Driving road haulage rates to and from the Copperbelt any lower will leave cargo owners with less choice as more and more hauliers close their doors, according to Ruud Walgaard of Reload Logistics.The surviving trucking companies will then be able to set the rates as there will be limited competition, he warns.“Transport rates between South Africa and Zambia/Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been cut to the bare minimum in the last 18 months. “Where the rate was around US$280 a ton from Kolwezi to Durban a few years ago, today we pay less than US$160 a ton. “That is a 40% drop at a time when overborder transport costs have risen due to delays caused by corona testing at the borders between the DRC and RSA. “It does not make sense to further cut the income of the transporter who takes the metal to the ports.“The copper price is back to over US$6 000 a ton. There is no reason to squeeze the hugely important transport sector. “We will lose a few more road transporters if we carry on like this,” he adds