Truck drivers plying the N3 route are warned to be careful where they sleep if they can’t make it into a truck stop.
This after a driver woke up to find thieves siphoning diesel from his truck while he was sleeping on the side of the road a few metres before Tugela toll gate on the N3 southbound.
A truck driver who stopped after noticing diesel containers lined up in front of his truck told SA Trucker what happened.
“I stopped for a brief recess on the northbound lanes when the driver approached me asking if I could keep an eye on the diesel containers as he wanted to fetch more from the bush.”
“He told me that he woke up around 04h00 after hearing noises and when he went to investigate, he found a long pipe connected to his tank leading to the bush.”
“He followed the pipe into the bush where he saw the suspects fleeing from the scene and discovered several containers which they had already filled up,” said the source.
Read also:Crime Hotspots on the N3 that every trucker should know
In total, the thieves had filled up 12 containers from the truck’s tank.
The truck driver is lucky that he was not physically attacked after catching the thieves in action as they usually do in such circumstances. Hence, drivers should rather avoid exposing themselves to criminal to ensure their safety.
This is not the first time such a crime has occurred at this spot, truck drivers are urged to avoid sleeping in the vicinity of the toll gate.
Crime on the N3 is a problem that has always been there, by sleeping anywhere on the freeway one exposes themselves to attacks by thieves who are always patrolling the freeway in search of victims.
Trucking companies are advised to ensure that there have accounts with at least two truck stops on the busy highway to ensure that drivers have somewhere to rest before fatigue kicks in.
There are over 11 truck stops on the N3 in strategic places including Pinetown, Cato Ridge, Camperdown, Pietermaritzburg, Mooi River, Estcourt, Tugela, Van Reenen, Harrismith, Warden, Villiers, Vosloorus and Wadeville.
