Lack of manpower stymies policing of overloads

Alan Peat
THERE IS no doubt that certain traffic authorities are focusing on overloading in the road freight industry, according to Mike Alistoun of the Road Freight Association (RFA).
“But Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal are the only two provinces that are really doing this,” he added, “although Mpumalanga is also catching up, and the signs are that they are also becoming active on overloading.
“That means we only have to worry about the other six provinces now, which are still lax in their attitude towards the overloading problem.”
However, while there may be an increasing focus on the subject, there is just not enough policing on the roads, Alistoun told FTW.
“At a recent SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) meeting, the traffic authorities represented there admitted that they needed to employ and train more people to go out and challenge the increasingly common fault of overloaded freight vehicles.”
Brick trucks and other bulk carriers like coal carriers, are often at fault, Alistoun added.