Transnet launches automated truck booking system in DCT Pier 1

Durban – Transnet Port Terminals has launched an automated Truck Booking System (TBS) to tackle congestion in the South Durban area.

The system went online from Monday at Durban’s Container Terminal’s Pier 1.

Terminal manager Lulamile Mtetweni said the aim was to reduce the waiting time for trucks accessing its container terminals nationally with the automated TBS.

He said the system has already been introduced at the harbour’s Pier 2, which can receive about 3000 trucks a day.

“Congestion has been a feature of roads around our ports for a long time now, which necessitated a system that will help reduce congestion and improve efficiency. In conjunction with other stakeholders, Transnet is now tackling the congestion. The truck booking system is one of the projects being rolled out as part of the collaborative decongestion project. The system was pronounced mandatory at the start of the National Lockdown,” Mtetweni said.

He said Pier 1, which can receive about 1000 trucks a day, started with a manual booking system and has successfully upgraded to the automated system which is yet to be rolled out to Durban Roro Terminal, the Cape Town Container Terminal, and the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal before the end of this year.

The introduction of the system to Pier 1 is critical as it will improve the terminal’s staging time as well as truck turnaround time, said Mtetweni.

He said in the 2019 financial year, Pier 1 handled 287,058 trucks, and that the booking system which has been optional, will now be mandatory.

“No truck will come to the Terminal without an appointment. The system is internet-based and allows a user, typically a truck owner, to log on and book a slot when they are to collect or drop off a container. It allows TPT to utilise the full 24-hour cycle to allow for the smooth movement of trucks in and out of terminals. The system allows for a change of time slot should a truck encounter an unforeseen delay,” he said. Daily News