This is how much money truck drivers are paid in South Africa
The Department of Labour has published is minimum wages for truck drivers who work in the wholesale and retail sectors.
The wages, which apply retrospectively from 1 January, follow the introduction of the new national minimum wage on 1 January.
While drivers can earn significantly more based on what they haul and who they work for, these wages establish the minimum baseline across the sector.
According to the department, the maximum permissible number of hours a driver is allowed to work a week is 45. Broken down into a working week of five days, that represents a maximum of nine hours per day.
Workers can work overtime and agree to work six-day weeks, depending on the agreement they have with their employer.
Drivers are also paid in accordance to what part of South Africa they are based in:
| Covers | |
|---|---|
| Area A | Areas around Bergrivier, Breede Valley, Buffalo City, Cape Agulhas, Cederberg, City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, City of Tshwane, Drakenstein, Ekurhuleni, Emalahleni, Emfuleni, Ethekwini Metropolitan Unicity, Gamagara, George, Hibiscus Coast, Karoo Hoogland, Kgatelopele, //Khara Hais, Knysna, Kungwini, Kouga, Hessequa local authority, Lesedi, Makana, Mangaung, Matzikama, Metsimaholo, Middelburg (Mpumalanga), Midvaal, Mngeni, Mogale, Mosselbaai, Msunduzi, Mtubatuba, Nama Khoi, Nelson Mandela, Nokeng tsa Taemane, Oudtshoorn, Overstrand, Plettenbergbaai, Potchefstroom, Randfontein, Richtersveld, Saldanha Bay, Sol Plaatjie, Stellenbosch, Swartland, Swellendam, Theewaterskloof, Umdoni, uMhlathuze and Witzenberg. |
| Area B | All Areas not listed in Area A. |
Compared to the wages gazetted at the start of January 2018, most drivers have seen an increase of around 4%.
The exception is drivers in Area B who previously earned below the R20/hour national minimum wage.
These wages have been increased to a flat R3899.70 per month for both light and medium truck drivers in Area B.
The below table shows the monthly wages for drivers in both Area A and Area B:
| Driver type | Area A | Area B |
|---|---|---|
| Light (3,500 kg or less) | R3 899.70 | R3 899.70 |
| Medium (3,501 kg – 9,000 kg) | R4 689.85 | R3 899.70 |
| Heavy (9,001 kg – 16,000 kg) | R5 105.64 | R4 852.90 |
| Very Heavy (16,001 kg or over) | R5 611.10 | R5 333.91 |
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