AARTO Fleet Solutions

by Dennis Jackson

A major traffic law amendment such as AARTO creates significant challenges for the fleet environment This includes a potentially negative impact, with serious consequences, on company transport as a whole. The implications are indeed alarming to the uninformed.

Fleet managers can no longer set direction through vision, mission or purpose statements alone, and expect employees to comply without being provided with the necessary information and training. The objective here should preferably be commitment, not blind obligatory compliance.

Fleet operators need to be adequately prepared for the impending points demerit system. The spokesperson for the Department of Transport (DOT) has indicated that the implementation date will be before 31^st March 2012. Speculation in the industry is that it could be as early as January 2012. There are many contradictions within the Act, which are being amended by DOT. Fleet operator staff required to drive as part of their business function, urgently need to familiarise themselves with the implications of ignoring traffic laws. This needs to be done prior to the implementation of AARTO!

Failure to comply with AARTO legislation could result in dire consequences. The role of a fleet manager in relation to AARTO, is to provide key fleet personnel with the necessary knowledge and to extend their capabilities in order to administrate and deal with the new system. In addition, business objectives need to be achieved while adhering to road traffic laws. Indeed, the result will be significant financial savings - an essential benefit to any company.

An astounding component of the Act is how many diverse employees are affected by its obligations. In reality, it affects anyone with a drivers licence. In the corporate environment, supply sequences can face logistics and mobility obstacles if systems are not in place to cope with possible driver disqualifications under the new administrative framework.

A fleet manager’s responsibility is to limit the demerit points accumulated by his drivers. If a driver breaches a first infringement notice, it continues to a ‘courtesy letter’, and on to an ‘enforcement order’, whereby, in 60 days, the Sheriff of the Court is authorised to seize and sell movable property and deface the licence discs and operator cards of the entire fleet. However, in order to reward good driving, a point will be reduced every three months if no infringements occur within that period.

Fleet operators will require adaptable and flexible systems to be adequately prepared when the new system is implemented. It is important for fleet operators to consider the impact of the legislation on labour contracts. Procedures need to be drawn up to ensure that employees are well informed of the implications and requirements of the Act, as well as being familiar with company policies in this regard.

Under the AARTO system, drivers earn demerit points if they commit traffic infringements. This will be reflected on the National Contravention Register on eNatis. After 12 demerits a driver's licence will be suspended. A third suspension of a drivers licence will result in the permanent revocation of all classes of that licence. In terms of the Act, an employer will need an employee’s written consent to obtain his or her demerit points record, and, as such, labour contracts would need to be further reviewed. In addition, there will be the resultant difficulties in terms of drivers who have had their licences revoked yet need to drive in the performance of their employment responsibilities.

This could have a major impact on corporate vehicle policies and practices. Out of necessity, systems will have to be implemented to determine who was driving a vehicle at any particular time. It is imperative that drivers are educated about how the new system operates and the potential consequences for them as well as the company as a whole if they do not comply with the new legislation.

AARTO education will increase driver awareness and responsibility and reduce bad driving practices. Thus, fleet vehicle contraventions and accidents will indeed be deterred by the new act. Additionally, improved driver awareness could have significant benefits for the company in terms of reduced fuel and maintenance costs.

Fleet owners and operators are urged to be fully prepared for the impending AARTO Act, and demerit system, which demands greater clarification on ownership and responsibility to ensure that demerit points are not incorrectly credited to an individual driver. Operational accountability is therefore a fundamental issue that must be directly addressed by the fleet operator. AARTO compliance is, after all, an integral part of Risk Management.