E-tolls - the industry is ready

With e-tolls set to go live on December 3, the freight industry by and large is ready. According to Gavin Kelly, spokesman for the Road Freight Association (RFA), operators have been preparing for some time for e-tolling and many have already purchased e-tags that will allow them to qualify for the discounts when using the tolled freeways in Gauteng. “Of course there are operators who have not purchased e-tags and are waiting to see how it all pans out,” he said. “We don’t foresee any major impact in the movement of freight in Gauteng though. There are alternative roads available that can be used if one does not want to pay tolls, but these roads are not really made for trucks. We believe the majority of freight will stay on the current routes.” Cobus Rossouw, chief integration officer for Imperial Logistics, told FTW the company had prepared for e-tolling over an extended period. “Given the go-live on December 3, we have initiated our final actions,” he said. “We know that e-tolling will add direct cost to our operations, which will be recovered from our clients as a statutory cost. The administration costs associated will impact our margins.” But, he said, the recovery of freeway development cost was essential to ensure that roads could be maintained and capacity enhanced. “These are both critical elements for effective logistics services,” said Rossouw. Out-of-town visitors to Gauteng as well as drivers from other countries will be obliged to pay the tolls. According to Kelly, e-tags that can be bought en route will be available to South Africans from other provinces using Gauteng roads. “There are purchase points on the fringe of the routes where operators will be able to get e-tags. There is also the option of a daily tag of some sort. They of course also have the option of using the routes without an e-tag but will not qualify for the discount.” He said the discount for heavy vehicles was quite significant. Cross-border visitors to the province will be able to purchase e-tags at the border posts, said Kelly.