Code 1 4 salary barometer
THE monthly salaries below were advertised in Gauteng during September 2018. A Centurion company in Pretoria offered only R5,515/m for a Code 14 driver. A construction company offered someone willing to work twice for one salary as truck driver and foreman "up to" R8,000/m. A Benoni company on the East Rand of Gauteng offered even less at R3,500/m, but this can go to R7,500 with bonuses. Another comany starts at R8,000 and go up to R11,000. On the West Rand, code 14 drivers can get R5,600/m before benefits, pension, overtime, and a sleep-out allowances. By comparison, a scooter rider earn R6,500/m, before medical aid and pension. And on the Bluff in KZN, container drivers can get R18,000/m. -- DR.
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News to inspire professional drivers of all size vehicles in southern Africa
October 201 8
Big rig for oil fields MOL, BelgiumÂbased specialist truck builder, showed its latest oil field rig at the annual Hannover truck show in germany in September. The HF8066 is powered by a 2,780Nm Cummins X15 that under the hood of the 4mÂhigh cab, and can pull 230 tons over sand on balloon tyres.
Now that dagga is legal, its time to ban sugar
As the only newsletter serving professional drivers in South Africa, we were honoured to be asked by SA's premier magazine for fleet operators, Focus on Trucking, how the legalisation of dagga in private places will affect professional drivers. Our answer is that nothing will change, and the question should rather focus on the real poison is killing our drivers -- sugar. Our view is the Constitu-
tional Court's ruling to allow growing and using cannabis in private places just reflects the reality of daily dagga use by all levels of society. Our only concern is most drivers still smoke dagga, instead of eating it. A little of the dried herb over egg or sausage is the best way to get all the antiinflammatory, pain-killing and immune-boosting effects offered by dagga. But eat only a quarter
processed foods), modern fruits and sugar in energy drinks and in cereals, are causing the pandemics of obesity, diabetics and mental disorders around the world. The bottom line is that cereals are falsely advertised as health food, when all the seeds and saps from grasses are slow poisons. Now that dagga is legal, the focus must be on The real poison All the studies show the banning that addicitve sucrose from maize syrup white powder called sugar. -- Alwyn Viljoen, editor. (which sweetens most teaspoon of dried majat, the weak plants, because about two hours after eating it, the liver makes the muthi in dagga 11 times stronger and the effects last for hours. Your aim is to boost your health, not to get stoned. Stoned drivers must sleep, not drive.
Two truckers are dwarfed by the 4-metre-high cab of the MOL HF8066. The bumper is designed to push lesser trucks that are stuck in sand.
More from the Hannover truck show on page 2.
Seen at the Hannover Truck Show The old and the new:
A modern truck simulator shows how many controls a driver needs to master before taking a truck on the road. A single engined aircraft has fewer buttons, which is why driver training is vital on any new truck.
Russian truck builder Gaz showed the Vepr Next, a concept doublecab bakkie designed to carry a 2,5 ton payload over extreme routes. The bakkie looks production ready, but Gaz has no plans to return to SA.
page 2, September 2018
Volkswagens on the right shows where vehicle design is coming from and going to. The rare split-window (right) bakkies are becoming increasingly valuable. Loaded in city traffic, these old combis could travel about 400 km on its small fuel tank, which is about the same range as the fullelectric ID Buzz (bottom right) currently provides. VW plans to put the ID Buzz on roads in the next five years, by which time it is likely to offer semiautonomous driving, which means it will steer itself on highways. These self-steering systems are already being used in trucks on mines (above and underground) around the world and is now being tested on highways. Taxi drivers around the world beware, this EasyMile EZ1 0 robot buses have now been deployed in more than 1 00 cities and 29 countries, where they drive passengers with no driver, and therefore no human error. To date, these self-driving robots can only operate on closed systems like airports and corporate premises and campuses, but they are self-teaching and WILL take over city routes in a few years.
"A society that spends more on coffins than birthday cakes is doomed, because there the dead is worth more than the living. " Anon
German fleets lobby for expats
Shortage of truckers force new look at outdated laws IN Germany, fleet operators ability to read German by are currently lobbying drivers complete a questionnaire all in guilds and licencing authorities German. But non-German to allow foreign drivers to help speakers can still apply. meet a driver shortage. We recommend all appliants JobMatchMe is a website view an educational films (www.truck-jobs.de) that mat- produced by the Federal Office ches drivers with the estimated for Goods Transport, which shortage of up to 50,000 truck shows drivers from Africa how drivers in Germany. they do things by the book in Because Germany's road signs Germany, starting with rigid are all in German, applicants adherence to maximum have to demonstrate their driving hours. -- DR.
Europe aims to force cyclists out of the blind spot
Volvo paid its respects to top drivers in an annual world-wide competition, Piotr Krahel from Poland (middle) is the top Volvo truck driver, followed by Bert Johansson of Sweden (left), and Simo Laukkanen of Finland were the best of the best in 201 8. They competed in the 6th annual Volvo international driver's competition against drivers from 33 countries. Photo: Volvo
Probe into allegations of graft at Transport Sector Retirement Fund JOE Letswalo, (pictured) principal officer of the Transport Sector Retirement Fund, faces an allegation of possible corruption. The fund, which was established in 1992, had in 2017 changed its name from the Road Freight and Logistics Industry Provident Fund to the Transport Sector Retirement Fund "because the fund expanded its sphere of operations to encompass the broader transport
sector", according to Letswalo. The fund has 2 916 participating employers and about 72 000 active members. These members allegedly lost 10 million euros (over R160 million) for a property supposedly owned by the fund in London, bought in 2008, which was cited as one many investment deals that are questionable in an eight-page dossier submitted by the board of the fund.
The board believes Letswalo used a “now liquidated company to execute this deal and made a massive commission for himself.” The board say various attempts to get clarity on the ownership of this property have proved fruitless, as Letswalo, has total control of Investment mandates and decides which asset managers are appointed to manage the funds R7 billion in assets. -- DR.
Trucker caught doing 136 km 'with double load' to catch the ship in Durban port
A 33-year-old truck driver was arrested and detained at at Alexandra SAPS on 26 September on a charge of reckless and negligent driving
after being caught doing 1 36 km per hour down the long straight of the N3 past Ashburton with what the Road Traffic Inspectorate's Zinhle
Mngomezulu called "a double load". He was traveling from Mpumalanga to the Durban harbour. The reason for the excessive speeding is
unknown but we believe he was transporting something very urgent to the harbour. something urgent.," Mngomezulu said. -- DR.
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain -- Bob Marley
IN Europe accident figures are dropping, but we must not let up in our efforts to improve road safety, Dekra board member Clemens Klinke (right) told The Driver at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover last week.Dekra is an automotive inspection company with branches also in South Africa. In Europe the organisation is lobbying to change a law requiring cyclists to pass trucks on the right — the stickers “Fahr niemals rechts vorbei” translates to “don’t pass anyone on the right”. Klinke said driver assistance systems can save lives, but they are still not as widespread in fleets as they should be. And where they are installed, drivers are often not trained to make the most of the systems. Klinke called on manufacturers, politicians, haulage companies and drivers to leverage the potential safety benefits of systems such as lane keep assist, emergency braking or turning assistance for safer roads.--DR
September 2018 page 3
Actros first to drop mirrors
Mercedes-Benz launches truck tractor with cameras instead of mirrors to remove blind spots with 360 view menu. HANOVER — Europe’s Using 3-5% less fuel biggest annual truck show has Compared to its predecessor, in its previous 66 years shown the new Actros consumes up to many safety features that three percent less fuel on appeared first in trucks before motorways and expressways. becoming standard safety With mileage in long-distance systems in cars. haulage typically exceeding The best known examples are 120 000 km per year, Mercedes electric mirrors and lane said in a statement that three keeping assist, both systems percent translates into a pioneered by Mercedes-Benz significant cost reduction for trucks. The world’s first car the operator. When travelling builder did it again this year — on rural routes, like most of launching the best thing since South Africa offers, the savings the electric mirror — no mirror. can be up to five percent, as this In addition to increased safety, is where the effect of the removing the large mirrors also The Mercedes-Benz Actros is first to offer a mirrorcam housing improved Predictive Powertrain reduces drag and diesel that shows views around the truck with no blind spots. Control system is even more consumption, as the compact Active Drive Assist provides Should the driver not brake in significant. digital cameras bring semi-automated driving at all time, as happened here to the The fuel savings are helped by considerable aerodynamic speeds — the first such system gasps of media, the truck will a new standard ratio for the advantages. in a series production truck. slam on the brakes in such a weight-optimised rear axle. This safety feature will be The system features active manner that the trailer stays The gear ratio has been reduced welcomed by all truckers who longitudinal and lateral control neatly in its lane, and from 1:2.533 previously to otherwise have to wonder at all speed ranges by automatically speed up again 1:2.412. exactly where that biker and once the obstacle is cleared. Thanks to the weighttwo small cars are in their blind combining radar and camera information, which enables a Should the trailer or tractor optimised G211 transmission, spots, but Mirrorcam is only the driver to stay perfectly within cross a lane unintentionally, the new gear ratio is now cherry on top of a raft of active the lane on highways. Active Drive Assist intervenes available for all new Actros safety systems in the new At the test track around its and independently steers the models equipped with the Actros. truck factory in Wörth, Merc vehicle back into its lane. second-generation, six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz consider the had one of their executives The distance from the vehicle OM 471 in-line engine and most important new feature on walk in front of a speeding in front and the vehicle’s 315/70 R 22,5 tyres, paying off the Actros the latest version of truck to display how fast and position in its lane can be both on motorways and when Active Drive Assist. adjusted in multiple stages travelling on rural routes alike. Unlike systems that only work effectively the Active Drive Assist works. using the driving assistance -- Driver Reporter. within a certain speed range,
September 2018 page 4
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Growing diesel in India INDIA restated its aim to grow fuel using sugar, crop husks, wheat and rice. This news comes amid reports that Saudi Arabia wants to keep oil prices at about $80 per vat in order to finance a series of economic development projects in the kingdom. “The Saudis need oil and they don’t want prices to go below $70. They want to manage the market like this,” a source at OPEC told Reuters on September 5. With rand still around 1 5 to the dollar, this means fuel prices can only go up in South Africa. The same applies to India, where the minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, repeated his department’s goal to promote ethanol and other alternative fuels to lessen India’s dependency on imported fuel. Speaking at the 58th annual convention of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (Acma), Gadkari said “ethanol is the solution for our fuel problems.”