In October South Africa celebrates Transport Month. This annual government initiative, declared in 2005 during the Transport Legotla, focus on the pivotal role of transporters in the South African economy, through the network of seaports, roads, railways and airports. Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, we again realised to appreciate the role and importance of transporters and drivers.

Transport month is used to raise awareness of the important role of transport in the economy and to encourage participation from civil society and business, including the provision of a safe and more affordable, accessible and reliable transport system in South Africa.

The specific objectives laid down by Government is to:

• Create awareness for the role transport plays in growing and developing our economy, and its importance to our citizens in their everyday lives
• Highlight important challenges in building an effective, safe, affordable, accessible and reliable transport system
• Promote the use of public transport to reduce traffic congestion
• Promote greater awareness of road safety behaviour for both users of vehicles, and for pedestrians

In contrast the overall South African logistics sector continued to improve during the month of August, helped by the increased activity and performance of the road freight, pipeline and air freight components of the index, realizing a strong Q3 performance in the overall CTFI.

Despite the woes of the rail sector, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index grew by 2.0% in August compared to July, which represented a 12.9% improvement compared to a year ago, and an improvement on July’s revised 9.0% year-on-year growth rate.

There is no doubt that South Africans and the South African economy is currently under pressure due to a variety of factors, so it is heartening that the transport industry as a whole continues to rise above these challenges and outperform the country’s GDP,” says Hein Jordt, Chief Executive Officer of Ctrack Africa.

During Transport Month various notable events will be taking place and share knowledge that benefits operators and industry:

• 5-7 October: Smart Mobility Africa Summit – Pretoria
• 6 October: Transport Forum; Reviewing Transport and the Economy – Sandton
• 6 & 7 October: RFA Mega-T Expo – Pretoria

Ctrack will also share ideas and showcase products that will help transporters better understand how to best utilize fleet telematics to benefit their day-to-day operations. One example of these insights is; how to best manage your fleet for optimal fuel consumption, considering the following four factors:

• Route planning and monitoring
• Speed and driver behaviour
• Vehicle inspection and maintenance
• Fuel siphoning and theft

Ctrack is proud to be associated with the Commercial Transport Academy (CTA) and in particular the Women in Trucking initiative. We celebrate, especially during Transport month, the many participants who successfully completed the CTA programme and are now part of the very important transport sector. With extensive training in advanced truck and trailer operations both in theory and practice these graduates are an inspiration for other ladies interested in the field, and continues to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of the transport sector.