FleetWatch Online - 74-A View from the Cop

As manager of the Road Traffic Inspectorate of KwaZulu Natal, John Schnell is a cop who is loved by some and loathed by others. One thing is for certain though – he does not go unnoticed. For our special report on safety, FleetWatch invited Schnell to don the hat of a transporter and use his years of on-the-road experience as a traffic official to tell us how he would run a safety conscious trucking operation.

John Schnell, Manager, Road Traffic Inspectorate dons a transporter’s hat in this article.

Running a safe, profitable, productive and efficient trucking business in South Africa requires a level competitive playing field - or does it? Is the present playing field sufficiently level or is the bar set too low?

Well, very little seems to have changed since the imposition of a moratorium on the application of the Road Transportation Act on the freight industry in exchange for, as a form of reward for self regulation, a system known as RTQS. The Road Transport Quality System has remained but a dream.

RTQS proposed - or more correctly presupposed - the introduction of driving hours monitored by tachographs and OBCs. RTQS also called for more frequent roadside inspections for safety by law enforcement agencies, yet no investment was made to improve the manpower levels of those agencies. Consequently, inspections in real terms declined - and so too did vehicle safety.

This was not only because of the lack of because of the lack of inspections but also because of the introduction of private vehicle test stations without the creation of capacity to police them and to monitor performance except for a small handful of SABS inspectors who, in any event, had numerous other functions to perform in relation to the importation of vehicles, in particular second hand vehicles.

The results speak for themselves: A steady decline in safety standards, increases in HMV accidents, uncompetitive business practices and an ever wider gap between giant established trucking companies and those whose entry to the market is fraught with the difficulties of cut throat traffic, empty backhauls and seriously discriminatory employment practices in terms of conditions of employment. (Often coupled with instant dismissal for trivial offences).

John Schnell (left) with the N3TC’s Con Roux, checking illegal night parking at the toll plazas.

So what would I do differently if I owned and operated trucks in the South African scenario? Firstly I would want to be legal. I would do all the things that the law requires in order that I can operate inside the parameters of the law without engaging in risky behaviour which would force me to have a company Attorney or Advocate on call to respond to enforcement actions through threats of High Court interdicts - in particular if my vehicle is parked off at a weighbridge on a Friday afternoon.

I would licence my entire fleet - mechanical horses and semi trailers - so that I do not have to colour photostat licence discs to use on like vehicles which are not licenced and which therefore do not have a valid CRW. When caught out "ghosting", do not blame the driver!

I would choose, through a process of selection, an "A" grade vehicle testing centre in which I have confidence and give the management there my mandate that I want high level inspections as per the SABS Codes of Practice and no short cuts irrespective of what my Operations or Workshop Manager may say.

I would select drivers through an agency that has done background checks, most importantly, on whether or not the driving licence is valid and if applicable, that the Dangerous Goods training has been conducted by an accredited service provider.

I would communicate these company policies throughout the organization. I would make this my mantra, preaching quality and quantity in all structures. Most importantly, I would spend extra time with the drivers (and co-drivers) so that they would buy 100 percent into this way of doing business.

Drivers and crews usually look better in corporate clothing. It forms an association between the individual and the company logo. The company name and logo represents the ethos of the company. So I would get my drivers and crew kitted out in smart corporate clothing.

Many years ago there was a company in Durban by the name of Medwoods. It was run by two brothers (I think) by the name of Bath. All the vehicles were in a two tone trim - light and dark brown with dark red under-carriages. The vehicles were immaculate, clean, fault free and presentable. The drivers and staff wore light khaki safari suits and overalls. They were proud of "their" company and of their vehicles and were consequently never held up due to enforcement checks or weighing as all enforcement staff knew that everything would be in order. This reputation was maintained for all the years that Medwoods was in business as a furniture removals company and specialist racehorse transporter.

Management by walk around - or drive around if distances are great - is one of the most effective ways of reducing the gap between management and workers. Management by walk around is, of course, the best way of improving communication and I would therefore actively practice this. In the USA, WalMart is one of the best companies to practice management on the shop floor as it were – and it employs over 1-million staff members. Referring again to the Medwoods example, every vehicle and every employee was the best advertisement Medwoods could buy and this is what every transport company should aim for.

Schnell would conduct driver selection through an agency which does checks into the validity of driver licenses as well as ensuring that, if applicable, DG training has been done by an accredited service provider.

To avoid drivers veering off the toll routes and speeding to make up time, Schnell would operate multi-functional cards for fuel purchases, tolls and contracted in overnight truck stops.

The 1994 Mooi River truck blockades on the N3 were, in part, a test of the government’s resolve to deal with the transport unions. It was, at the same time, a cry from a deeply disgruntled drivers corps for recognition of their plight; for recognition of shocking working conditions, ‘stuffed-out’ old trucks; poor pay and excessive overtime demands or – no job!

Today, nothing has changed in relationships with drivers and crews yet, with the lifting of international sanctions, we are able to buy the best trucks in the world. Some of our fleets are world class, others are not.

Freight transport is still seen as an industry in which one can make a quick buck. Farmers in the off season re-deploy specialist semi trailer combinations - custom made, let’s say, for maize or whatever - and load them with other commodities for a quick trip to Durban with "Farm or Platteland" drivers behind the wheels. Many of these combinations are overloaded and many do not make it through to Durban. Others don’t even make it down Van Reenens Pass on the N3, or Majuba Pass on the NII.

Many more professional drivers consume toll fees to fund food purchases as, in smaller operations, they are generally not paid any subsistence allowance. They thus leave the toll roads and travel on alternative routes at speed so as to make up time – often with tragic results.

My company would operate multifunctional cards for fuel purchases, tolls and contracted in overnight truck stops. After all, a large proportion of these operating costs are tax deductible. I would want my drivers to rest where it is safe, clean and where they can get a decent meal and where my truck and its cargo would be safe from theft and other forms of risk.

So, if I were a transporter, I would play the game within the ambit of the laws of the land and I would invest in my people in order to reap the results of success.