THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

February 2010

Mid-year chaos and disruption threatens the abnormal load sector of the road freight industry following a decision by the Gauteng and Western Cape provincial traffic authorities to place an embargo on the conveyance of abnormal loads during the 2010 World Cup period writes Andrew Parker.

According to the Road Freight Association (RFA) technical and operations manager, Gavin Kelly, and head of the RFA abnormal load sub-committee, Sampie Swanepoel, the embargo will have a serious detrimental effect on the abnormal load transport sector.

Swanepoel says no reasons have been given for the abnormal load ban and that the decision was taken without consultation with affected companies and despite the fact that this was not a FIFA requirement

Kelly says while the RFA was still in discussions with the provincial authorities, he had it on good authority that both Gauteng and the Western Cape had decided to issue an embargo before the RFA and abnormal load operators had been consulted.

“So far Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal have not announced any prohibition of the movement of abnormal loads during this period,” he says.

Swanepoel says the embargo is totally unacceptable. “Under normal circumstances, abnormal loads can only be transported for between 117 to 119 days a year. They cannot be moved over public holidays and over weekends. This 2010 embargo will effectively take another 20 days off what limited time we already have.”

FleetWatch spoke to Prasanth Mohan of the Infrastructure Network Management division of the NDoT for some clarity on the issue. He said the final decision lies in the hands of each province and that operators should contact the Provincial MEC for Transport in their respective provinces for clarification on whether or not an embargo will be placed on abnormal load transport and what the parameters of that embargo are.

According to Coretha Mathee of the Section Law Administration (Legislation and Permits) at the Western Cape Department of Transport and Roads, although an abnormal load embargo has been put in place in the Western Cape between June 9 and July 13 2010, applications for the transportation of abnormal loads during this period will be evaluated on merit.

This evaluation will take into account the motivated necessity for such a move, the availability of the intended route and the input of all other role players. Should a transformer, for example, need to be transported and is regarded as an emergency load, the authorities will strive to accommodate the load even if this means working outside of normal hours or over a weekend.

Gauteng provincial traffic authorities had not responded to enquiries from FleetWatch at the time of going to press.

FleetWatch Comment:

Apart from such a ban being unnecessary, FleetWatch feels that a decision of this nature and magnitude should not be left in the hands of the individual provinces. The reason we say this is that a decision to prohibit abnormal transport in one province will have repercussions right across the country. What happens when a load travelling through a province which has no ban crosses over into one which has implemented such a ban? Side-of-theroad park and picnic time while watching soccer on a wind-up portable TV set in the middle of nowhere before being mugged and hijacked! Eiieesh!!!

Not only that, jobs and the viability of abnormal load hauliers are being placed in jeopardy. What is bizarre about all this is the fact that a ban on abnormal transport during the Soccer World Cup is not a FIFA requirement and it appears far-reaching decisions are being taken by people in powerful positions with little or no consultation with the affected parties.

We would like to ask one of those persons who made the decision to ban abnormal loads in the Western Cape the following question: “How will the conveyance of an abnormal load in Ceres affect a football match taking place in Greenpoint, Cape Town?” If you can provide a rational answer to that maybe - just maybe - you have a point. It is our opinion such a ban – anywhere in the country – is unnecessary. Just keep the big guys away from the city areas where the matches will be held and the traffic will be buzzing. They don’t want to go there anyway. But to ban them from all roads in a province for a month? C’mon. Be realistic. What for?

If ever there was a need for national decision to be taken by the NDoT, this is it. In this respect, FleetWatch urgently appeals to the Minister of Transport to step up and resolve this issue as soon as possible - as he did in December last year when he halted an overnight ban on the movement of high-cube containers in KwaZulu-Natal which had the potential to create catastrophe in the national road freight industry.

Over to you Mr Sibusiso Ndebele.