The document discusses the challenges facing road freight transport in South Africa, including overloading, poor vehicle maintenance, driver fitness issues, and non-compliance with regulations. It presents data showing the negative impacts of these challenges, such as high maintenance costs, poor road safety, and infrastructure deterioration. The Road Transport Management System (RTMS) is introduced as an industry-led initiative to address these challenges through voluntary self-regulation, focusing on load optimization, driver wellness, vehicle maintenance, and productivity. Case studies demonstrate benefits seen by companies implementing the RTMS, such as reductions in overloading, crashes, and fuel consumption.

1. A Overview of
Challenges in Road
Freight Transport and
why the RTMS
Slide # 1
Paul Nordengen
SA RTMS National Steering Committee
Research Group Leader: Network Asset
Management Systems
CSIR Built Environment
Road Transport Forum
Cape Town, 14 July 2016

2. Road Transport Efficiency
 High standard of infrastructure (capacity,
road surface, road markings, road signs,
stopping facilities, road reserve)
 Minimum incidents/crashes including
breakdowns
 Compliance with traffic regulations
 Safety & security (effective law
enforcement)
 Efficient emergency response
 Seamless cross-border transit

3. Key Elements in Road Freight
Transport
• Road infrastructure: roads,
bridges, roadside furniture, signs,
road markings, eToll gantries
• Vehicles: design, maintenance &
operation
• Drivers: skill, health, fatigue

4. Key Elements in Road Freight
Transport
• Road infrastructure: roads,
bridges, roadside furniture, signs,
road markings, eToll gantries
• Vehicles: design, maintenance &
operation
• Drivers: skill, health, fatigue

5. Reality Check

6. Reality Check

7. Reality Check

8. Reality Check

9. Excess heavy vehicle
maintenance and repair costs
Road
condition
Average
maintenance and
repair cost (R/km)
Average percentage
increase in the truck
maintenance and
repair cost
Average percentage
increase in company
logistics cost
Good R 0.96 - -
Fair R 1.24 30% 2.6%
Bad R 2.11 121% 10.4%

10. Slide # 10
North West Province, South Africa,
5 Nov 2004, 23h00
Six trucks carrying cobalt concentrate from DRC to
Johannesburg (3 500 km). Overloads ranged from
30 780kg to 37 640kg (65%)

12. Overloading in Mozambique
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Weighed / Overloaded
Vehicles
Weighed
#Overloaded
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
% Overloads / Extra E80's
%Overloaded
%EE80's
Max Axle
O/L (t)
%
Max
GVM
O/L (t)
%
May-15 19.80 220% 44.92 134%
Jun-15 20.76 231% 44.96 130%
Jul-15 25.12 279% 52.91 125%
Aug-15

13. Overloading in Mozambique

16. Brake & Tyre Watch Results
Location Inspected Discontinued %
City Deep 24 21 88%
Middelburg 35 24 69%
Centurion 41 17 42%
Midway KZN 26 10 38%
Kroonstad 8 7 92%
Brackenfell, W. Cape 25 25 100%
Pietermaritzburg 12 11 92%
Port Elizabeth 15 6 40%
Rustenburg 7 5 72%
Polokwane 11 10 91%
Midway KZN 24 20 83%
Bloemfontein 24 20 83%
Nelspruit/Komati 13 12 92%
TOTAL (32 events) 666 452 68%
32
B&TW
events
from
Feb.
2006
to date

25. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
Fatalcrashrate
Aust
Can
France
Denmark
USA
South Africa
Switzerland
Fatal truck crash per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled
Source: OECD report, Moving Freight with Better Trucks, 2010
Heavy Vehicle Fatal Crash Rates

26. Fatalities per 100 000 population

29. Road Freight Challenges
The Reality: A Culture of Non-compliance
• Inputs
– Overloading
– Poor vehicle fitness (servicing & maintenance)
– Poor driver fitness (fatigue, health, training)
– Reckless driver behaviour
– Border post delays
– Bribery & corruption – impact on compliant and non-
compliant operators
– Inadequate periodic maintenance (roads)
• Outputs
– Poor road safety
– High cost of road transport/logistics
– Deterioration of infrastructure
– High levels of emissions

30. Regional Road Transport Issues
HEAVY
VEHICLE
TRANSPORT
GLOBAL
COMPETETIVENESS
QUALITY
OF LIFE
SUSTAINABLE
ENVIRONMENT
Transport efficiency
Cost of logistics
Congestion
Cross-border delays
Optimum road
maintenance
Road safety
Congestion
Cost of logistics
Road condition
Transport efficiency
Road crashes
Road condition
Congestion
Energy consumption
Emissions
“maintaining and preserving
natural systems”

31. Slide #
31
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
United
States
Japan Brazil South Africa
Condition of surfaced roads
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Very Poor Poor Fair Good Very Good

32. Slide # 32
Road
Safety
Fair Competition
between modes &
operators
Infrastructure
Protection
OVERLOAD CONTROL
National Overload Control Strategy
Implemented by National, Provincial and Local
Authorities
Infrastructure & Equipment
• Main routes (major facilities)
• Alternative routes (minor facilities/screening)
• Monitoring (HS-WIM)
• Alternative weighing equipment
• Private weighbridges
Information sharing &
Public Awareness
• Overload website
• Overload information booklet
Operations
• Human Resources
• PPP
• Training
• Guideline document
for law enforcement
Self-regulation
• Road Transport
Management System
(RTMS)
• Performance-Based
Standards (PBS)
Legislation
• Consignors/Consignees
• 5% Tolerance
• User charges
• Habitual Overloaders
• Public Prosecutors
• Alternative weighing equipment
• AARTO
Co-operation
• Provinces
• Local authorities
• Department of Justice
• Private sector

34. The Road Transport Management System
• RTMS is an industry–led, government-
supported, voluntary, self-regulation scheme
that encourages consignees, consignors and
road transport operators to implement a
management systems standard with outcomes
that contribute to preserving road
infrastructure, improving road safety and
increasing productivity.
• Key focus areas are:
- load optimisation (minimise over- and under-loading)
- driver wellness
- vehicle maintenance
- productivity

36. Growth of the RTMS in SA
200 fleets
representing
almost 10 000
trucks & buses
(In 2007 their
were 74 certified
vehicles)
24 abnormal load operators:
• 258 vehicles
• Plant hire, construction, engineering, mobile cranes
• 2 commercial A/L operators (108 vehicles)
Four bus
operators:
• Buscor 400
buses
• Intercape
152 coaches
• GABS Over
1100 buses
• Intestate
(Bloem)

44. RTMS: Overloading trend in forestry

45. RTMS: Overloading trend in sugar

46. Nordengen et al.
RTMS benefits: Crash
reductions
 Barloworld Logistics: 66% reduction in the number of
crashes in 2012 (owner driver fleet);
 Vehicle Delivery Services: 42% reduction in serious
crashes from 2011 to 2012;
 Timber Logistics Services: 50% reduction in crashes
and incidents from 2009 to 2012;
 The City of Cape Town, Electricity Support Services:
44% reduction in the number of crashes;
 Unitrans Amatikulu: cost of crashes reduced from
5.0% of revenue to 1.3% of revenue (reduction in the
frequency and severity of crashes)
STS N°
12
48TRA2014 Paris 14-17 avril 2014

47. Case
Study:
Dawn
Logistics

48. POSITIVE RESULTS AND OUTCOME AFTER
IMPLEMENTING RTMS
Weighbridges or weigh mats at all depots:
All trucks are weighed before exiting and any defaults are fixed before
trucks leave the yard
• 2013 and before = unknown
• 2014 = 3
• 2015 = 0
Risk of breakdowns/crashes/fines:
Strict daily routine inspections and regular tyre surveys, maintenance
checks have improved our downtime, and any issues are repaired before
trucks leave.
YEAR FINES CRASHES
DRIVER
ERROR
BREAKDOWNS
2013 218 37 19 57
2014 232 26 11 46
2015 56 17 5 33

49. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2013 2014 2015
Accidents
Fines
Breakdowns
FLEET

50. Driver behaviour:
Driver speeding is monitored on a daily basis through our tracking
system and all events are addressed with drivers daily on debriefing
•2013 = Unknown
•2014 = 60 127 (164 fleet = 366 speeding events per truck per year)
•2015 = 8 689 (184 fleet = 47 speeding events per truck per year)
Driver awareness and safety
Has increased due to training, educating, posters and truck information
manuals
Driver motivation has increased due to Driver of the Month and Driver
of the Year awards. Selected by tracking system which monitors drivers
behaviour and gives the drivers a monthly score.
Driver wellness
Fatigue managed eliminates risk
Chronic conditions managed eliminates risk
Alcohol testing eliminates risk

51. Fuel consumption:
Consistent improvement. Fuel monitored on a daily
basis and we are running above industry average.
Since implementation, fuel consumption has
improved by 20%
Primarily as a result of improved driver behaviour –
defensive and economical driving, reduction in harsh
braking and speeding.