Despite a clear conflict with Regulation 224(b) of the National Road Traffic Act (1996), transporters across South Africa continue to operate high-cube containers without abnormal load permits — and authorities appear to be looking the other way.
The regulation limits the maximum permissible height for vehicles on public roads to 4.3 metres. However, when standard ISO high-cube containers are loaded onto trailers with a 1.6-metre deck height, the overall height reaches approximately 4.5 metres, placing them 20 centimetres above the legal limit.
Other categories of vehicles, including double-decker buses and car carriers, are legally permitted to operate at up to 4.6 metres under certain conditions, raising questions about the inconsistent application of the law.
Industry stakeholders have long argued for a formal amendment to Regulation 224(b). Since the regulation’s inception, they have maintained that the 4.3-metre limit is outdated and incompatible with international container standards.
In 2011, following pressure from the freight and logistics sector, the Department of Transport (DoT) issued a moratorium exempting vehicles carrying high-cube containers from prosecution under the regulation. Although originally valid for seven years, the moratorium has since been extended multiple times — a stopgap solution as negotiations between industry representatives and the government continue without resolution.
At the time of writing, the DoT had not responded to Freight News’ written request for an update on whether the regulation will be formally amended or scrapped altogether.
For now, transporters remain in legal limbo, relying on regulatory leniency rather than certainty, as one of the most pressing compliance issues in the road freight sector remains unresolved.
