The lack of proper infrastructural access to the Port of Richards Bay might receive dual relief following the recent announcement by the City of uMhlathuze of a truck stop to absorb some of the congestion caused by tipper trucks transporting coal to the port.
Firstly, the benchmark price of the commodity is sufficiently low to drive down the amount of coal transported by road.
As a result of the ailing rail freight system from mines in Mpumalanga to the port, demand for tipper logistics on the roadside spiked, but that’s no longer the case.
Now, there is the announcement of the Eyamahosi Truck Stop, declaring via billboard on the John Ross Highway that it will “support harbour-bound logistics in Richards Bay.”
In addition, Transnet has indicated that it, too, plans to establish a truck stop.
It is understood that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Eyamahosi Truck Stop has not been completed for the development.
Should the EIA and other requirements be met, and South Africa's logistics utility reveal its own truck stop plans, the tipper queue on the N2 towards Richards Bay could soon be eased.
