Transporterw welcome road upgrade programme

Transporting abnormal cargo is not for the faint-hearted. Even more so in light of the ongoing challenges road hauliers face in southern Africa. According to Frits Kroon, owner of Frits Kroon Transport, a Pretoria-based company that has established itself in the cross-border abnormal load environment, road maintenance and corruption are two of the biggest concerns. “Most of the abnormal cargo that we handle cannot be moved by rail. It is just too big. We are therefore highly reliant on road,” he said. “And a well-functioning road environment at that. But maintenance is a problem. The roads are not always in the best condition and it ultimately takes its toll on one’s fleet – and the cargo.” Road maintenance has been an ongoing problem in South Africa where the backlog runs into millions of rands. In an effort to address the road maintenance backlog, especially severe on the country’s secondary roads, the Department of Transport last year launched the S’hamba Sonke (moving together) programme aimed at improving public roads. Focusing on maintenance and construction of secondary road infrastructure using labourintensive methods, the programme had a budget of R6.4 billion for the 2011/2012 financial year, while the 2012/2013 year will see another R7.5 billion invested. A further R8.2 billion has been budgeted for the 2013/2014 financial year. Being the first national drive to address potholes in particular, it will hopefully make a difference to the likes of transporters such as Kroon. “Most of the cargo that we move will not fit on a railway truck as it is too high and too wide. Therefore having roads that can accommodate abnormal cargo is essential, especially in light of the interest in southern Africa and the high number of projects that are ongoing and starting up.” He said corruption was another concern that needed to be addressed. “We keep our lawyers at hand to address some of the incidents that we are faced with when officials stop our vehicles. This is one of the biggest contributors to increased costs.” In the Emakhazeni (Belfast) region, the Road Freight Association has stepped in after incidents involving fire officials increased to such a degree that transporters were being victimised. Kroon said it was important for the industry to stand together to address the kind of corruption that was being experienced in Belfast where truck operators are allegedly stopped at random and instructed to pay a fine for a fire official to guard their truck while a fire inspection is carried out. CAPTION ‘Most of the cargo that we move will not fit on a railway truck.’