The proposed legislation to restrict freight vehicles during peak hours will not reduce road carnage says Gavin Kelly, spokesperson of the Road Freight Association (RFA). Conversely, Kelly believes the restrictions will create greater congestion and potentially more on-road chaos.
In addition, Kelly says the cost of commodities like bread – if you’re lucky enough to find a fresh loaf on the supermarket shelf – will increase. Food prices are already being pushed up by loadshedding, he says. “Restricting trucks from using the highways at certain times will result in laden trucks being parked roadside and then a sudden tsunami of trucks will take to the highways as soon as the restrictions are over, all jostling to make up for lost time,” he says. “Truck operators would have to review loading and offloading times with customers and review how loads are distributed around the country. This could very easily result in smaller vehicles being used, which will drive up the cost of logistics and put more freight-carrying vehicles on the road.”“This proposed legislation will not solve the real problem, which is a lack of enforcement and road user disobedience. Sporadic testing of drivers by authorities will also not curtail accidents,” he adds.
“Major truck accidents are caused by operators that do not function legally and professionally. These can be prevented through proper law enforcement. In the incident in Pinetown, despite the driver’s illegal license, it was clear that no compliance training had taken place and in the N12 incident, a basic pre-trip inspection had not been properly conducted. The truck had also not been maintained. In the unfortunate accident with Minister Chabane, the owner of the vehicle was not a professional operator and the vehicle had not been licensed.” “The RFA urges the Minister of Transport to seriously reconsider such draconian measures, which will damage the economy. It would be far better to focus resources on proper law enforcement, eradication of bribery and corruption and increase the number of officers on duty during peak periods,” he suggests.
