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News to inspire professional drivers of all size vehicles in southern Africa
Nr 31 , April 201 5
No trucks in peak hours, can it work? TRANSPORT Minister Dipuo Peters wants all vehicles weighing over 9 tons off public roads during peak hours to prevent crashes. The regulations will be published for public comment and discussion later in 2015. “This intention is in response to the increase in the number of road carnage that involves goods vehicles on the South African roads,” said Peters. The new regulations state: “No person shall operate on the public road a goods vehicle the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 9 000kg from 17:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday [except public holidays] and from 06:00 to 09:00 Monday to Friday [except public holidays).” Essentially vehicles with a GVM of more than 9 000kg can only operate on public roads from 09:00 to 16:00 and 20:0 to 06:0 during week days. There are, however, provisions for emergency service vehicles. This provision will not apply to drivers of an emergency vehicles like a fire-fighting truck, ambulance or emergency
"Take those heavy vehicles off my roads, driver, " says Minister Dipuo Peters.
Photo: SABC
medical response vehicles, a rescue vehicle or an ambulance responding to a disaster as contemplated in the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002).” Implementation in this year Transport department spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, states that the regulations are in “draft form” and will have to be presented to his party’s cabinet, discussed in Parliament and will incorporate public input. He states that the department hopes to implement the proposed regulations by the end of 2015. The proposed regulations could
have a drastic affect on SA’s freight industry. Wheels24 spoke to the SA Road And Freight Association’s (RFA) technical and operations manager, Gavin Kelly, who described the proposed regulations as "very worrying". Kelly said the plan is based on the misconception that trucks cause most crashes. “In the recent tragic crash involving minister of Collins Chabane and a goods vehicle, it is forgotten the minister appeared to have been travelling at more than 200km/h. However, the truck involved is seen as the cause of the crash." Kelly if the
department of transport had calculated the effect this would have on the economy? He said:
“The proposed legislation is illconceived and not clearly thought through and will damage logistics, raising costs and will cause severe bottlenecks in the logistics chain.” Arrive Alive’s Johan Jonck
said: the group understood the reasoning behind the plan, but forcing trucks off the road for four hours could add significant volumes outside of peak driving hours on our national road. Earlier in April, Wheels24 reported that the department of transport proposed that metro officers be given the authority to perform random “driver’s license retesting”. Justice Project South Africa described this as “horrifying”. — Wheels24.
Racism fuels coloured-black taxi war in Mpumalanga
MIDDELBURG, Mpumalanga - The Middelburg District Taxi Association (MDTA) has asked the provinces top political boss, Premier David Mabuza, to intervene after a taxi turf battle saw a man killed and a six-year-old boy wounded. The taxi association said ther was violence in the ranks from Friday morning until Saturday midnight following allegations that coloured taxi owners, under the Nasaret Taxi Association (NTA), were ill-treating their black counterparts, who belong to the MDTA. On Monday 20 April, MDTA members and Extension 24 residents delivered a memorandum at the provincial government complex in Mbombela, asking Mabuza to intervene. MDTA deputy chairperson Sindi Khumalo told a News24 correspondent: "We just want intervention from the government and the police to do their job instead of taking sides. "We are asking them to also make sure that calm is brought within the community and that police who were involved in the Friday shooting should be arrested. "We can't afford to be killing each other." Community member Senzo Mahlangu said the taxi war had gotten out of hand. "Two people were shot because the Steve Tshwete local municipality is taking sides in the matter of routes. "We are seeking the premier’s intervention because the community on February 24 sent a memorandum asking the municipality to stop their unfair
Page 2, April 2015
behaviour of giving authority to the Nasaret Taxi Association to service the community of Extension 24," said Mahlangu. He said police were also aligned to NTA, making it difficult for peace to prevail in the Middelburg taxi war, which broke out three months ago. "We can't allow coloureds to transport us. The community members said police were siding with MDTA because the members of the association were not allowed to ferry passengers into suburbs around Middelburg, while NTA was freely doing business in townships. "We do not want Nasaret, we want MDTA which is owned by the blacks from the townships because they care more about us.
Its a dangerous business: Taxi violence show now signs of abating across South Africa.
Photo: The Citizen
"We cannot allow the coloureds who call us stinking kaffirs to transport us. "They don’t drop us at our working
ammunition during the shooting. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala could only confirm the death of one person in the places, but drop us in town and we have Friday shooting incident. to walk or take taxis again. When we "What we got is that the community asked the police to intervene and brought a dead man to the police station become mediators, they started shooting in Middelburg and claimed he had been at us." He claims the police used live killed by the police.
"We then sent the case to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) which deals with cases involving members of the police," Mohlala said. Mohlala added that 21 people were arrested during the unrest on Friday. They will appear in court this week on harges of public violence. -- News24
POLOKWANE - A manhunt has been launched after a man was shot dead in Bolobedu outside Tzaneen at the weekend, in what appears to be taxirelated violence, police said on Tuesday. It is alleged that the 36-year-old man, identified as Tshepo Selopjane, was
behind his steering wheel and the suspects had already disappeared,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe. The motive behind this killing was unknown but taxi-related conflict could not be ruled out. Investigations are continuing. -- DR.
Manhunt for killer of taxi driver in Polokwane transporting passengers in a minibus taxi from Gauteng to Bolobedu on Saturday. When he arrived at Ga-Matshwi village in Bolobedu, unknown gunmen shot him several times, killing him instantly. “When the police arrived at the crime scene, the deceased was found lying dead
“In the moment ofcrisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams. ~ Nigerian proverb. ” – Nigerian proverb
Killed by garbage truck
A WOMAN was rushed to hospital in a critical condition yesterday after her legs were crushed by a garbage truck that ran over her. The woman, believed to be in her 60s, was believed to have been crossing Regina Road in Northdale yesterday afternoon when a garbage truck ran over her, crushing her one leg and severing the other. Paramedics arrived at the scene and worked quickly to stabilise her deteriorating condition. ER24 paramedic Paul Knoesen, said: “The truck had run over her pelvis and legs and she had sustained extremely severe injuries to both her legs. “We stabilised her at the scene and she was talking to us when we first got there but her condition quickly started to deteriorate and we then sedated her and put her on a ventilator.” He said they rushed the woman to Grey’s Hospital where their team was met by the hospital’s trauma unit. “They tried to stabilise her as best they could and she was immediately taken to theatre where they started operating on her.” Knoesen said the woman had later emerged from theatre and was “extremely unstable” and in a “very critical” condition. “Grey’s surgeons are doing everything they can for her,” he said. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said it was understood that the woman failed to notice the oncoming truck as she crossed the road. “Local authorities were on scene for further investigations,” he said. -- The Witness.
BMW makes a truck, Merc plans bakkie
Left: BMW has announced it will be the first carmaker to use a 40-ton truck powered purely by electricity to deliver inbound parts. The carmaker has teamed up with German logistics provider Scherm to make an electric truck to deliver material to the BMW Munich plant eight times a day from SCHERM’s logistics facility 2 km away. (Rigth) An artist's impression provided by Mercedes-Benz to show what the first luxury
bakkie from Merc may look like in 2020, when the German car maker plans to start selling pick-ups in the bakkie-mad markets of South Africa, Latin America, Australia, as well as in Europe. Merc arguably already makes the world's best 4x4 SUV in the G-Wagon and the company's Unimog truck started life as a small agricultural vehicle after the second World War in the late 1 940s.
Photos: ecoprofit.ro and Mercedes-Benz
Misty conditions may have caused bus crash
THE driver of a City-to-City bus was among 24 people who sustained injuries in the crash that caused the death of two passengers near Richmond in KwaZuluNatal. The Witness reported a City-to-City bus travelling along the R56 in Richmond is believed to have swerved onto the wrong side of the road and rolled landing upright on the side of the road. It is suspected that the wet road and misty conditions might have caused the
vehicle to spin out of control. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said two lifeless bodies of a man and woman were found lying near the bus. He said they also found a woman trapped underneath the bus and more people trapped inside the vehicle. Rescue services, firefighters and ER24 paramedics worked to free the woman from under the bus and used the Jaws of Life to free those trapped inside the bus. ER24 paramedic Paul Knoesen said the
“Friendship multiplies the good oflife and divides the evil” – Baltasar Gracian
Misty conditions along the N4 and N3 pose a great danger to drivers.
scene was quite chaotic as when they arrived, the entire area was pitch dark and nobody could see anything. -- DR.
Page 3, Apri2015
Pay rise in the USA
SENIOR editor of logistics News site Joc.com, William B. Cassidy, reports payment for truck drivers is one of the main topics at this year’s NASSTRAC conference, which is being If trends in the U.S. held in Orlando, come to Africa, trucking will become Florida. a good career. In the U.S.. driver pay has increased by 1 0% to 1 5% percent since 201 3. Werner, the fifth-largest U.S. truckload carrier ranked by revenue in 201 4, on average increased its driver pay by 1 0% in 201 4. Specialised drivers got as up to 30% increases. CEO of Werner Enterprises Derek Leathers expects a similar increase in truck driver pay this year, as truckload carriers compete fiercely for experienced drivers. At large truckload carriers, driver turnover rates have been stuck above 90% since 201 2, American Trucking Associations data show. Leathers said it costs $5,000 or more to replace a truck driver. To make the job more attractive carriers say shippers must treat truckers like first class citizens at depots and loading docks, not treat them like second class citizens. This can start with something as basic as clean toilets, Leathers said.
Page 4, April 2015
Angry truckers blockade Brazil's roads TRUCK drivers in Brazil have resumed roadblocks across the country's main farm belt, after failing to reach common ground in talks with the government and freight companies in recent weeks regarding pay and fuel prices. At the end of February, after a meeting held between the government, companies, and workers at the Ministry ofTransportation, the Brazilian government announced diesel prices will not rise until August. This led to Brazi's truckers ending a blockade that had choked off deliveries of food, fuel, exports and industry supplies for more than two weeks. At that time, the number of blockages reached more than 100 points along highways. Truckers then entered talks with transport companies to try to secure a national scale for freight rates and lower diesel prices. Lots of promises The Curutiba newspaper reports Miguel Rossetto, Secretary-General of the Presidency, said the drivers’ blockades in 13 states had a serious economic and political impact in Brazilian, which was why the government had decided not only to freeze diesel prices but also to sanction the so-called “Law of the Truck Drivers,” which reduces the price of the road toll for trucks, while it simultaneously increases the amount of extra hours that drivers may work. Curutiba quoted Rossetto stating the cargo transport associations would be allowed to prepare the table that specifies the amount of compensation they receive for hauling freight.
Truck drivers in Brazil resumed a national road blockade to protest diesel and tolls price increases after agreements from February were reneged upon this month.
Independent truck drivers also demanded a 35% raise per metric ton and for these rates to be set. Under the agreement, the government will also allow certain trucks, including those with empty trailers, to avoid paying highway tolls. The government also pledged to enact a law that includes suspending for 12 months’ repayment of truck-purchase loans made by state-owned development banks. Back to the blockades But transport and logistics companies have in March and mid April resisted accepting set rates for freight in negotiations with truckers. The government then backtracked, stating it cannot lower diesel prices.
Highway operator Rota do Oeste said striking truckers resumed blocking the movement of cargo on three roads in the main grain state of Mato Grosso, where the company is based, causing mile-long lines of trucks on the sides of roads. Passenger cars and critical services such as police, fire and ambulances are moving normally through the blockades, with striking truckers typically parked along the shoulder of roads near towns, Rota do Oeste said. Trucks carrying dry bulk such as soybeans, corn, fertilizer and other non-perishables risk vandalism to their vehicles if they attempt to drive past protest lines. Brazil is one of the world's largest exporters of agricultural commodities and the blockades have lost the farmers billions. - DR.
“It’s not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line. ” – Ashleigh Brilliant