The N4’s Donkerhoek facility is equipped with hi-tech vehicle tagging, testing and weighing equipment, setting the benchmark for effective overload and road safety control

The N4 corridor from Gauteng to Maputo is experiencing increasing truck traffic volumes as operators seek alternative routes to dispatch both export and imported goods. Trans African Concessions (TRAC) is the toll concessionaire managing the highway and has partnered with roads agencies and provincial law enforcers in the establishment of an integrated overload control strategy that includes several static weighbridges en-route as well as lay-byes on secondary routes. FleetWatch asked TRAC Services Manager, Hannes van Wyk, for his thoughts on the overload control issues of the day.

FW: Is Overload Control winning the war against habitual overloaders? 
Hannes van Wyk: Yes, we have seen a decline in habitual overloaders. 

FW: Is it still viable to overload - i.e. are the fines less than the profit earned from 'illegal' payload?
HvW: Fines are not enough and less than 50% are paid in the end. The standing time and costs of correcting the loads seem to be a better disincentive at this stage.

FW: Has the new 2% tolerance made a difference to mass restriction compliance? 
HvW: Gross mass overloading is currently only 10% of the overloading offences so the 2% tolerance on GVM does not seem to be a problem for transporters as far as compliance is concerned. 

FW: Is axle mass distribution continuing to be a problem at weighbridges? 
HvW: Yes, 90% of the charges are currently related to axle mass distribution.

FW: Do operators need to educate their drivers better in this regard? 
HvW: Continuous training and awareness is always necessary.

FW: How effective is the RTMS approach to self regulation and, once it rolls out across the broader road freight industry, will it effectively rid SA of the dangers/costs of overloaded trucks? 
HvW: Self regulation is the end solution. The government can simply not put weighbridges all over the country. However, it is going to take time and a lot of education before it will have its full effect. Some companies are showing that they are serious with self regulation and are making a noticeable difference in applying their own penalties on overloaded trucks. 

FW: Are lay-byes on secondary routes rolling out effectively according to the National Overload Control Strategy? 
HvW: We are aware of some activity in this regard.

FW: Are traffic officers exacting the NRTA's overloading laws effectively - how's the bribery issue right now?
HvW: We’ve found that on our project there are fortunately few incidents of corruption. 

FW: When will consignors/consignees be held liable for overloaded rigs [update us on legislation in this regard]? 
HvW: This aspect is very important and will make a huge difference in stopping overloading at the source, but for some unknown reason has not been implemented by Government. 

FW:What are your general opinions on the subject of truck overloading in South Africa right now? Perhaps the 'pressing' coal transport issue presses a few hot buttons? 
HvW: The awareness and efforts to curb overloading have been increasing over the past years. Government is spending a lot of money constructing new weighbridges and upgrading old ones. Many transport operators have changed their ways of loading to become legal. However, I am still disappointed that it is taking such a costly effort from Government to convince the transport industry to stop destroying our infrastructure. Why do they fail to understand the long term implications for the sake of short term profits? 

While overload citations are scribbled out with relish, both the courts and the DoT are being sluggish in their respective tasks of prosecuting offenders and introducing consignor/consignee liability.