This is how much money truck drivers get paid in South Africa
The Department of Labour has announced new minimum wages for South Africans who drive as wholesale and retail truck drivers.
According to the department, for those who work as drivers, the maximum permissible number of hours per 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.
For long-haul truck drivers, working more than 70 hours per week is not uncommon which has led to complaints within the industry of driver fatigue, which leads to accidents.
Previous research conducted by the Interdisciplinary Accident Research Centre in South Africa, revealed that driver fatigue is one of the main causes of truck crashes, with 41% of accidents being fatigue related.
Drivers are 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. |
Drivers working in Area A are set to receive a minimum wage increase of 5.1% as of 1 February 2018, while drivers working in Area B can expect a minimum wage increase of 6.6% as of the same date.
The monthly revised pay is as follows for the period of 1 February 2018 to 28 February 2019:
| Driver type | Area A | Area B |
|---|---|---|
| Light (3,500 kg or less) | R3 748.79 | R3 250.56 |
| Medium (3,501 kg – 9,000 kg) | R4 487.18 | R3 883.52 |
| Heavy (9,000 kg – 16,000 kg) | R4 885.48 | R4 644.56 |
| Very Heavy (16,001 kg or over) | R5 368.18 | R5 104.09 |
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