The SADC Truck Drivers’ Association says the increase in toll fees for certain heavy-duty and abnormal-load vehicles as announced by the finance minister during his budget speech, will further compound challenges for a sector already grappling with poor conditions of service.
But SADC Truck Drivers Association President Eugene Ndhlovu says the increment will add to the already high cost of transportation, along with the recently hiked fuel price and may provide employers with another excuse not to improve drivers’ conditions of service.
Mr. Ndhlovu believes that truck owners will be afraid of adhering to the provisions of statutory instrument number 13 of 2022 and will use the extra cost of toll fees as a reason to restrict spending, which will impede the drivers fight for improved wages from their employers.
He is of the view that government should have conducted more consultations before increasing toll tariffs, warning that this decision has the potential to escalate protests from truck drivers.
