100% failure on trucks.

[daveza]

A few weeks ago I queried why trucks bound for Gauteng very often failed to even make it past Plattekloof hill before they broke down.

Now I know :-

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081027115814344C928379

Police horrified at state of SA's trucks
By Henri du Plessis

Trucks on our roads are death traps for their drivers and other road users, while law enforcers are neither properly trained nor equipped to ensure they are safe, traffic officers and experts warn.

And Cape Town was worst off, a heavy-vehicle expert said after a roadworthy check exercise on Friday.

Traffic officers tested 25 randomly picked trucks at the Brackenfell test centre and, to their horror, all 25 failed roadworthy inspections due to serious defects.

Badly worn and cracked tyres, non-functional load sensors, brakes that do not work properly, steering systems worn to the point of imminent failure and hopelessly inefficient cargo tie-downs were some of the problems identified in Cape Town on Friday.

O'Leary said the training group had been to various busy parts of the country, such as City Deep in Johannesburg, Kroonstad in the Free State and Estcourt in KwaZulu- Natal. At City Deep, officers pulled over and checked 24 trucks. Of those, 21 failed roadworthy checks.

But they'll just keep on trucking.

 

[ebie]

A few weeks ago I queried why trucks bound for Gauteng very often failed to even make it past Plattekloof hill before they broke down.

Now I know :-

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081027115814344C928379



But they'll just keep on trucking.

Locally referred to as "Broketruck Mountain"

 

[Nod]

I noticed an increase in broken down trucks, or truck struggling to get up the hill towards Rigel Ave from Atterbury on the N1. Traffic just loves slow trucks, everybody crawls to have a look at the slow turning wheels

 

[Jase]

QFT Nod. I used to get on the N1 at Atterbury but switched to Rigel as we are guaranteed of a broken down truck between Atterbury and Rigel on a daily basis.

 

[Divestar]

Hope this is still on topic...

I have noticed an incease in the number of trucks driving with their hazard lights flashing at night due to their tail lights being off. (Even driving out of a trafic control center in Middelburg, Mpumalanga)

Can anybody explain this?

 

[Park@82]

I noticed an increase in broken down trucks, or truck struggling to get up the hill towards Rigel Ave from Atterbury on the N1. Traffic just loves slow trucks, everybody crawls to have a look at the slow turning wheels

Story of my life or every second day of it at least. Why does these trucks always pick this spot to break

 

[Nod]

Story of my life or every second day of it at least. Why does these trucks always pick this spot to break

Maybe they are overloaded? Or the engine had not been serviced all that frequent? Or any of a thousand other contributing factors.

 

[Sneeky]

JUst listen to the traffic reports in and around the city everyday.
The congestion is almost always becuase of a broken down truck.

 

[BigChop]

And if the SA Railway system was up to scratch, we would not need to transport everything by truck.

My 2c

 

[Kim_Webchick]

Well its good to know that there is something being done about them.

 

[flarkit]

I noticed an increase in broken down trucks, or truck struggling to get up the hill towards Rigel Ave from Atterbury on the N1. Traffic just loves slow trucks, everybody crawls to have a look at the slow turning wheels

I blame 50% of the traffic problems between Jhb and Pretoria on these poorly maintained vehicles. Fining the companies doesn't seem to work, since they simplyincrease their transport costs. There has to be a more practical way to make people see the benefits of keeping cargo vehicles in proper running order

 

[Arthur]

There has to be a more practical way

The shortest way is 100 years of quality education, sound moral formation, and excellent policing.

 

[daveza]

Force every truck that breaks down on the hill to go for a roadworthy.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Easier solution, force every truck to go for a roadworthy every 6 months, and if it fails twice... it gets confiscated and crushed....

That should be enough of a deterrent for the trucking companies to keep things roadworthy if you ask me... fines don't work since the guy can still earn a living off the vehicle.. if you threaten to take away that which he uses to generate income he will probably spend money in an attempt to keep the vehicle on the road.

 

[slayerza]

+1 for the crusher idea

 

[medicnick83]

And if the SA Railway system was up to scratch, we would not need to transport everything by truck.

My 2c

Then we would have rail accidents.

There is no 'better' alternative... either way, problems will start to pop up... it's because people neglect things that work till they stop working - then it's too late.

 

[Bismuth]

Trucks should only be allowed on the highways at certain times, plus all the other recommendations here. The one mentioning a roadworthy every six months, and two failures will send the truck to a crusher, is particularly notable.

B