The Expert will be specific knowledgeable people at the Department of Transport, Arrive Alive Communications, the Road Traffic Management Corporation or others who might have the expertise to answer the question.
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REGULATION 227 (1) (a) (iii) states that the legal limit for rear projection must be more than 1.8 metres.
Regulation 229 (2) (b) speaks about red flags.
If the load projects more than 300mm then red flags have to be used. The flags must not be less than 300 millimetres by 300 millimetres.
The road traffic act states in regulation (247) that no person shall carry people in a goods compartment of a vehicle for hire and reward. The act further states that if you are carrying people not for reward (your own workers)in a goods compartment then following provisions must apply if the person is seated the sides must be of a height of not less than 350mm and if the person is standing a height of not less than 900mm. If tools or equipment are conveyed it must housed in separate compartment. Sometimes when people are being transported in a bakkie we notice that the rear hatch is opened and people sticking parts of their body out the vehicle which compromises safety.
These widths are governed by engineering principles and design guidelines, not by law.
Operators have training programmes (of varying complexity and scope) for their drivers and the roles they may fulfill. There is no standard manual / booklet for this purpose.
Currently - the basic conditions of employment plus the parameters accepted by unions and employers at the Bargaining Council define the hours of operation and the necessary rest / relaxation periods.
Thank you for your enquiry.
T - Tare - empty mass of vehicle with fuel V - Gross vehicle mass - maximum mass on the wheels of the specific vehicle DT - Gross combination mass - maximum mass of the vehicle and any trailer drawn by it
Note that the tare does not include the mass of items added on the vehicle over and above the tare.
Theoretically the maximum load on the truck tractor is 14230 - 6520 = 7710kg In the same manner, maximum load on the semitrailer is 13700 - 5860 = 7840kg The maximum load on the combination limited by the DT of the truck tractor is 41000 - 6520 - 5860 = 28620kg but this is more than 7710 + 7840 = 15550kg allowed for the total of this combination.
Thus the maximum operative mass for the combination in your specific case is 15550 + 6520 + 5860 = 27930 kg. Another way of calculation is GVM + GVM = 27930kg
------ For interest sake:
If an interlink with the same tare and GVM as the semitrailer was added to the combination, the maximum load increases by another 7840 kg, i.e. 15550 + 7840 = 23390kg.
The maximum load on the combination limited by the DT of the truck tractor is 41000 - 6520 - 5860 - 5860 = 22760kg so now the load it is limited by the GCM of the truck tractor :). The maximum operative mass is 41000kg in this case.
Section 4 of the National Road Traffic Act requires that all motor vehicles be registered and licenced. Before this Act came into force in March 2001, the old road traffic act limited registration and licensing to vehicles operated on a public road. Thus, since March 2001, tractors and trailers used on farms, offroad motor cycles, harvesters, graders, frontloaders, forklifts etc. are liable for registration and licensing.
Quadrucycles were exempted from licensing on 27 May 2009. These vehicles must still be registered on every change of title holder or owner, but licensing is no more required. Arrears and penalties have been added to the accounts of owners of unlicenced quadrucycles.
There is no rule that prevents children from sitting in front seats but however the regulation that governs the wearing of seatbelts is mentioned below. Please take note
Regulation 213 of the National Road Traffic Act (ACT 93/1996) is fairly complicated. It deals with adults and children separately.
Adult – 15 years and older and or 1.5m and taller.
Child – between 3 – 14 years, unless taller than 1.5m.
Children: under 3 years – Do not have to wear a seat belt. If a child restraint is available in the motor vehicle, the child must be seated in it. (Child restraints are not compulsory, but a child must be seated in it if there is one in the vehicle).
Children: 3 years to 14 years – the driver must see to it that a child is seated in a seat with a seatbelt, if one is available. (If the driver and a child are driving in a vehicle and the front seats are equipped with seatbelts, but the rear seats are not, the child must sit in the front seat and wear the seatbelt). The driver will be charged if a child under 3 is not wearing a seatbelt in a motor vehicle, and a seat with a seatbelt is available in the vehicle.
Your frustration can be understood, as you missed two opportunities to retain your previous driving licences:
1. Apply for conversion of your South African driving licence which was in your ID, before 30 April 2003 (Section 18(6)) or
2. Apply for conversion of your UK driving licence within before December 2005, a year after your return (Regulation 110(3)).
The law is applicable to a person regardless of him / her being informed about the content or not. Holders of valid foreign driving licences are indeed allowed to drive on the public road, but must not be ordinarily resident in South Africa at the time of obtaining that licence and is required to convert such licence within the year after obtaining permanent residence. Actual driver behaviour is not influenced by the validity of the driving licence the person holds. Driver license testing attempts to assess the ability of the applicant to understand and obey the rules of the road and to deter persons without this assessed knowledge from driving. Merely flying to the UK and back will not make the UK licence valid for conversion again as you have to stay in the foreign country for a substantial period.
Your only option within the legal framework is to pass your driving licence test.
If the Indian driving licence is not in English then an official translation (issued by a competent authority usually the high commission or consulate) must accompany the licence.
In addition the licence must contain a photograph and signature of the holder, and must still be valid.
If the above conditions are met then the license is acknowledged in South Africa. When it comes to purchasing vehicles, if the purchase does not require financing to be arranged then I don’t foresee any problems. However, some institutions may insist on a SA licence before extending finance. This is however not legislated anywhere in the road traffic legislation, but rather a terms and conditions issue of the institution.
Should you require a SA driving licence you will have to apply for a learner’s licence and then thereafter a driving licence. You will have to call the call centre to secure a booking on 0860GAUTENG (0860428836).
