‘Impossible to comply’ – hauliers

Industry experts estimate
that the Department of
Transport legislation
restricting all containers
moved on South African
roads to 4.3
metres in height
come 2019
will affect
some 800 000
containers –
not to mention
all of South
Africa’s reefer
export boxes
that exceed this
height.
According to the DoT
industry needs to convert
its current vehicle f leet to
low bed trailers to ensure
they conform with the
height restriction of 4.3
metres. Industry on the
other hand maintains
this is an impossible
endeavour not only
because of the short
supply of low bed
trailers but also
the massive cost
involved.
“It is an extremely
worrying
situation,”
said Dave Watts, a
maritime consultant for the
SA Association of Freight
Forwarders (Saaff). “There
is complete uncertainty at
present as industry realises
they are simply not able to
meet this requirement and
government
is not backing
down.”
Gavin Kelly,
spokesman
for the Road
Freight
Association
(RFA), said
it was simply
not possible
for the entire
trailer f leet in
the country to
be changed to
accommodate
the new height restriction
and that come 2019
containers would either be
stranded in the port or be
moved on the existing f leet
illegally.
“We continue to engage
with government on
this issue and the last
communication from
the DoT was that they
were willing to hear our
concerns, but there is no
guarantee that they will
change their position on
container heights.”
Kelly said he remained
hopeful that “sanity would
prevail” and the regulation
would be changed to allow
South Africa
to continue
to move
containers
on its
current
trailer f leet.
“From
a cost
perspective
the
requirement
from the
DoT is
impossible.
It is simply
just not going to happen,”
he said.
Watts reiterated this
saying not only was the
trailer f leet not ready
for the change but it
was just too expensive
an undertaking for the
trucking industry at large.
The use of high cube
containers is a worldwide
trend with the majority
of cargo around the globe
moved in these 12 metre
boxes of 2.9m high. South
African hauliers will have
to replace their existing
f leets with a skeletal
container trailer that
is 30cm lower than the
existing trailers to ensure
the vehicle and container
don’t exceed 4.3m.
“What the department
is missing here is that
hauliers have multi-use
vehicles at present. In other
words they use their assets
for as much as they can,”
said Kelly. “Changing the
trailer means they cannot
multipurpose their vehicles
any more and so industry
will have to purchase
skeletal trailers just for the
movement of containers.
Operators cannot afford
this.”
According to Watts
it is imperative that
industry stakeholders
and organisations now
work together in an effort
to lobby government to
reconsider the regulation
and increase the height for
the transportation of ISO
containers.
INSERT
From a cost
perspective the
requirement from the
DoT is impossible.
It is simply just not
going to happen.
– Gavin Kelly