The Road Freight Association (RFA) has issued one of its strongest warnings yet over South Africa’s AARTO rollout, saying parts of the system could leave commercial vehicles parked, overwhelm the appeals process and place enormous pressure on transport operators across the country.
The warning comes just days after the latest phase of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) implementation began, with industry bodies, municipalities and fleet operators continuing to raise concerns about whether South Africa is truly ready for nationwide enforcement.
While the RFA says it fully supports initiatives that improve road safety and reduce road deaths, CEO Gavin Kelly believes the current AARTO framework is too complex and risks creating operational problems that could ultimately hurt the economy without achieving its intended goals.
Trucks could be forced off the road
One of the Association’s biggest concerns is the demerit point system for vehicles, rather than only for drivers.
According to the RFA, a commercial vehicle that accumulates too many demerit points could have its operator card suspended or cancelled. Without a valid operator card, that truck cannot legally operate, even if it has since been repaired and declared roadworthy.
The Association argues this could leave transport companies with valuable assets sitting idle, disrupting deliveries, increasing costs and reducing fleet availability.
“Scrap points on vehicles,” Kelly said, describing the system as unnecessary and unlike the approach adopted in many other countries where enforcement focuses on changing driver behaviour instead of penalising the vehicle itself.
Appeals system could face a massive backlog
The RFA also questions whether the administrative side of AARTO is ready for the volume of infringements expected nationwide.
Using figures from Johannesburg and Tshwane alone, the Association says more than 1.8 million traffic infringements were issued during 2024.
If just 10% of those fines were challenged, it estimates the AARTO Appeals Tribunal would need to deal with roughly 180,000 appeals.
That could translate into hundreds of appeals every working day before considering cases from the rest of South Africa.
The RFA believes this could create significant delays while placing additional pressure on already busy licensing centres that would be responsible for processing documentation and assisting motorists with appeals.
Questions remain over AARTO’s readiness
Another concern raised by the freight industry is whether the administrative structures required under AARTO are fully operational.
The Association questions whether sufficient tribunal members have been appointed, whether municipalities have budgeted for the additional workload and whether licensing authorities have enough staff to cope with the expected increase in administrative duties.
These concerns echo those raised by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), which recently argued that many municipalities are not financially or operationally ready for AARTO implementation and sought legal intervention over the rollout.
Fleet replacement could become more difficult
The RFA believes vehicle demerit points could also have unintended financial consequences.
Transport companies regularly sell older vehicles and replace them with newer models. However, if a truck carries demerit points, buyers may be reluctant to purchase it or may offer substantially less.
The Association warns this could slow fleet renewal programmes, reduce resale values and increase the overall cost of doing business throughout the transport industry.
Road safety remains the priority
Despite its criticism, the RFA says it remains committed to improving road safety and reducing crashes.
The Association argues that South Africa should concentrate enforcement on the relatively small number of high-risk behaviours that contribute to the majority of fatal crashes, rather than introducing an extensive administrative system covering thousands of possible infringements.
It also notes that many countries with successful demerit systems have well-developed public transport networks, giving motorists alternatives when licences are suspended—something South Africa largely lacks.
Government maintains AARTO will improve compliance
Government has consistently maintained that AARTO is intended to create a fair, administrative process for handling traffic offences while encouraging safer driving through the demerit point system.
The rollout was previously postponed to allow municipalities more time to prepare, with authorities citing the need for additional training, system integration and funding before implementation.
The road ahead
As AARTO continues to expand, the debate is shifting from whether South Africa needs stronger traffic law enforcement to whether the current system is practical enough to deliver meaningful improvements.
For the road freight industry, the stakes are particularly high.
If the RFA’s concerns prove justified, transport operators could face increased administration, longer delays in resolving infringements and the possibility of otherwise roadworthy trucks being removed from service—adding further pressure to an industry that keeps South Africa’s economy moving.
Whether AARTO delivers safer roads or creates new operational headaches is likely to become clearer as implementation gathers pace over the coming months.
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