Truckers lifting hitchhikers risk costly consequences

supplementing their
incomes by picking up
hitch-hikers risk landing
in deep financial trouble –
particularly on cross-border
journeys.
This after a Bulawayobased
transport company
was ordered to pay
damages of US$43 000 in
a recent court ruling after
a passenger was injured
during a truck accident.
While South African
transporters are
protected against claims
by passengers, or their
families, should a truck
driver be involved in
an accident when a
passenger is injured
or killed, cross-border
regulations are different.
“In South Africa,
the only recourse a
passenger has if he/she
is injured is the Road
Accident Fund Benefit
Scheme,” said Justice
Project South
Africa’s
Howard
Dembovsky, highlighting
however that every African
country had its own rules
and regulations
The practice of picking
up hitchhikers for a fee
was a hot topic on the SA
Long Distance Truckers
(SALT) Facebook page
recently, with many drivers
admitting to doing so. In
some cases their employers
were aware of this, but
many did so without their
employers’ consent.
While it’s not illegal,
many operators have
policies in place that
disallow it. “I’ve had a case
like this where insurance
refused to pay out because
the driver had picked up a
passenger for a fee. It cost
me a fortune,” said a truck
operator on condition of
anonymity.
A truck driver pointed
out that the biggest risk
of picking up hitchhikers
was hijacking. “The trucks
are worth millions and
sometimes even the goods
are at risk if it’s a longdistance
trip and we pull
over to sleep. I won’t take
that risk, even though I
need the extra money,” he
said.
The gist of the debate
on the SALT page seems
to be that drivers need
to supplement their
incomes. They claim
that they do not
receive enough
(or any)
subsistence
money and
therefore
have no
choice but to
stop for food at
expensive truck
stop cafes en route –
which is why picking up a
hitchhiker for an extra R20-
R50 makes sense to them.
“You get a set salary from
your boss and you are happy
for the work – and while the
salary isn’t bad, it is paid
at the end of the month.
If you do a long-distance
trip, you have to buy your
own food on the road. The
first few weeks are okay but
coming towards the end of
the month, when money is
needed at home, you have
no more money for food. So
how do you as a father take
money from your children’s
mouths? Instead, you
don’t steal fuel or
anything to survive,
you just take
on a few
passengers,”
explained
a truck
driver.
“To prevent
this, operators
have to ensure their
drivers have enough
money for their trip to
ensure they can pay for any
miscellaneous costs and
have enough for food. We
give our drivers about R600
per week,” said another
operator.