The SA 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus has left many truckers asking if they would be allowed on the road or not.
Announcing the nation lockdown, President Ramaphosa said that essential services will continue working including public and private companies.
Ramaphosa gave a list of the types of businesses that will continue working to ensure the economy does not grind to a halt. In the list, the services mentioned require goods to be delivered which means some trucks will definitely be on the road.
List of trucks that will work during SA lockdown
We have listed services that require truck deliveries to operate – if your company is servicing such clientele, then you may be working during the lockdown.
1. Electricity – stable power supply with no load shedding
- Coal delivering tipper trucks
- Fuel tankers
2. Water supply, sewerage, and sanitation
- Bulk water suppliers – water tankers
- Water treating material distributors
- Municipal trucks
- Fuel tankers
4. Food and essential products – related manufacturing and processing, and distribution
- Food distributing companies
- Medical supply freight
5. Agricultural and food supply related operations
- Stockfeed distributors
- Livestock transporters
- Fruit and veg transporters
- Agricultural supplies distribution
6. Forestry and sawmills
- Timber and forestry transporters
7. The Ports, road and rail networks
- Container freight trucks
- Road assistance, towing and recovery vehicles
What this list entails is that all trucking companies involved in warehousing, transport, and logistics for food and essential products will operate. Essential products include toilet paper, cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants, personal hygiene products, bedding and clothing, and essential supplies for those taking care of the sick and in order for people to remain healthy.
Other than the above, businesses will need to shut down during the lockdown. Ramaphosa said that a detailed list of the businesses that continue work will be released before the lockdown.
Nothing has been said about trucking businesses focussing on transporting non-essential goods. These include, but not limited to;
- Abnormal load movers
- Cement trucks
- Trucks delivering hardware
- Trucks delivering steel
- Tipper trucks transporting manganese, chrome and other mine products
- Container freight trucks transporting clothes
- Copper transporting trucks
- Car freight trucks
- Beer trucks, hahaha!
- Removal companies
In summary, if your trucking company does freight for essential services including imports you definitely will be operating. Fuel and gas tankers will definitely operate as they are an integral part of any operation essential or not. More information will be availed about those truckers dealing with non-essential services which include exports of minerals as mines will either cut or stop production.
