Safety conerns create headaches for over-border transporters

WITH INCREASED demand for cross-border transport, safety remains a key concern for hauliers looking to maximise opportunities in emerging markets north of South Africa. “We stopped doing rail transport into Africa because of pilferage and a lack of control when it crosses the border,” says Hazel Briggs of HB services. The political situation in Zimbabwe has seen HB Services seeking alternate road routes via Botswana into Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the condition of the road is “quite good”, problems emerge when traversing the Livingstone borderpost route. “There is the occasional incident with bandits jumping onto the back of trucks on the escarpment,” says Briggs. Locally there appears to be more police visibility and enforcement, however Briggs feels the SA government has set up regulations before infrastructure. “Regulations say that a truck carrying hazardous chemicals must stay in a demarcated area to sleep overnight – but there are no demarcated areas. On cross-border routes, regulations seem to change while our trucks are in transit or without sufficient notice.” The Gauteng based broking firm has pegged Zambia as the growth hub for the region, and HB is looking to nuzzle into a hazardous chemicals niche for the region.