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Past Issues

May 2005

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As far as environmental impact is concerned, overloaded vehicles may seem like bit players in a much bigger cast of really 'bad guys' like Nox emissions and chemical spills. 
In the grand scheme of things, the toll overloaded trucks take on our natural environment may seem insignificant when compared to the obvious culprits like toxic emissions and massive oil and chemical spills. Our national roadways are, however, an integral part of our environment. Right now, they are suffering a war of attrition, pounded daily by millions of vehicles, effectively weakening road paving which results in potholes and uneven, damaged tarmac. Apart from wrecking tyres prematurely (and often causing fatal accidents), a damaged road surface will require repair and it is in the rollout of this process that vehicle overloaders stand as prime suspects in the 'murder' of our natural heritage. 

It is estimated that repairs to our national road paving cost billions of rands annually. Apart from labour costs, the rest of this money is spent on producing, transporting and applying the material (tar, concrete etc) to the damaged roadways. All this is energy consuming stuff, requiring the burning of fossil fuels which not only damage the air we breathe but leave behind residue that is not easy to do away with.

Essentially, what we're talking about is a shift in thinking about how a haulage vehicle impacts on our general ecosystem. We need to delve beneath the 'surface' and realise that even seemingly harmless operations like pushing a load to the limit or running poorly set up suspension (bouncing trailers turn smooth roads into motocross tracks) eventually result in maintenance operations that tax our 'green resources'. 

According to André Cilliers, managing director, BPW Axles (PTY) Ltd, "the push for payload has resulted in extensive overloading but most operators are sticking to the legal limits. By fitting lighter axles and other tare-reducing components to the vehicles, they not only allow for more payload but will reduce the burden on the road surface when those trucks run unladen. Also, by maximising payload, chances are each truck will conduct fewer trips. That means less trucks overall on our roads, ultimately lessening the impact on our environment."