Driver training plays crucial role in dangerous goods transport

KEVIN MAYHEW
NON COMPLIANT operators are a growing concern in the hazardous goods transportation sector. “Companies that don’t comply with stricter laws governing handling and transit not only create unfair competition but also place major potential hazards on the road that could be deadly,” says Martin Kennedy, operations director of specialist warehousing and distribution company Freightpak. Unqualified drivers are also cause for concern. “The sheer responsibility of handling this sort of load is ours in a controlled environment here at the depot, but once it leaves the yard that burden falls on the drivers. To meet that responsibility requires constant training for safety reasons, personal responsibility to check vehicles all the time and we even go so far as to say the driver needs to know the dangers of each and every load he carries,” explains Kennedy. It is also imperative that drivers know their routes well and have an idea of the state of the roads before embarking on deliveries, he added. Strict compliance Freightpak, based in Mahogany Ridge outside Pinetown, has a policy that every vehicle has two qualified drivers to ensure strict compliance, with limitations on driving time for drivers. The company was launched in 1974 and markets itself as a leading single source, integrated logistics and supply chain service provider for dangerous goods. It has purpose-designed warehouses in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town for storage of dangerous goods and offers express, full truck load or part load deliveries. It is a division of the JSE-listed Value Logistics Limited.