September meeting to examine abnormal transport guidelines

THERE IS hope amongst SA’s heavyweight truckers that the current restrictions on the movement of abnormal load vehicles will be eased. According to Sampie Swanepoel, MD of Transvaal Heavy Transport and head of the Road Freight Association (RFA) abnormal load division, the whole of TRH 11 – the guidelines to the transport of abnormal loads in SA – is currently being reviewed. “All the necessary concerns of the industry are going to be examined at the next meeting of the department of transport’s ALTC (abnormal load technical committee) meeting on September 11/12,” he told FTW. “And I expect the next draft of the TRH 11 to be given attention.” A lot of negotiations and talking time have gone into the draft, according to Swanepoel. “But I expect it to address all the concerns of the industry.” As it stands at the moment, transport authorities round the country have various restrictions on the movement of abnormal loads over weekends, public holidays and at night. The abnormal truckers want these restrictions to be eased – and these lessstrict rules to be nationally standardised.