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.”