RFA to meet DoT on axle mass issue

The Road Freight Association (RFA) is set to meet with the Department of Transport next Wednesday (December 9) to discuss the proposed reduction in axle mass loads and the prohibition of moving certain goods by road. According to RFA spokesman Gavin Kelly, the meeting has been scheduled with the deputy director general of the DoT. This follows the circulation of a letter of intent by the DoT in which it proposed a reduction of the permissible axle mass from 9-tons per four wheel axle to 8-tons on the secondary road system. The aim of this, they said, was to move commercial vehicles onto the primary road network and preserve SA’s secondary network. Huge uproar followed with the RFA gaining support from industry and road organisations alike. Kelly said no further correspondence had been received from the DoT but the organisation had requested timelines for the proposed implementation of the new proposal as well as clarity on a host of other issues.