Truck drivers minimum wages have increased by 5% in March 2022 and will increase again by 1% in September 2022, the Employment and Labour Ministry has announced.
The NBCRFLI published the minimum wages for employees working in the Road Freight and Logistics industries. This after the Minister of Employment and Labour promulgated the amendments to the Council’s Main Collective Agreement, effective from 1 March 2022.
In this regard, the increases on minimum wages, across the board and allowances applicable for the period 01 March 2022 to 28 February 2023 are as follows:
Latest truck driver salary from March 2022
Table One (Year 1):
General freight and furniture removal sectors minimum wages from 1 March 2022 until 28 February 2023
| Class | Current Minimum Wage | Minimum Wage from 1 March 2022 | Minimum Wage from 1 September 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium motor vehicle driver (both articulated and rigid) | R2231.874 | R2343.46 | R2366.90 |
| Heavy Motor Vehicle Driver (both articulated and rigid) Extra-heavy Motor Vehicle Driver (both articulated and rigid) | R2503.67 | R2628.85 | R2655.14 |
| Ultra-heavy Motor Vehicle Driver | R2983.38 | R3132.55 | R3163.87 |
| Abnormal Load Driver | R3632.77 | R3814.41 | R3852.55 |
Courier Sector wages structure is the same except for the Medium motor vehicle driver (both articulated and rigid) which increases to R2329.47 from R2218.54 and in September it will increase to R2352.76.
The above wages for medium vehicle drivers (code 10) when converted to monthly salaries means that the minimum will be R10,154.99.
Converted to monthly salaries code 14 truck drivers driving vehicles with a gross weight of 24 tonnes or less will earn R11 391.68 per month. The hourly rate for this class of code 14 drivers is R58.42.
Code 14 drivers driving vehicles with a gross weight of up to 56 tonnes (Ultra-heavy vehicles) will earn R13 574.38 at an hourly rate of R69.61.
Abnormal load truck drivers minimum monthly salary is now R16,529.11 and the hourly rate is R84.76.
Truck drivers work for a maximum permissible period of 45 hours which represents a five-day working week at a maximum of 9 hours a day.
Truck drivers can work overtime up to six days a week upon agreeing with their employer, which then makes their salaries go up significantly.
It must be noted that these are minimum wages, more experienced drivers can earn much more than this.
Read also: Truck drivers earn more in these sectors than others
Truck drivers salaries also differ with some earning substantially more based on which companies they drive for and what they transport.
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