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It's something of an anomaly that while South Africa's unemployment figures climb, so too do job vacancy numbers across most industry sectors and at a frightening rate in truck transport. One would think that entrepreneurs would spot the gap and fill it, in trucking specifically, with qualified drivers, mechanics, sales staff and managers.
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The responsibility of ensuring adequate skills supply to industry does not lie with one particular entity, but rather should be regarded as a joint 'imperative', managed by businesses within a given industry sector, government departments (in trucking, this includes the Departments of Transport, Labour and Education [transport training authority TETA], as well as macro-economic agencies like AGIPSA, NEDLAC etc.).
If effective communication and strategy formulation exists between these stakeholders, skills deficits should be clearly identified and processes put in place to recruit, properly train and gainfully employ job market entrants. And key to all of this is the existence of sufficient training institutions equipped with the necessary teachers and equipment to produce quality graduates.
Clearly, in the road freight industry, the acute skills shortage is a result of many factors. While HIV/Aids eats away at the truck driver pool, the influx of new trucking personnel is being bogged down by a host of negative issues, like the poor public perception of the trucking industry, low wages, changing youth aspirations and most significantly, the bungling of the skills development process by TETA and poor communication between transport organisations, TETA/government departments and training institutions.
The question remains - what has to be done to save the road freight industry?
Checking trucking's pulse
According to Shaun Day, managing director of Kelly Industrial, "the shortage of skilled truck drivers, coupled with the impact of HIV/Aids on the industry, is a looming crisis. With over 80% of the nation's goods being moved by road, there is a dire need for skills upliftment programmes in the trucking industry. Unless programmes to train drivers are put in place, the road freight industry could come to a standstill."
The devastating effects of the HIV/Aids pandemic aside, the fact remains that school leavers don't regard trucking as an attractive career choice. "The industry as a whole is challenged with the task of changing mind sets. For many, trucking is a last resort job," says Day.
This aversion to lorries seems to spread across the industry to include technicians and sales personnel, says transport consultant, Jim Campbell "The fact is, young people today don't want to get their hands dirty. Managers are coming from within the organisation, trained up from the workshop in many cases. The right sort of new blood is not forthcoming. Technical personnel aren't being trained into fully fledged diesel mechanics but rather as 'parts replacers'."
As Day points out, "most school leavers are unaware of the high levels of technological sophistication needed to handle a heavy duty truck; drivers need to have the minimum of a Grade 12 and need to demonstrate the correct aptitude."
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"The single greatest impediment to the South African economy is the
shortage of skills and any programme aimed at providing South Africans with skills should be
supported."
Jeff Radebe
Minister of Transport
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Show me the money
South African truck transport is not alone in its urgent need for drivers and technicians. Australia, New Zealand and the USA have to import skilled transport workers, and many of them from our dwindling skills pool!
The bottom line is they pay better. The hourly rate for a US heavy duty driver is around $18 per hour (approximately R135). If a typical South African long haul driver got that rate, he'd be earning around R42 000 per month, assuming he worked a 12-hour day, six days a week. The reality is our top drivers earn less than half of what their overseas counterparts do. "Wages are the starting point," believes Campbell. "School leavers will avoid the industry if wages do not improve. Drivers need fair compensation for the long hours they spend away from home in worsening traffic conditions."
While many drivers earn poorly, technical positions are relatively well paid. "Operators should comply with wage rates stipulated by the Industrial Council," says Henning Luther, general manager of De La Rey's Transport. "This applies to drivers and technicians. You get what you pay for. In both cases, the good guys who are paid well don't move, especially diesel mechanics."
The training debacle
In 2000, the Department of Labour introduced the Skills Levies Act to siphon off a percentage of company payroll to facilitate the upskilling of workers. The Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) were formed to manage the process and the funds. While there have been some positive results, most SETAs are failing to provide their sectors with the required numbers of skilled personnel. The Transport Education & Training Authority (TETA) has pushed through hundreds of learners since 2001 but now finds itself wrapped up in a fraud scandal that arose when financial services provider, Fidentia, went under curatorship with some R250m of TETA funds unaccounted for.
Whether TETA is able to recover the missing money remains to be seen but the fiasco has seemingly knocked the wind out of TETA's sails, as DaimlerChrysler South Africa's (DCSA) HR manager, Stephnie Klaasens' story indicates. "In 2006, DCSA launched a professional Heavy Duty Driver Learnership Programme to provide skills to unemployed and existing commercial vehicle drivers. The programme, in collaboration with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Merseta) and the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA), has an initial cost of R6.5m and is funded by Merseta, DCSA and various host employers. The goal is to provide 100 qualified drivers within 12 months."
On paper, this joint venture looks great. Klaasens says that thus far, despite DCSA footing a bill of R1.8m to pay for training, housing and stipending the 100 learners, 60 of which have now taken up internship with host transport operations, DCSA is yet to receive a single cent in rebates from both TETA and Merseta. "What's more, despite written pleas to government, we are unable to get appointments with traffic test stations to get these learners licensed and accreditation of our courses has been delayed because of the fraud scandal at TETA," says Klaasens.
Consider the above statement in light of what Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said at the launch of the programme: "What makes this programme unique is the fact that learners are being 'fast-tracked' into a critically scarce skill, which is vital to the country's transportation and logistics infrastructure. It is a remarkable example of the private sector partnering with government bodies and departments towards a mutually beneficial solution. It also contributes to job creation, the enhancement of skills, socio-economic development and enterprise development."
Evidently, there's a whip lying somewhere, unused!
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Unless programmes
are put in place to train
drivers, the road freight industry could come to a halt
Shaun Day
MD Kelly Industrial
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Surgery time?
When the heart starts to palpitate, it's time for drastic remedial action and with TETA and other government departments failing to address the critical stress factors mentioned above, the private sector will have to 'buy the medicine', so to speak.
Truck OEMs have been proactive in this regard for years now, offering driver training courses and technical apprenticeship programmes to new recruits and employees. According to Patrick Zondo, Management Board Member, Human Resources, MAN Truck & Bus South Africa, "the collapse of training bodies in the mining and rail industries has left a huge gap in the skills development process. MAN works in conjunction with Merseta and TETA to upskill truck technicians and drivers. Progress is being made on the technical side through the reintroduction of the apprenticeship system but due to lack of financial support from transporters, the driver training programmes initiated by the MAN Academy have lost momentum. Essentially, driver training by OEMs has become a marketing tool. TETA needs to urgently direct funds to training organisations that have a proven ability to train successfully."
A positive development on the technical training front, according to Zondo, is MAN's involvement in the Ithemba Institute, a technical college based in Soweto. "This is a joint venture where the Department of Labour finances the first year of study, Merseta the second, and OEMs the final apprenticeship year. MAN also provides technical engineering bursaries for university students as well as equipment to technikons, giving students access to the latest trucking technologies," he says.
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You get what you pay
for. Pay well and
drivers, technicians and diesel mechanics, won’t
move
Henning Luther
General Manager
De La Rey’s |
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Doom or bloom
Be it driver, technician or truck sales/management skills, more needs to be done by all stakeholders to promote the careers available in the truck transport industry. "Ten to fifteen years ago, being a truck driver was regarded by most South Africans as good job, but the new generation sees it as being inferior," says Value Logistics CEO, Steven Gottschalk. "We need to acknowledge the positive steps gained by TETA and work together to implement different training methods. We need a state-funded nation-wide driving school and regulated rates of pay. If things continue the way they are, we will be forced to import these skills."
Klaasens says that the learners on the DCSA programme "are of a phenomenal character and passionate about succeeding in this industry." Surely, there must be thousands out there just like them, waiting for the industry to show them how vital trucking is and how to get involved.
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Essentially driver
training by OEM’s has become a marketing tool. TETA needs to urgently
direct funds
to training organisations that have a proven
record to train
succesfully
Patrick Zondo
Management Board Member MAN Truck & Bus South Africa |
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