Solution at hand for high-cube reefer restrictions

Citrus transporters who have been fretting about the impact of new reefer transport regulations on their shipping costs should relax, according to a new study undertaken by the Citrus Growers’ Association of South Africa (CGASA). A simple technological solution is at hand, although the wild card is the cost involved. While product is now economically shipped in “high cube” reefers, these containers exceed new Department of Transportation regulations – Section 224(b) of the Traffic Act (Annexure 1) – stipulating that trucks and trailers may not surpass the 4-3 metre height limit imposed on any vehicle travelling SA roads. Responding to industry requests, the DoT has placed a moratorium on compliance with this regulation until the last day of 2018. However, citrus shippers have wondered what comes after the moratorium ends. Suggestions have been made that trailer/ reefer height should at least be allowed the 4.6-metre height limit permitted by the DoT for double-decker buses. “The simple conclusion is the use of what has been termed ‘lowdeck skeletal trailers’, which have proven to comply with the regulation,” wrote Shane Rademeyer of IMG Agencies and Mitchell Brooke, logistics development manager at CGASA, in the report “Research on Regulatory Aspects of (Citrus) Reefer Container Transport.” High cube reefers are 2.9m high – and when transported on conventional truck trailers that vary in height between 1.55 metres and 1.65 metres, the total height achieved exceeds DoT regulations by 150mm to 250mm. Lowdeck skeletal trailers are 1.4 metres in height. The glitch to replacing conventional flat-deck trailers with low-deck skeletal trailers is that demand for the latter has pushed up their cost. “The complexity comes with the fact that at present these particular trailers are in short supply. Therefore industry logistical representatives will be required to consult with transporters in terms of beginning and accelerating the procurement of low-deck skeletal trailers to transport ‘high cube’ IR containers,” the study authors point out. The issue is a serious one for citrus shippers, who have “radically” embraced container technology and have moved away from breakbulk shipping, the study says. The five citrus exporting seasons from 2007 to 2013 saw a 60% increase in the number of citrus pallets exported via containers, according to the PPECB data cited by the authors. During the last season (2013), 85% of the total SA citrus crop was containerised, giving rise to the trend of containers being transported from port to packhouses and inland cold storage facilities to be packed and returned to port. INSERT & CAPTION The simple conclusion is the use of what has been termed ‘low-deck skeletal trailers’, which have proven to comply with the regulation. – Mitchell Brooke