Keeping your truckers and fleet safe during overnight stops in South Africa is more about seeing stops as part of the journey instead of a break from the journey. By implementing a route planner schedule and routine safety measures against hijacking and reckless driving, your truckers can feel safe while travelling long distances in the dark.
Technology plays an important role in these safety measures. At Cartrack, we participate in the ever-evolving safety procedures that help fleet managers keep their truck drivers safe at night. We’ve also done a deep dive on truck stops and how you can implement them into your fleet’s normal routine.
Whether drivers are travelling in low light conditions or stopping at a designated truck stop, your fleet safety can be prioritised by following these important protocols.
The most common route risk challenges for truck fleets in South Africa are falling asleep at the wheel, getting distracted (especially by mobile phones) and suffering a hijacking. To counteract these risks, planning is everything. Not only should you protect your truck drivers from criminals, but often from their own dangerous habits like lack of sleep, rest and distractions.
The highest truck hijacking hotspot is still Gauteng. But Freight News suggests that SAPS’ October-to-December 2025 hijacking stats may be lower than the real numbers. Even if they are correct, an average number of 349 hijackings in 3 months is still high. South Africa’s highways are always high-risk hijacking spots, and many are conducted at night.
When drivers are resting, they’re at a higher risk of getting hijacked. Trucks are targeted mainly for their cargo and vehicle parts, so criminals (and especially syndicates) have their eyes on your trucks and their drivers.
So why are so many truckers in South Africa still being targeted?
Truck stops and regular breaks should be scheduled into every trip as a proactive method of driver safety management. This means taking a no-compromise approach to rest stops and making sure those stops are scheduled as part of the trip—not an optional “if you feel tired” activity, but as part of internal corporate compliance.
Time, distance and location are 3 telemetry data points that form part of truck stop adherence, and these can be used to monitor compliance from one day to the next.
And this is where a route planner comes in.
Safe overnight parking for FAW trucks can be found on major highways across South Africa, and planning for these stops with a route planner makes all the difference to the safety of your drivers. The stops should include a well-lit, monitored place to park and rest, a facility to buy food and refreshments, and functioning toilet facilities.
Feel free to research Zimele Truck Stop Enterprises which has currently placed 4 well-managed truck stops on N3 highway routes. These include Vaal 1 West & East, Warden, and Balmoral. Others are managed by garages and include spacious parking specifically designated for trucks.
Start by briefing your drivers that stops are compulsory for the sake of their performance. Explain that even if they feel they might be alert enough to drive, arriving at a truck stop is an opportunity to rest that might not present itself for hours at a time. Inform them that their stops will be monitored and worked into their regular KPIs.
Create an optimised route that factors in safety, good road conditions, the avoidance of real-time road works, and shortness of distance. Include stop points within the route and choose truck stops that include all the necessary amenities like secure parking, food purchases and bathrooms with toilets & showers.
Make your new truck stop mandates part of your driver safety KPIs. Use a driver scorecard system to monitor and enforce regular rest stops for your truck drivers and keep a digital log of their scores for ongoing coaching.
Choose truck stops wisely before adding them to your route plan. At your own discretion, you may favour ones that include roadside laybys, parking that accommodates truck tractors, and depot yards as opposed to those that only offer regular parking and general facilities. You should also include backup stopping points for every 6-hour leg of the trip (in case your planned stopping points are full in terms of parking).
Truck drivers are also responsible for their own safety, and should be held accountable for how they drive—especially at night. That’s why vehicle inspections and safety protocols should all form part of their daily job descriptions. But as a fleet manager, this is where you come in and interact with your truckers regularly as well.
An important tip for overnight truck inspection is to keep a digital record of all inspections done by yourself or your drivers. Cartrack’s software has a dedicated application for exactly this task, allowing you to set reminders, create inspection lists, and record compliance for every pre-trip inspection.
Other inspection tips include:
A big reason for pushback from your drivers is the concern for comfort. Many of the truck’s amenities need the battery to power, including aircon or heater, cell charging, refrigeration, and radio. Because of these amenities, your drivers might leave the truck idling while they rest or even while sleeping.
To counteract this, ensure your drivers know how expensive idling is to the company’s fleet. Let them know that idling will be monitored using telematics data and make other provisions to ensure their comfort that doesn’t involve fuel waste.
Human interaction with your truckers is one of the most important jobs you have as a fleet manager. Telematics can’t create the interpersonal relationships that remind them of safety, and this isn’t a job for AI either. Check in with your drivers on a regular basis and ask them what challenges they’re facing during overnight trips.
Keep these check-ins one-on-one and ensure a safe space where drivers can share their opinions and achieve solutions in a combined effort.
Turning your prevention strategies into a solid overnight safety policy involves the following inclusions:
Here’s how you can implement and enforce these protocols.
Inform your drivers that fatigue and distractions will be monitored using AI vehicle camera technology. Any signs of compromised safety will send an alert to the fleet manager and prompt them to take action that may involve calling the driver and forcing a rest stop.
Tell your drivers that telemetry data will be used to monitor speeds and be sure to set a speed limit for a particular space of time (like after sunset or past 6pm).
Provide your drivers with driver ID tags and show them how the vehicle won’t start unless the correct driver is attempting to operate the vehicle. Also add a breathalyser test to the pre-ignition of the vehicle so that managers are notified if the driver is intoxicated.
Make sure your drivers are aware that only approved truck stops will be permitted. Any stops in unauthorised areas will be flagged and managers will take action if drivers stop somewhere that’s unsafe or deviated from the approved route. Use GPS tracking to make sure they adhere to pre-approved stop locations.
Give your truck drivers a hardwired panic button to react appropriately in an emergency situation. If they’re hijacked or in an accident, and don’t respond within 3 minutes, assure them that a roadside emergency responder will be sent to their location.
Explain how idling in the truck (for aircon, phone charging or radio use purposes) is a massive fuel guzzler and should be avoided. Give them alternatives to idling that cost your fleet less and conserve fuel.
When it comes to trucking, Freight Mark provides supply chain solutions for various brands and industries. For them, safety is of utmost importance because their reputation depends on it. This is why they trust Cartrack with their driver monitoring and driver scorecard systems.
Since implementing our software, Freight Mark experienced "...real-time visibility with zero lag across our operations, which has significantly improved our control over fleet movements." They also reported that Cartrack's "...dashboard is intuitive, reports are generated instantly, and everything we need is accessible in one click.”
Their observations post-implementation also included:
If your truck drivers travel throughout night, learn how to keep them safe and how to promote a healthier routine of regular rest, sleep and refreshment.
