For over a year, critical decisions relating to the use of high cube containers – which are used for 90% of the world’s container movement – have not been discussed by the task team established specifically to look into formalising their use to meet international trends and avoid possible insurance problems amongst others.
In response to an enquiry by Freight News about the state of high cubes, the Road Freight Association (RFA) issued a statement confirming that the task team had not convened since a year ago to the day on Tuesday last week.
The Department of Transport (DoT) was concerned that the containers were potentially unsafe due to their 150mm higher centre of gravity which might affect load stability.
A year ago the DoT came up with the idea that high cubes should be part of the department’s drive to move goods from road to rail. This idea did not consider the first and last-mile transport that would still require transporting the containers on a public road.
On October 18, 2021, the last meeting was convened and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) was present.
One of the major suspicions of the road industry – that the stalling was an effort to drive container traffic from road to rail - was dispelled by the CEO of TFR who made it clear that Transnet did not have the capacity to deal with high cubes on rail and wouldn’t have capacity for the foreseeable future.
“The DoT was once again requested to address the legislative gap that exists, because regulation 224 (b) is in effect until it is either suspended, repealed or changed in a Government Gazette.
“Currently it is illegal to transport ISO containers (high cubes) at a laden height exceeding 4 300mm. No further moratoriums have been declared for high cube containers. This matter has seen no movement,” the statement said.
This declaration by TFR resulted from a meeting three months earlier in July 2021 when the related technical subcommittee convened to discuss the issue again.
There were no representatives of TFR present to provide information as to the ability, or otherwise, of TFR to move high cube containers.
“(There is) still no commitment to place a moratorium on the enforcement/implementation of Regulation 224 (b) until such time as a way forward is agreed,” the statement said.
“The fact that 90% of containers used to move freight worldwide are high cubes, that it currently is an offence to load above 4.3 metres, and (that) the ‘consignors/consignees’ are contravening regulation 330A seems irrelevant.
“Other risks include possible insurance repudiation in the event of an accident involving the transport of the high cube containers,” it stated.
