Resolution seems to be within reach between transport and shipping industry representatives as well as Department of Transport officials following a top-level meeting over the contentious road freight height restriction issue.
The meeting, held in Durban yesterday, was attended by some 35 senior industry and organisational delegates including Johannes Makgatho, chief director of road transport regulation at the Department of Transport (DoT).
It was called for by the DoT following an earlier crisis meeting held at the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) where a large contingent of road and sea freight representatives voiced their concern over Regulation 224(b) of the Road Traffic Act that will restrict the height of cargo carried on truck trailers to 4.3m from January 1, 2019.
The restriction effectively rules out the use of 2.8m high cube containers, a worldwide industry standard. Hauliers say there will be chaos if they can’t be used.
Now, after many years of government seemingly failing to listen to industry’s concerns and transporters threatening not to comply with the regulation, all could hopefully be resolved within days.
Kevin Martin, CEO of Freightliner Transport and long-standing campaigner against the regulation, told FTW Online this morning that it was looking very good.
“We’re expecting an announcement from the minister of transport in the next 10 days.”
Peter Besnard, CEO of the South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents, is hopeful the announcement will be made even sooner, having told the JCCI he expected to hear from the DoT by Friday.
Commenting on yesterday’s closed meeting, Durban’s Harbour Carriers’ Association chair Sue Moodley said it was a constructive meeting, indicating that industry and government had probably never been closer to resolving the restriction issue.
Martin added that government had said “we have been listening to you (industry) and we take this matter very seriously”.
He also made mention of a certain DoT representative – not Makgatho – who reminded industry at yesterday’s meeting that an undertaking was apparently made as far back as 2010 that transporters would update and adopt their fleets.
“We never said that,” Martin claims.
“They keep reminding us that we signed a document to that affect and we keep on asking them to show us the document, but they fail to do so. The only reason is because we never agreed to it.
“Thankfully we’re seeing a lot more urgency from government about the issue. Either they change their minds or we carry on kicking a can down the road.”
