Shippers now face the rap for overloading

ROAD TRAFFIC authorities have started a strict clampdown on overloading of trucks on national roads and the Department of Transport has warned that traffic officials are now in a position to prosecute consignors or consignees of overloaded containers.
This is a result of the new road transportation regulations which came into effect on August 1, and follows a recent statement by transport minister Dullah Omar who expressed his concern at the systematic overloading in road freight and announced the deployment of mobile weighbridges and weigh-in-motion sensor strips to curb overloading.
Freight forwarders have been advised by a transport department spokesman to warn their consignees and consignors that legislation has shifted the responsibility in this respect from the transport operator and the driver.
A call has been made for proper supervision of loading to be made at warehouses or other packing areas where the weights of containers must be verified. The department has pointed out that incorrect weight declarations also play havoc with the stowage of vessels. In some cases large discrepancies have resulted in the short-shipment of containers.
The maximum gross weight of any container allowed on South African roads is 23 000kg. The department spokesman has warned that the onus for overloading has now shifted from the driver to the consignor. Had the new regulations been in existence previously, a recent instance where a truck driver was arrested and fined for driving an overloaded vehicle would not have occurred.
In this case a container on a truck was weighed at 39 960kg, and it was found that the uneven distribution of weight inside the container had caused damage to the legs of the trailer.
The driver now has a criminal record and a fine of R23 000 was paid, yet he was in fact an innocent party to the actions of the company that loaded the container and which, in present circumstances, would be facing court action instead.