT) for

the re-constitution and

upgrading of the abnormal

load weighing facility at

the Port of Richards Bay.

“Construction on the

facility is expected to start

within the next weeks

and we hope to have it

completed within nine

weeks,” said Phil Warren,

managing director of MGI

Weighbridges, speaking at

a joint FTW/JCCI seminar

on container weighing in

Johannesburg last week.

He pointed out that

once this facility was

operational it would

cut down dramatically

on the time it took to

weigh abnormal loads –

specifically “superloads”

of over 125 tonnes. “With

the old portable weigh-mat

facility it could take a full

day – up to eight hours

– to weigh a superload.

With the new weighbridge

facility, even a complex

vehicle combination

superload will take as little

as 10-20 minutes,” Warren

pointed out.

He said the Richards

Bay facility was being

treated as a pilot project

for implementation at

other strategic locations

throughout the country.

In addition, the company

is at the tender stage for

the proposed construction

of a weighbridge facility –

including abnormal load

capability – at the Port

of Ngqura in the Eastern

Cape.

“There is potential

for other abnormal load

weighbridges outside of

Durban,” added Warren,

highlighting the fact South

Africa’s traffic authorities

were increasingly focusing

on enforcing the current

abnormal load regulations

and that the number of

weighbridges that could

assist in this regard were

“few and far between”.

He pointed out that the

National Road Traffic Act

(Act 93 of 1996) had very

specific requirements to be

fulfilled in order to obtain

an exemption permit for

any abnormal load that

exceeded

the width,

height and

weight

limits.

According

to Warren,

permits are

issued by

each of the

provincial

authorities

which can be

challenging

for operators

carrying a

significant

abnormal

load through several

provinces. “There are

not enough weighbridges

equipped to handle

abnormal loads in South

Africa with existing static

weighbridges only catering

for normal heavy goods

vehicles as a rule,” he said.

According to Warren,

there will be a trial

period window after

which abnormal load

weighbridges will come

on stream. This window

period would provide the

opportunity to educate the

abnormal

load

industry

as to the

capabilities

of the

facilities, he

said.

He added

that the

objective

would be

to educate

industry that

such facilities

were not

intended as

a “policing”

tactic but rather as a tool

to help the abnormal load

industry streamline permit

issuing and steer towards

a self-policing operation

similar to that of the RTMS

(Road Traffic Management

System) control.

INSERT & CAPTION

With the new

weighbridge facility,

even a complex

vehicle combination

superload will take as

little as 10-20 minutes.

– Phil Warren