Regional truckers claim SA has 'unfair' advantage

South African heavy haul operators have the upper hand when it comes to transport contracts in southern Africa. That’s the view of truckers in the likes of Botswana and Namibia who believe that for the most part the playing field favours South African companies who are able to do big consolidations into the region. “Local companies cannot compete against these consolidations from South Africa. It is just an uncompetitive environment,” one operator told FTW. Sources say the advantages for South Africans operating cross border are far greater than the other way round. “There are restrictions in place that put Botswana operators at a disadvantage. It is easy for South African operators to get clients across the borders but it is not that easy for a Namibian, Botswanan or Mozambican operator to get South African clients,” said one operator. Whilst it is also illegal to drop and pick up cargo in a foreign country with a foreign registered vehicle, it is not being monitored in many regions and there are many South African truckers who are doing this. “A small local company cannot take that risk as we just don’t have the financial backing when something goes wrong,” said another source. Also, while South Africans have infrastructure and other challenges, it is nothing in comparison to that of other countries in the region. “In South Africa you may wait for a permit for a day or two, but in countries like Botswana or Zambia when the system is down it is down and you could wait for a week. Many of these countries have no backup plans and they cannot write out permits manually – which means trucks come to a halt until the system is back on line,” explained a trucker who preferred to remain anonymous. “And we compete for the same business. Many of the companies operating in SADC countries have regional headquarters in South Africa and so they just procure services from the companies that they use in Johannesburg or Durban. It is tough out there at the moment. It is not easy at all.”