THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

July 2007

Fuel and Fire

Supplying fuel to southern Africa is an unpredictable business, says Fazel Khota. Rail and pipeline are ill equipped to handle volumes when car sales rise.

Lobtrans is one of SA's leading fuel tanker transport operations with a fleet of 250 interlinks operating within our borders and beyond. According to Lobtrans director, Fazel Khota, "we employ dangerous goods consultants to ensure our compliance with the law. While DG regulations are well monitored by law enforcement officers in KZN, other provinces aren't quite as diligent."

Khota explains that while state officials might be remiss in governing DG compliance, oil companies, as consignors, conduct regular audits of their truck transport service providers to ensure legal compliance and safety. "There are global standards governing the movement by road of fuel product. A primary focus of these rules is the management of driver fatigue. Driving hours are therefore closely monitored by the fuel companies."

Considering the extent of Lobtrans' operations, which include the SADEC countries, Khota is concerned about the readiness of both SA's and other national emergency services to safely manage DG incidents. "There are about 300 tankers running along the N3 every day," he says. "While Harrismith emergency services for example, are equipped to handle spills and fires, other regions are not, especially those north of our borders," he says.