Outrage over a spate of
fatal trucking accidents has
galvanised the industry into
action with truckers calling
on government to address
some the real issues behind
the carnage – the lack of driver
training as well as entry levels
into the industry.
“There are no entry levels to
enter the transport industry,”
said Kevin Martin, chairman of
the Durban Harbour Carriers’
Association (DHCA). “If you
have money and can buy a truck
then you can operate. There is
no requirement for any formal
training in the Road Transport
Act.”
Add to that the lack of driver
training and road carnage
becomes understandable.
“A public driving permit only
requires that drivers have finger
prints done to ascertain if they
have a criminal record. They
undergo a medical test and
have their eyes tested. Nowhere
are real driving abilities
checked or tested.”
He said with no road
transport quality standards in
place anyone could own and
operate trucks while at the
same time just about anyone
could become a truck driver.
The Road Freight
Association (RFA) agrees
saying that driver training,
which is the domain of the
Department of Transport and
its provincial counterparts, is
fundamentally flawed.
RFA spokesman Gavin Kelly
said along with improving
driver training the need for
ensuring that truck owners
maintain compliance is just as
necessary.
Martin and Kelly agree that
to address road carnage the
basic foundation of transport
in the country has to be
addressed.
“Firstly we need to establish
entry levels for companies
entering the transport sector,”
said Martin. “And then we need
to revisit driver training.”
At the same time, he said,
cargo owners needed to
re-examine whom they are
hiring to move their goods.
“There are many cowboys
on the road. Why? Because
someone is paying them
to move their goods. And
ultimately the cargo owner
is just as responsible as the
untrained driver and the
unprofessional trucking
company. If we want to see
fewer accidents, we have to
start looking for the best
transporters and not just hiring
anyone to move our cargo
because they’re cheap and
quick.”
During a two-day road safety
summit organised by the DoT
in Johannesburg recently,
it was agreed that change
would only be brought about
if all the role-players in the
transport sector worked
together.
The more than 2000
delegates called for several
interventions, which include
the development of a specific
National Road Safety
Act that will bring stiffer
penalties for road traffic
contravention.
Calls were also made for
minimum standards to be
set by the SABS/National
Regulator for Compulsory
Standards (NRCS) for all
public transport vehicles.
CAPTION
Truck carnage ... 'Ultimately the cargo owner is just as
responsible as the untrained driver and the unprofessional
trucking company.'
