Bakkies avoid permit ruling in Durban port

THE RIGID rule laid down last year by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) – no permit, no entry to ports for any commercial vehicle with a carrying capacity of 1 000 kg or more – seems to have failed to reached fruition in the major port city of Durban. Last October a TNPA spokesman told FTW: “From December 1, any such vehicle entering a TNPAowned harbour facility for the purposes of collecting imports or delivering exports will be refused entry if not in possession of a harbour carrier permit.” But the port authorities, in Durban at least, do not appear to be enforcing that stated “1 000-kg” minimum weight – a bottom limit which would hit every bakkie owner who wanted to access the port area. According to Paul Rayner, MD of harbour carriers DTB Cartage, the authorities seem to be ignoring this condition. “I haven’t heard of anyone driving around the harbour in a bakkie being asked for a permit,” he said. However, he added, it still applies to all the harbour carriers who are running rigid or articulated heavy vehicles to deliver or uplift containers at the port container terminals. But, Rayner told FTW, the harbour carriers have no objections to registering the appropriate vehicles for a port permit – and all have now complied with the rule.