Perceptions of the road transport management system (RTMS): promoting voluntary certification

Abstract

This paper investigates perceptions of the Road Transport Management System (RTMS) accreditation scheme as well as the impact of RTMS awareness workshops aimed at increasing certification in South Africa. The RTMS is a voluntary, self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and road transport operators toward best practice in road transport. The surveyed views of various stakeholders provide insights into perceptions of the RTMS. Respondents indicate that improved safety, operational efficiency and reduced road crashes are perceived as attractive benefits to implementing the RTMS. The main obstacles to certification are a lack of awareness of the RTMS and a poor understanding of the requirements for becoming certified. The RTMS workshop achieves its objectives of imparting knowledge of the RTMS as well as motivating workshop participants toward RTMS certification. Effective marketing of the RTMS workshop should be implemented with a view to attracting road transport operators that are not RTMS-certified to attend such workshops.