Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has introduced a mandatory truck appointment system at its Eastern Cape Terminals to improve coordination and streamline processes across commodities.
TPT said the initiative will improve truck scheduling especially during peak seasons and times, encouraging fluidity on terminal roads and in the operating environment.
Eastern Cape Terminals Managing Executive Wandisa Vazi said the terminal had run successful trials over the past two weeks.
“We saw vast improvement in the schedule management of trucks serviced at the terminals,” Vazi said.
She said the terminal was pursuing a strategy of growing and upholding regional volumes across containers, automotives, agricultural and mineral bulk, while manganese was the next commodity of exploration.
Vazi said the unannounced simultaneous arrival of trucks requiring cargo to be loaded or offloaded presented challenges, the greatest being that resources were idle at off-peak times once traffic has been cleared.
“Like any appointment, time and required resources are reserved for each truck and we are able to match demand with supply more efficiently,” she said.
Port Elizabeth Container Terminal currently handles an average of 750 containers per week via road.
The introduction of the mandatory truck appointment system at the Eastern Cape Terminals comes after it was successfully trialed at its Durban container terminals at the onset of the national lockdown in 2020. The system was later rolled out at its Cape Town and Richards Bay terminals.
TPT said the truck appointment system is considered best practice globally with greater impact in the container sector, offering operational efficiency and financial value for the terminal operator and customer since waiting times are reduced.
