Truck bodies and trailers manufacturing company Serco says the poor condition of some roads in South Africa, as well as a shortage of new trucks, is boosting its repair business.

"The damage vehicles suffer owing to the poor road conditions and the challenges with sourcing new trucks owing to global supply chain shortages and delays at the country’s ports have resulted in transporters having to make their vehicles last longer. Serco has seen a noticeable increase in repair sales as a result," says Serco MD Charl Coetzee.

Serco has extensive repair facilities at its branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha.

"We are seeing a lot of damage to suspensions, tyres and rims and airbags on heavy vehicles, a large amount of which has been caused by the state of roads in some parts of our country.

“The increasing age of fleets is also contributing to more maintenance being needed to retain the vehicle integrity and limit costly breakdowns. Delays with new replacement vehicles are also expected to continue this year and into 2023,” he notes.

“With the fall-off in business during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was our repair division that played a leading role in keeping our heads above water,” he points out.

Despite giving its repairs business a boost, Serco is calling for urgent action to deal with poor road conditions.

Indications are that in many areas the state of roads, especially in country districts, is getting worse rather than improving, it says.

"My personal opinion is that in the interests of the economy, as well as motorists generally, South Africa needs a concerted national effort from authorities all over the country to rebuild our road network rather than doing patch-up jobs, which often don't last.

"An efficient road transport network is vital for the prosperity of South Africa. The industry cannot perform at its optimum if so many roads are in a mess," says Coetzee.

A spokesperson for a national supermarket chain notes that many roads in the country, especially those in urban and semi-urban areas, are in a poor condition, with potholes being a serious hazard for the supermarket chain's trucks and trailers.

The spokesperson says the company's vehicles also suffer damage from overhanging trees, especially in country areas, on poorly maintained roads.

"We experience damage where our vehicles are unable to avoid potholes while branches from overhanging trees cause damage to windscreens, cabs, fridges, boxes and branding on the side of our big trailers.

“Our focus is on the safety of our drivers and the current general condition of roads puts our drivers at risk. In some areas in South Africa, we specify that our trailers must be fitted with dual tyres to mitigate the risk of blowouts," the supermarket spokesperson adds.