November answer for high cubes

The Road Freight Association (RFA), is hoping to have the hi-cube container issue with the Department of Transport (DoT) settled before November this year, according to technical and operations manager, Gavin Kelly. So far the department has been adamant that it is not going increase the maximum height of freight vehicles and loads above the current 4.3-metre maximum – the only answer to which is the trucking industry replacing almost all of SA’s presently over-height container fleet. This dating, Kelly told FTW, was necessary to meet the deadline in the association proposal to the department that “all new vehicles registered from July 1, 2011 and intended to be used to transport high-cube containers, be so built (designed) as to transport the high cube container within the prescribed maximum height of 4.3-m”. “We have to make our final submission on this issue by the end of September,” he added. “And, with the trailer manufacturers requiring eight months to change their designs, we would want the DoT to give us a final yes/no answer by November.”