Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Working towards improving SA’s ailing road network
South Africa’s road network plays a pivotal role in the country’s agri-logistics industry, but heavy-vehicle traffic and the effects of overloading are major problems on roads. Oliver Naidoo, managing director of JC Auditors, explains how the Road Transport Management System aims to improve road safety and increase the productivity of the logistics value chain. Jeandré van der Walt reports.
What is the Road Transport Management System (RTMS) and why was it established?
Overloading causes premature road deterioration and, together with inadequate vehicle maintenance, high levels of driver fatigue and poor driver healthcare programmes, contributes significantly to South Africa’s poor road safety record.
The RTMS is an industryled, government-supported, voluntary, self-regulatory scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and road transport operators to implement a management system that demonstrates compliance with the Road Traffic Regulations and contributes to preserving road infrastructure, improving road safety and increasing productivity.
The RTMS standard comprises four main pillars: load control, safety and compliance, driver wellness, and training and development. In essence, RTMS was initially established as an overload control mechanism, but has evolved into a tool that is making a significant contribution to road safety in South Africa and neighbouring countries. JC Auditors conducts audits for companies that want to be RTMS-compliant.
How big an impact does the agri-logistics industry have on South Africa’s roads?
The industry has a massive impact on the country’s roads. Ultimately, all agricultural goods must be moved from farms to markets, and trucks are often the only viable transport mode. Given that the agriculture sector has such a vast transport footprint, all sectors will benefit from RTMS by way of better roads as a result of the minimisation of overloading, fewer crashes, reduced vehicle downtime and improved fuel consumption.
What are the main risks for heavy vehicles in the agri- logistics industry in South Africa?
The main risk is the likelihood of crashes, which is aligned to the increasing levels of driving non-compliance witnessed daily on our roads. It is an accepted fact that upwards of 80% of crashes are driver-related. Key root causes of crashes are unsafe speeds, distracted driving, driver fatigue, inadequate defensive driving awareness, and driver wellness factors. In addition to these driver-related risks, there are also many unsafe vehicles on our roads.
How does the RTMS address these challenges?
The RTMS standard directly mitigates these main risks by implementing structured processes in order to achieve the safety outcomes. The RTMS standard, for example, requires formal policies for overloading control, compliance with safe speed limits, driver training and awareness, monitoring of driver shifts/hours to mitigate fatigue, pre-trip vehicle inspections, and driver medical fitness. The implementation of these key RTMS processes has had a definite impact, and various case studies have shown quantitative data on the benefits.
What are some of these benefits?
There have been many case studies presented by RTMS-certified entities showing the tangible benefits experienced. Some of these are overload minimisation, reduction in crashes, improved vehicle uptime, reduced insurance claims, improved vehicle maintenance, fewer traffic fines, and improved management of drivers with chronic illnesses.
We have witnessed a significant overload reduction in a number of sectors, notably in the forestry, sugar and mining industries.
There has been a steady decline in percentage overloads in the timber industry, with a current overload percentage of less than 1%, recorded in October last year. Megafarming business ZZ2 has reported significant savings due to a reduction in insurance claims.
What are some of the biggest constraints hampering RTMS?
The biggest constraint hampering the implementation of the RTMS is the lack of attention to the safe performance of transport operations. Too often it is a case of just getting the loads out without sufficient detail to the risks inherent in road transportation.
Often, new entrants into the transport business do not have the required knowledge and resources to implement the RTMS. There are various initiatives to develop tools to enable an operator to implement RTMS effectively.
What are the benefits of being RTMS- compliant?
There are internal benefits that companies have experienced, such as improved fuel consumption, fewer crashes, improved vehicle maintenance and reduced breakdowns, and overall improvement in safety performance. RTMS certification also confers external benefits as it is increasingly being recognised as an indicator of a safe, professional and preferred heavy vehicle fleet. More stakeholders are including RTMS certification as a prerequisite on certain tender applications.
How does a transport operator become RTMS- compliant?
Companies may apply online on our website. Once their application is made, the company would need to implement the RTMS requirements and then undergo an external RTMS audit by JC Auditors. During the auditing process, a heavy-vehicle operator is notified of risks and non-compliant factors, and also offered recommendations for improvement.
RTMS registration is subject to successful completion of an annual surveillance audit. The costs of the audits/certification would depend primarily on the fleet size and number of depots.
Another hot topic in the transport industry is the impact of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act and the pending implementation of what is commonly known as the demerits points system. How can being RTMS- compliant assist?
Dr Kaine Monyepao, the Road Traffic Infringement Agency’s deputy registrar for strategy development, confirmed that AARTO will be implemented on 1 July 2021. One of the main concerns regarding AARTO is related to the accessibility of live/updated driver and vehicle point allocations. The data is deemed critical to fleet operations so that they can know the point status of their drivers and vehicles and manage these effectively. The allocation of demerit points to a vehicle has also been debated. The reality is that commercial fleet operations that incur infringements/traffic fines for habitual recurrence may likely lose their operator’s card, which is a devastating eventuality.
There are concerns around the AARTO administration process and some grey areas such as a ‘nominated driver’ who does not have the opportunity to prove his/her innocence.
JC Auditors will be presenting an AARTO awareness course that aims to ensure that fleet operators understand the AARTO regulations and especially the potential impact on a transport business.
The goal is to ensure that fleet operators implement a structured system in their operations to promote compliance, improve road safety performance, and consequently ensure that AARTO does not threaten or disrupt business operations.
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