South Africa’s surge in trucking that’s emerged largely due to higher coal prices and train bottlenecks may lead to catastrophic job losses in the road transport sector when factors ease, according to the head of the state-owned port and rail company.
Over 3 500 trucks per day carry mined products across the nation’s roads, more than double such traffic in 2020, according to Minerals Council South Africa. "We have created the demand — our failure on one hand and also the demand of the mining industry has created the trucking industry," she said."For the vast majority of the truckers, they are moms and pops, who when they left work took their pensions and bought a truck because there was an opportunity."
But prices for export coal have dropped more than 50% in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2022, Exxaro Resources Ltd. reported Thursday in a results statement.