Truckers unpack new road regulations

The just-gazetted pair of

amendments to the National Road

Traffic Regulations (NRTR) will have

a limited – if any at all – impact on

the country’s road haulage industry.

A relevant part of one amendment

laid down a 100 kilometres an

hour speed limit for goods vehicles

with a gross vehicle mass (GVM)

of 3 500-9 000 kilogrammes and

effective from November 11. These

vehicles also need to be fitted with a

100km speed limit sticker.

Minister of transport Dipuo Peters

also highlighted in the gazette that

this regulation was applicable to a

combination of vehicles as well.

This, therefore, was aimed at

“toys” in the goods haulage industry,

according to Kevin Martin, MD of

Freightliner Transport.

“In heavy goods haulage, a trucktractor

alone is 9 000-10 000kgs, and

a standard flat-deck, tri-axle trailer

another 7 000-8 000kgs,” he added.

“If you are looking at Superlink rigs

(with two trailers), these are even

heavier. So this amendment is really

only effective for buses and mini- and

midi-buses.

“It’s cleaning up a small area of the

passenger/goods transport industry,

and I don’t think it will affect us

(heavy goods hauliers) detrimentally.”

A second part of that amendment

requires a speed governor to be

fitted to goods vehicles of over

3 500kgs first registered after

December 1.

“Most of the heavy goods vehicles

on the roads today are anything up

to 30 years old,” said Martin, “and

there’s no retro-fit requirement in

the new regulation. So this only

affects new vehicles coming off the

production line from that date.”

The fact that the regulation is

again aimed more at the passenger

transport industry is confirmed by

a statement by Arrive Alive. “The

stipulation with regards to speed

governors……might assist towards

greater safety of our commuters on

buses and minibus taxis,” it said.

The other amendment of the

two, effective from May 11, 2017,

states that school children may not

be transported for reward in the

goods compartment of a vehicle,

and that other persons may also

not be transported in the goods

compartment for reward unless it is

done in terms of the National Land

Transport Act (NLTA).

This is not relevant to the legal

operators in the heavy goods haulage

industry.