DATA FROM Altron subsidiary Netstar released yesterday has revealed the massive impact of last week’s protests and looting on the trucking industry’s ability to deliver goods to market.
Netstar said that, for instance, three major clients lost more than 613 000km in delivery miles in five days. That is the equivalent of travelling around the globe 15 times.
The vehicle telematics company said that between July 10 and July 16, their clients’ ability to deliver goods across the country fell by more than 74 percent compared to the previous three months.
The three clients cited had to cancel or delay nearly 30 000 delivery trips.
Netstar said their commercial clients were the hardest hit in KwaZulu-Natal, with more than 78 percent of transport vehicles unable to travel during the protests. Although Gauteng was severely impacted initially, with nearly half of all trucks standing still, its clients in the province were able to recover faster, to lose only 15 percent of their delivery capacity.
However, Netstar said the industry started to show signs of recovery towards the end of the week, with the average number of trips returning to near-normal levels, except in KwaZulu-Natal, which suffered a net loss.
Netstar managing director Pierre Bruwer said they were closely monitoring developments across the country, even as the situation normalised.
BUSINESS REPORT