How can the road transport industry drive sustainability?

“Exploring Road Transport Innovations for Driving Sustainable Supply Chains” was the theme of the Transport Forum webinar on 12 September hosted by JC Auditors. CHARLEEN CLARKE reports that it was fascinating to see the industry come together to collaborate on ways and means of building supply chains that are economically viable, environmentally responsible, and socially sustainable.

Oliver Naidoo, managing director of JC Auditors, kicked off proceedings, speaking about the need to embrace international standards as a key component of road transport sustainability. He pointed out that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is increasingly receiving attention, and companies are facing pressure when it comes to doing the right thing.

“ESG has widespread impacts. For instance, investors will put their money into businesses where they know that their money is safe,” Naidoo noted. He revealed that JC Auditors is currently developing a unique toolkit platform that will enable companies to demonstrate their ESG credentials.

He also emphasised the critical role standards play in ensuring sustainable practices. “They (standards) are intended to promote good governance, and ultimately enable sustainable profit. Standards are fairly prescriptive and do require structure, but that’s what good governance is all about. Having principles or standards in place is key to deliver on business strategy,” he emphasised. 

“At their core, standards are intended to manage risk. It’s pointless being innovative if you have risk that is not mitigated,” Naidoo continued. “Furthermore, having standards helps a business ensure that the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties are met, and this is very important because no business is an island.”

Standards can also impact human lives. “We recently audited DSV and Value Logistics… they transport medical devices. If they don’t do it in the right manner, this could result in a medical device going to a patient and not performing with the required efficacy,” he told attendees, further noting the need to widen the population of compliant transport operators, including SMMEs.

Jonathan Mphake, national fleet manager at SBV, spoke about how fleet management impacts logistics, and stressed the importance of making data-driven decisions. “We need to use telematics – which are becoming increasingly advanced – to manage our fleets and get our drivers home safely,” he said, but cautioned that telematics also needs to be understood: “A pretty graph is tremendous, but what does it really mean to you? You need to understand the status quo.”

According to Mphake, logistics and fleet operation optimisation requires a comprehensive approach that leverages advanced fleet management technologies, integrates transport management systems, and considers the entire supply chain. “By focusing on the interplay of people, processes and technology, companies can significantly improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction,” he said. “This holistic approach positions organisations to meet customer expectations, drive business growth, and maintain a competitive edge in the dynamic logistics landscape.”

Training is essential

Aobakwe Moseta, general manager fleet at Onelogix VDS, spoke about embracing innovations in delivering efficient solutions. He emphasised the need for training and thorough accident investigation. “The company needs to look past the symptoms to identify the root cause (in the event of an accident). It’s important to acknowledge that there may be more than one root cause. We tend to focus on who is responsible and not why it has happened,” he explained.

Moseta also highlighted the importance of driver well-being. “Many of our drivers suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes. We have therefore implemented a comprehensive driver wellness programme,” he revealed. Like Mphake, Moseta also urged transport operators to take advantage of the available technology in the transport industry, which is constantly evolving and improving.

Luke Mukorera, compliance manager at Lalgy Transport – which has offices in South Africa as well as Mozambique – spoke about how RTMS is driving innovations in the transport industry. He also emphasised the importance of driver well-being, stressing the significance of fatigue management among drivers. “The driving hours may be within the required limits and you may be giving drivers enough time to sleep, but this is no guarantee that they’re not tired. You will be surprised to see signs of fatigue within one hour after your driver has woken up,” he warned. Mukorera said that standards have helped the company to better manage fatigue. “I believe that not everyone would go this far with fatigue control, were it not for RTMS requirements,” he emphasised.

Annah Ngxeketo, chief executive officer of Mamoja Trading and Projects, spoke about her company’s journey and – like many other speakers – the benefits of RTMS implementation. “RTMS gives us enhanced credibility and trust, competitive advantages, improved processes and efficiencies, increased market opportunities, employee motivation and development, and customer satisfaction,” she revealed. “Being accredited not only strengthens our position in the industry, but also drives internal improvements and enhances our relationships with clients and stakeholders.”

SA leads the way

Paul Nordengen, director of Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology Africa, spoke about the Performance Based Standards (PBS) project. He noted that the first PBS vehicles went onto the road 17 years ago, making South Africa one of the leading countries in this regard. There are now over 80 operators participating in the programme; some have over 200 trucks, while others have just a handful. Buscor is the only bus company participating in the programme, which has now extended into Namibia.

Duncan Prince, who is responsible for the Unimog and specialised heavy trucks at Daimler Truck South Africa, spoke about the company’s drive to sustainably move the heavy truck industry forward. “We offer vehicles that are Euro 3 and Euro 5 compliant. We also offer a range of battery-electric vehicles – from a three-tonne rigid to a 25-tonne truck tractor,” he explained. The company also offers a number of Arocs and Actros models that are suitable for PBS applications. These include the Arocs 3352/45 for the timber industry, the Actros 3352S/33 for the regional on-off-road side-tipper market, the Actros 3352LS/33 Pure for the long-haul side tipper market, and the Actros 3358LS/33 PBS, which has been developed as the ultimate PBS/Smart Truck platform in terms of local regulation.

In a similar vein, Eric Parry, senior manager sustainable solutions at Volvo Group Southern Africa, spoke about how Volvo is creating a sustainable future for the transport sector. He highlighted the company’s wide range of electric trucks, revealing that Volvo’s electric vehicles have completed in excess of 90 million kilometres in actual operation. The company is also offering liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks, but the stumbling block in South Africa is a shortage in LNG supply.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, while “a long way away”, are also on the cards in the future. Then there are hydrogen combustion trucks, which use a similar process to the LNG vehicles (a tiny bit of diesel is used to start the combustion). “We are a year or two away from on-road testing of these vehicles,” Parry noted.

Chris de Saxe, head of EV transition at GoMetro, spoke about the company’s innovations that support safety and drive sustainability. The first is Bridge, a cloud-based platform that provides real-time data and insights for optimising public transport operations, thereby improving efficiency, safety, and service delivery for transport agencies and operators. The second is EV-Fit, a data-driven electric vehicle transition plan. The United Kingdom is aiming to become the first major economy to pass new laws to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. Accordingly, some 2,000 fleets in the UK need to make this transition each year up to 2050. “Electric vehicles are coming, and there may come a time when the European truck manufacturers don’t make diesel trucks anymore,” De Saxe cautioned.

He also introduced ConnecTyre, GoMetro’s cloud-connected tyre pressure monitoring system. “Just one of our South African customers reported that, in the past two years, it had experienced four tyre-related incidents where a steering tyre burst, causing vehicles to go off the road. This resulted in approximately a R200,000 loss per incident. Through careful monitoring, ConnecTyre prevents these incidents from happening,” he pointed out, further noting that safety and fuel consumption are also impacted.

Steve Cornelius, senior consultant at OLEA Insurance Solutions Africa, gave the insurance industry’s perspective on the need to manage transport risks. He pointed out that insurance risk and RTMS go hand in hand: “Insurance risk and insurance mitigation structures fit in so beautifully with RTMS (or SANS 1395, as it is officially named), when you look at driver behaviour, driver wellness, vehicle maintenance, and overloading. They are the same pillars that we use – both in insurance and when you become RTMS compliant.”

Costly crashes

Finally, Lerato Kgoa, senior researcher at the CSIR Transport Safety Lab, spoke about innovative approaches to mitigating human factors in road transport. She pointed out that transport safety is a long-standing issue in South Africa. “According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the economic cost of crashes in our country last year was R205.13 billion,” she stressed.

Across the world, many innovative technologies are being developed and deployed to address the risks posed by human factors. “Examples include driver monitoring systems, which are able to detect signs of fatigue, and advanced driver assistance systems such as lane keeping assistance. Then there are naturalistic driving studies (NDS), which involve the monitoring of drivers in real world conditions,” Kgoa reported.

NDS is the area of strength of the Transport Safety Lab. “With NDS, you go beyond just looking at human factors. These studies also capture the interactions between the driver, the vehicle, the road environment, and external conditions, and this offers a more holistic view of driving experiences that other types of studies may miss,” she explained.

JC Auditors’ Oliver Naidoo concluded the event, noting that a collective effort is required in the transport industry. “It’s not just about trucks, or tyres, or technology, or driver training. There are a myriad factors that need attention so that we can make a difference. We need consistency and sustainability in a long-term and holistic manner to achieve lasting benefits,” he emphasised.

Naidoo’s points were extremely valid, and the Transport Forum webinar showcased the growing importance of collaboration and innovation to drive sustainability in the road transport industry. From adopting international standards like ESG to embracing advanced technologies such as telematics and cloud-based platforms like GoMetro’s Bridge, the industry is making significant strides toward creating economically viable and environmentally responsible supply chains. The insights shared by experts across the sector highlighted that sustainable transport solutions require a holistic approach, addressing everything from driver wellness and vehicle maintenance to cutting-edge vehicle technologies and infrastructure improvements.

The good news is that through continued partnership and a commitment to best practices, it is clear that the road transport industry can significantly contribute to a greener, more efficient future.