Pictured: Ian Schutte (Managing Director, Triton Express Group); Gerhard Nortje (General Manager, Triton Express Group); Graham Hunter (Managing Director, Cryogas Express); Eric Corbishley (Joint CEO, Triton Express Group); Donald Rudnick (Managing Director Triton Supply Chain Solutions); George Horn (Managing Director, Triton Linehaul)

Road Transport Management System (RTMS) accreditation has been awarded to Triton Express, which states it is the first company in its sector to be awarded this certification.

The certification covers all the divisions of the Triton Express Group, which includes Triton Express, Triton Linehaul, Triton Supply Chain Solutions and Cryogas Express.

The RTMS certification process is an industry-led, voluntary self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and operators engaged in the road logistics value chain and transport sectors to implement a vehicle management system that preserves road infrastructure, improves road safety and increases the productivity of the logistics value chain. The scheme also supports the Department of Transport’s National Freight Logistics Strategy. Transport operators who invest in becoming RTMS accredited are recognised for their commitment to responsible business and benefit from improved safety, compliance and risk management.

Eric Corbishley, Joint CEO of Triton Express, says, “As an active member of the local road freight industry we wanted to ensure that our company continues to play a critical role in growing the South African economy by obtaining an RTMS certification and we are very proud to be the first company to achieve this accreditation. The scheme aims to ensure efficient road transport between the country’s centres of production, its shipping ports and borders, which boosts competitiveness in international markets. Our compliance with these standards also assists to reduce overloading on our roads. Furthermore, our vehicles will now be able to pass through boarders quicker and won’t experience delays at weigh bridges.”

To achieve certification Triton Express was required to interpret the RTMS standards, produce an RTMS manual that summarises the various processes, policies and procedures that are implemented in the company to assist with the self-regulation of the SANS1395 standard, and ensure that the regulation of the departments and divisions within the group meet compliance standards.

Corbishley adds, “The requirements governed by these standards were developed to ensure that all participants achieve the same standard of compliance in the industry.It was an extremely involved process as all requirements had to be documented in a systematic and structured manner. The company was then assessed and audited on these standards based on our documentation and processes, as well as vehicle inspections and the standard of our organisational sites such as depots, workshops and accommodation facilities.”

The RTMS certification process has reaffirmed the company’s pledge to driver wellness by ensuring the continual improvement of their driving conditions on and off the roads with the best possible training, wellness programmes and fleet management.

Corbishley concludes, “We are also focused on reducing our carbon footprint on the environment – Cryogas Express, in conjunction with Triton Express, has embarked on a Go Green strategy to reduce our CO2 footprint. Although there is no legislation requiring road transport companies to implement an environmental policy, we felt it was right from a moral and ethical perspective. Our Environmental Policy will apply to all areas within the Triton Express Group and its subsidiaries, as well as all employees.”

“Our on-going accreditation is subject to the successful completion of these annual surveillance audits, which is why it’s imperative that our RTMS is implemented in a sustainable manner. We are therefore committed to continually achieving the objectives of improved road safety, the reduction of road crashes, optimised payload efficiency, maintenance of roadworthy vehicles and improved driver wellness and training. We have dedicated plans in place to focus on any areas of concern which will ensure continual improvements and enable us to maintain the highest standards in the industry for continued compliance.”