By Chantal Gray, Managing Director at SafetyCloud
October is Transport Month in South Africa. It is a time to reflect not only on the role transport plays in keeping the economy moving but also on the responsibility we have to keep our roads safe. For organisations that manage large fleets, this responsibility becomes especially critical as we approach the end of the year, a period defined by relentless demand and heightened risk.
Rising risks on the road
The holiday surge begins with Black Friday in November, peaks through Christmas and New Year, and extends into Back to School in January. For South Africa’s manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail sectors, these three months mark the most demanding stretch of the year.
Order volumes soar. Factories ramp up production, warehouses move record stock, and delivery fleets operate under tighter schedules and heavier loads. National routes strain under the pressure, and when cross-border freight is added to the mix, the demands on drivers intensify.
The result is a perfect storm as early as October: rising volumes, stretched resources, and road networks pushed to their limits. According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), there has been an average of one truck crash every day over a five-year period – incidents driven not necessarily by mechanical failures but most often by poor decisions with devastating consequences.
During the 2024/25 festive season, 87% of crashes were linked to human factors such as fatigue, speeding, reckless overtaking, and drunk driving. This highlights a critical reality: improving driver behaviour and decision-making is central to improving road safety. For large fleets, unsafe conduct doesn’t just endanger lives. It disrupts supply chains, erodes customer trust, damages reputations, and undermines profitability.
The business case for proactive safety
For leaders of large fleets, the festive season ramp-up is both a growth opportunity and a risk multiplier. Leadership is tested not by reacting after the fact but by preparing in advance.
Preventing fatigue with smarter scheduling, maintaining vehicles and planning routes strategically are critical. But the most powerful lever is the driver. By equipping teams with defensive driving skills, you transform how they respond under pressure.
Safer drivers protect themselves, your business and the communities you serve by making better choices, staying alert and taking responsibility.
Preparing for the inevitable
The holiday season ramp-up is predictable. We know when and where risks rise. The question is how leaders prepare.
In the spirit of Transport Month, I encourage fleet leaders to act now. With the right planning and driver training, you can protect lives, reduce delays and keep your business moving.
Fleets that plan well see fewer disruptions, lower overtime costs and stronger customer relationships. Supported drivers are not only safer but also more punctual, less stressed and better representatives of your brand.
A choice of leadership
With South Africa’s roads at their busiest in the next few months, fleet managers face a choice: take the chance that luck will carry drivers and goods safely through, or lead proactively by planning ahead, investing in training and fostering a culture where safety is non-negotiable.
Let us not only move goods and people but also move towards safer roads, stronger businesses and more responsible leadership.
Feel free to reach out to SafetyCloud about our Defensive Driver Training, which combines theory with practical on-road training, producing safer and more confident drivers. Programmes also cover the transport of dangerous goods, anti-hijacking awareness and other high-risk scenarios.
REFERENCES
https://www.moonstone.co.za/beat-the-traffic-the-best-times-to-hit-the-road-this-holiday/
The Impact of the holiday season on logistics and supply chain safety – Sentric Safety Group Global