NiDa Group has confirmed that the driver in the viral reckless video which appeared on social media last weekend was fired on Wednesday.
According to Pieter Kwakernaak, operations director for the KZN trucking company, the company initiated a disciplinary hearing on Monday immediately after the incident came to light.
That hearing was completed on Wednesday, resulting in the immediate termination of the truck driver’s employment.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to bad driving and cannot afford to be involved with a case of reckless and dangerous driving,” Kwakernaak said.
The side tipper trucker’s antics on Sunday caused an uproar on social media and calls were made that the driver is removed from the road if it was proved that he was reckless.
Read also: Watch: NiDa truck driver recklessly overtaking, pushing a bakkie off the road
NiDa acted swiftly to address the matter showing the great power social media had to hold companies to account.
Kwakernaak, however, believes the driver sealed his fate by his transgressions which the company would still have picked from cameras installed in the truck.
“All our vehicles are fitted with three cameras, everything was monitored to alert operations personnel on a need-to-know basis when drivers commit acts like speeding, cellphone handling while driving, or any non-adherence to Ni-Da’s code of conduct,” Kwakernaak said.
This is in keeping with what Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly said on Friday – that the association expects all members to adhere to a Core Code aimed at governing safe and responsible road use.
Kelly said reckless driving is completely unacceptable and added that more than 80% of all incidents on the road are due to human error.
Kwakernaak said the company was surprised by the driver’s behaviour as he has always been on the right side of the law in the one year he has been at the company.
“He was vetted by all our pre-employment checks, had a clean record, and in the year or so that he had been with us, hadn’t been a cause for concern. We don’t know what led him to drive like that,” Kwakernaak added.
In another video of apparent reckless driving caught on camera, a Diraro truck was filmed after almost causing a crash on the R24 at Olifantsnek pass. The company responded by explaining how the driver was forced into the position by another driver.
However, Diraro noted that their driver could learn how he could have done things differently by analysing the video of the incident.
Truck drivers are urged to always drive cautiously and note the power of social media which saw these two drivers being exposed. Just know, you don’t know who is watching!
