THE
WIDE
GAP OF
TRUTH

Two drivers at the Engen Winelands Truck Port, Thuys Cook and Gerry Fourie, were extremely unhappy and disillusioned. "We have to park here because our companies will not pay for parking. The food is expensive and each time we shower, it costs us R10. We would rather go to the Haulgoods yard but we cannot afford to pay out of our own pockets." 

They both explained that they are not paid any overtime or sleep out allowances. Their salaries are based on a percentage of load and as Fourie says: "If there is no load, we don't get paid."

Cook, who has been driving for Jet Trucking in Gauteng for eight months, has an assistant on his vehicle who, he says, is paid a flat rate of R400 per week. "This man also gets no overtime or allowances so he is my responsibility. I can't eat in front of him so yesterday I spent R106 at the Wimpy for a meal for the two of us."

Thuys Cook (left) of Jet Trucking and Gerry Fourie of Midnight Transport - "we have to pay for everything ourselves!"

Dalene Botha, co-owner of Jet Trucking, vehemently denies that they don't pay allowances. "We pay all our drivers overtime and wages. Not to do so is against the law," was her response on being asked if they pay drivers a percentage of load.

She said they pay these allowances to vehicle assistants as well. "You can come and check my records if you want to, although I don't see why I should show them to you," was her final word on the matter.

Fourie drives for Midnight Transport in Springs. Owner of the company, Ben Bezuidenhout confirmed that he pays drivers a percentage of each load. He pays no overtime or sleepout allowances, stating: "If the driver wants to drive overtime that is his business; if he doesn't, then that's also his business."

What confuses the issue is that he said he pays a basic salary, something his driver claimed he does not do. On the matter of meals, the explanation became more clouded. "If a driver claims for meals, then I pay it. When they put the paperwork in, it gets paid. If they don't, well then that's their problem."

He then went on to say that in any event, his vehicles stop over at the Transcape yard where they have showers and a meal. Under the impression that Transcape are steel merchants in Cape Town, a quick check in the telephone book confirmed that no other companies of that name were listed.

Neville van Schalkwyk, works manager at Transcape, was quite perplexed. "We have a yard in front of our premises that rigs sometimes use to park but that has nothing to do with us. It is just part of this complex," he explained. "I lock up every night and can assure you that no vehicles other than our own park inside and no one else would ever been given access to our showers."

He laughed when asked about the daily meal and went on to say that he had never heard of a company called Midnight Transport.

Based on these two stories, it seems management and drivers in some companies are totally out of sync with each other. The drivers tell one story and management tells another. It seems to FleetWatch that the two parties should sit around a table and talk it out so as to reach a win-win outcome. As it stands, the drivers are unhappy and disillusioned and that does not bode well for profitable trucking.

Left to right: Loadlink co-drivers Daniel Masilo and Joseph Senaoane, John Mamonyane of Jet Trucking and Stephen Matjila of ECH Transport.