In 2005, the local timber industry implemented a self-regulation programme amongst all its stakeholders to improve the quality of loading practices and general vehicle safety. Back then it went under the name of the Load Accreditation Programme (LAP) and had a good deal of success in reducing overloading and accident rates in the forestry sector. Today, LAP has moved into the sugar industry, but under the banner of The Road Transport Management System (RTMS). Explaining to FleetWatch what the system entails is Andrew Crickmay, of Crickmay and Associates, a consulting firm playing a key role in the roll-out of the RTMS. 

The RTMS has been running in the sugar industry since April 2007. This initiative was in response to an urgent call from the Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe, to industries to address the issues of overloading. It is funded by the KZN Department of Transport and encourages self regulation and the declaring of overload information within the industry. In the past, overloading and poor transport practices have been the main causes of our deteriorating road conditions and the high accident rate.

A safer supply chain
The sugar industry has over the years become increasingly aware of the need to regulate the supply chain in order to achieve safe and sustainable low cost transport. Of particular concern has been the increased transport costs associated with a road infrastructure, vehicle maintenance, driver safety and vehicle design. 

The RTMS is comprised of a set of consignor, consignee and haulier standards that are approved by the South African National Standards (SANS) as a National Recommended Practice (ARP’S). The standards consist of the following three parts - Haulier Standards (ARP 0067-1:2007); Consignee Standards (ARP 006- 3:2007) and Consignor Standards (ARP 067-2:2007).

These standards can be split up into rules relating to overloading requirements and safety- related requirements. These standards aim to assist the consignor, consignee and haulier in complying with Government legislation and are also designed to work hand-in-hand with the various internal HR and SHEQ systems. 

The sugar industry has set up an RTMS steering committee, creating a forum whereby relevant issues relating  to that specific industry can be openly discussed and solutions sought. Monthly RTMS/ Self Regulation Reports are produced, which compliment the RTMS Standards and participants use them to monitor their overloading. 

Auditing quality 
Those participants, who choose to comply with the law, can apply for accreditation. The Sugar RTMS Accreditation Process is made up of two components, both of which need to be audited by an external accredited auditor in order to gain accreditation, namely, the Overload Control Component and the RTMS Standards Component.

In the Overload Control  Component, the haulier must agree to declare his overloading results. This is done through the monthly RTMS/ Self Regulation Reports. Hauliers wishing to become accredited need to state their intentions in writing to the RTMS Committee. Once this has been done, the haulier’s information is then published in the monthly RTMS/ Self Regulation Report. To qualify for accreditation, a haulier must have three consecutive months in which he overloads (over 2% tolerance) less than 4% of his total loads per month. The RTMS Operator’s Standards for hauliers form part of the second component. These standards need to be purchased by the haulier from the SABS and adhered to. 

Using the RTMS standards and monthly RTMS/ Self Regulation Reports, the haulier can monitor the situation and once the requirements of the above two components have been met, the haulier will then be eligible for an audit by an external accredited auditor. If accreditation is achieved, all the haulier’s vehicles will display the RTMS accreditation sign. 

Advantages for Government 
The majority of sugarcane is transported on the provincial network and, therefore, does not pass municipal weighbridges. Loads measured by the KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate range from 0.06% to 11% across participating mills, while self regulation assesses nearly 90%. The total tonnage assessed through the Sugar RTMS/ Self Regulation Programme is estimated at 18.5 million tons. 

The timber industry has led the way for a selfregulation approach to overloading

Sugar RTMS 2007 
There are 385 hauliers taking part in the programme from all 12 KZN sugar mills and one Mpumalanga mill (this represents all five of the South African milling companies). Out of the approximate 1,331 vehicles operating at these mills, 94.1% have been evaluated, allowing for particularly accurate assessment of overloading. 

The Sugar RTMS Steering Committee has representatives coming from all sectors of the supply chain (grower, haulier and miller) from all participating mill areas. At a Committee level, each mill area has been encouraged to establish a formal overload reduction strategy. The advantage of this kind of industry-wide initiative is the pressure it places on other mill areas to implement these strategies. 

The Sugar RTMS/ Self Regulation Programme has shown a reduction in the incidence of overloading from the 2006 industry base overloading figure of 33.5% to the October 2007 rolling average figure of 23.9%. This represents a reduction in the incidence of overloading of 28.7%. There has also been a reduction in the extent of overloads at almost all mill areas except for one. The industry average went from 8.8% to 7.2%, which equates to a reduction in the extent of overloads of 18.2%. With regular workshops being held around the country and innovative trailer designs afoot, the RTMS looks set to change the face of trucking in the near future.