The freight industry has slammed a Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry decision to back a government regulation restricting the height of ISO containers to 4.3m.
Described as naïve, uninformed and myopic, the Chamber’s submission to the Department of Transport (DoT) on the contentious high cube issue has been met with outrage and concern considering the position it has taken and the emphasis it places on distancing itself from other submissions by industry bodies.
In a letter to John Motsatsing, chief director of road regulation at the department of transport, the Chamber’s executive director, Sid Peimer, writes that “the height limit of 4.3 metres can and should be achieved, but it will be necessary to phase this in over a period”.
The Chamber suggests that government, working with industry over an 18-month period, design a process whereby existing trailers used for the conveyance of high cube containers can be phased out as they become obsolete and unserviceable.
At the same time it suggests gradually increasing licence and registration fees for such equipment, with incremental charges being levied each year. This would accelerate the transformation of the current fleet to the new design.
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