Training academy keeps staff up to speed

30% of companies not compliant, according to industry estimate RAY SMUTS IF THE sad truth be told, a good proportion of South African transporters of dangerous goods lack the will or interest to comply with legislation; not so Bakers Transport which is committed in its approach to all aspects of safety. The National Road Traffic Act, applicable to more than 3 500 substances, has regulated the transportation of dangerous goods since last October, replacing the Hazardous Substances Act. But one alarming estimate by an industry source is that some 30% of companies are either not compliant with the act or unaware of the intention by the Dangerous Goods Inspectorate to conduct more awareness programmes and carry out further inspections. Dave Thompson, marketing manager for Bakers Transport, told FTW it was a little known fact that the company was totally accredited for dangerous goods carriage; indeed every driver and all members of direct operations management have had to pass a stringent training and selection process to safely serve their customers in this very market. “Bakers has its own permanent training academy representing an investment of more than R1 million, overseen by DaimlerChrysler-approved trainers where drivers and operations staff are required to attend regular refresher courses on dangerous goods carriage. (All drivers of dangerous goods vehicles with a GVM above 3 500kg must possess a valid Dangerous Goods training certificate issued by an accredited institution). “In fact Bakers trains on behalf of the transport industry,” says Thompson, “with full driving instruction and testing conducted via THETA-sponsored learnerships.” Founded more than 30 years ago by Abubaker Tayoob, affectionately known to his many customers as ‘Mr Baker’, the company, aligned with supplier Mercedes-Benz, today has a fleet of 222 modern commercial vehicles. Bakers’ services comprise national, line-haul, local distribution and warehousing. The company operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All vehicles are fitted with onboard tracking systems, enabling the continuous monitoring of the fleet from the operations nerve centre at head office.