Home
FacebookTwitterSearchMenu
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • Features
  • Knowledge Library
  • Columns
  • Customs
  • Jobs
  • Directory
  • FX Rates
  • Categories
    • Categories
    • Africa
    • Air Freight
    • BEE
    • Border Beat
    • COVID-19
    • Customs
    • Domestic
    • Duty Calls
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Freight & Trading Weekly
    • Imports and Exports
    • International
    • Logistics
    • Other
    • People
    • Road/Rail Freight
    • Sea Freight
    • Skills & Training
    • Social Development
    • Technology
    • Trade/Investment
    • Webinars
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Send us news
    • Editorial Guidelines
Logistics
Road/Rail Freight

Transporters pay high cost of non-compliance

23 Apr 2024 - by Lyse Comins
Charl Lensley, B2B On Sales director at Michelin Tyres SA was one of the speakers during the MasterDrive Power Brunch. 
0 Comments

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-mail
  • Print

South African transporters are paying a premium for non-compliant operators who hire foreign nationals at low rates and skimp on maintenance, which results in accidents and congestion on the country’s roads.

This was the insight Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly shared with KwaZulu-Natal transporters at the MasterDrive Power Brunch hosted in partnership with Michelin Connected Fleet on Friday.

Kelly was speaking during a panel discussion, covering a wide range of issues affecting the transport sector.

The panel included Paul Nordengen, director at Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology Africa; Charl Lensley, B2B On Sales director at Michelin Tyres South Africa, Willie Coetsee, chairperson of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry Durban Port Business Forum, and Anneline Pillay, sales manager at Standard Bank Commercial Asset Finance.

Jonathan Mphake, national fleet manager at SBV South Africa, who delivered the keynote address, also highlighted the importance of compliance and maintenance as well as driver training and telematics.

Kelly said compliant operators were forced to pay the price incurred on the roads when non-compliant operators failed to maintain vehicles or move overweight loads, resulting in crashes and congestion.

He added when trucks owned by compliant businesses stood in traffic queues or were caught in congestion on the roads due to breakdowns of poorly maintained fleets and crashes, fuel consumption rose and there was additional wear and tear on a truck’s brakes as it edged slowly forward.

“When a truck is in a queue or caught anywhere in congestion, it eats fuel, and sometimes it eats fuel at a faster rate. The driver cannot switch off the engine and go and stretch his legs because if he does he will lose his place in the queue,” he said.

“You also must pay your driver because he is in the place of work, and you must pay overtime. At a stop and go the brakes take a hammering, the compressors and the slack adjusters all have an issue depending on where you are and what the cadence of the road is,” Kelly said.

He said operators who did not comply with the Road Traffic Act and more stringent trailer manufacturer specifications ended up “destroying your own assets, chewing up your tyres and you can run foul of the law”.

“I cannot stress maintenance more. Many of the incidents on the road are maintenance-related when a vehicle fails, and yes, the driver is 80% of the problem. Predelivery checks are important,” he said.

The issue of foreign drivers being hired below the minimum wage continues to be a problem.

“One of the very important challenges is foreign drivers. Whether we like it or not there are operators out there who employ foreign drivers and will pay those drivers R3 000 a month instead of the minimum wage of R10 000 a month,” he said,

These operators hire drivers on the promise they can make R3 000 a day if they do two long return trips a day at a price of R750 per leg, which negatively impacts driver behaviour. However, he said compliant operators paid drivers R10 000 a month, and chose the safest routes, which was more expensive, but in the long run, worked out cost-effective.

“Compliance will save you money. You need to help us make the non-compliant companies comply or you will comply yourself out of business,” he said.

Lensley said many transporters were facing these challenges in isolation, including managing their fuel bills, the safety of drivers, and the management of vehicle maintenance, including tyres. He said fitting high-quality tyres not only helped to reduce fuel consumption but also environmental targets such as CO2 emissions.

“Tyres have a rolling resistance, and every manufacturer can reduce the rolling resistance, which means you can reduce fuel consumption. Everything that goes into the compound of the tyre is something that will enable a tyre to wear at a specific rate,” he said.

“The long and short of it is that rubber goes somewhere, between 15 to 20% goes into the atmosphere and the rest into water,” he said.

“Your truck uses 50% of its fuel to move the truck inertia and 50% you are spending on rolling resistance, so investing in tyres will reduce the amount of fuel you burn (one litre of diesel burned emits 2.66kg of CO2),” he said.

Lensley said tyres and driver behaviour could play a role in reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

“Looking at the total cost of business talks to profit, people and the environment,” he added.

Mphake highlighted that it was important to adopt a structural approach to fleet maintenance, including investing in quality tyres rather than cheap imports, and implementing fuel management solutions, including exploring alternative fuel technologies.

“There is a need for telematics and the proper usage of data, including driver insights and customer fulfilment data acquired,” he said.

The use of telematics, including the video monitoring of drivers, would help to improve safety, entrench good driver behaviour, allow for the collection of data for insurance claims and reduce accidents, he added. However, it is important for operators to get drivers to understand they will benefit from the process.

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, road accidents cost the country R186.5 billion in 2022.

On the issue of truck tyres and pollution, MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert who moderated the: Power Brunch, said the world’s truck fleet had grown from 1.2 billion vehicles in 2015 to 1.5bn in 2024, representing a 15% increase in rubber on the roads. Some 14.4 million tonnes of rubber were shed from tyres due to wear and tear in 2013.

Sign up to our mailing list and get daily news headlines and weekly features directly to your inbox free.
Subscribe to receive print copies of Freight News Features to your door.

Food rescue and hunger relief outfit expands fleet

Logistics

Logistics firms have been urged to turn empty return legs into lifelines for the hungry.

20 May 2025
0 Comments

Uncertainty hangs over Nissan’s Rosslyn plant

Imports and Exports
Logistics

It includes reducing the number of global plants from 17 to 10 as part of a recovery plan.

20 May 2025
0 Comments

South African seedless citrus strengthens foothold in India

Imports and Exports

Citrus shipments to India have grown markedly, with exports nearly tripling over the past five years.

20 May 2025
0 Comments

Ramaphosa’s Trump meeting a crucial moment for SA-US relations

Economy

The meeting is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the relationship between the two nations.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

Freight forwarders in the dark about Amex service

Imports and Exports
Logistics
19 May 2025
0 Comments

South Africa exports one million cartons of homegrown cultivar

Imports and Exports

Flash Gala apples make breakthrough entry into Chinese market.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

Transnet union to issue 48-hour strike notice if deadlock remains

Logistics

Untu says a revised wage offer is expected on Monday, failing which workers will down tools.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

Shipwreckers returns for first 2025 event

Logistics

The event has previously raised over R100 000 for charity.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

SaferStops Association calls for commitment to truck driver wellness

Road/Rail Freight

Hundreds of drivers, fleet operators and industry experts gathered for the 2025 Truck Driver Safety and Wellness Symposium.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

Non-mineral economy gaining traction in Namibia

Logistics

Collaboration has been a key driver of the country’s recent progress, said Mbahupu Hippy Tjivikua, chief executive of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group.

19 May 2025
0 Comments

Shippers warned to monitor cargo closely during Untu strike

Logistics

Logistics company advises shippers to communicate concerns about urgent or time-sensitive cargo.

16 May 2025
0 Comments

GNU targets livestock auctions after China bans SA beef

Imports and Exports
16 May 2025
0 Comments
  • More

FeatureClick to view

The Cape 16 May 2025

Border Beat

BMA steps in to help DG and FMCG cargo at Groblersbrug
Yesterday
The N4 Maputo Corridor crossing – congestion, crime and potholes
12 May 2025
Fuel-crime curbing causes tanker build-up at Moz border
08 May 2025
More

Featured Jobs

New

Clearing Controller

Lee Botti & Associates
Durban
21 May

Multimodal Controller - Sea and Air Imports and Exports (West Rand)

Tiger Recruitment
West Rand - Roodepoort
19 May
More Jobs
  • © Now Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Freight News RSS
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Send us news
  • Contact us