Following the recent minimum wage increase, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has published the 2022 thresholds for truck driver salary in South Africa.
The new minimum salaries will take effect as from 1 March 2022. They affect both wholesale and retail truck drivers according to their areas of operation.
2022 minimum truck driver salary in South Africa
According to the notice published by Nxesi, the minimum truck driver salary in South Africa in 2022 is R4,521.70. This applies to drivers of light trucks (3,500kg or less) in both Area A and Area B.
Area A includes the following areas: Around Bergrivier, Breede Valley, Buffalo City, Cape Agulhas, Cederberg, City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, City of Tshwane, Drakenstein, Ekurhuleni, Emalahleni, Emfuleni, Ethekwini Metropolitan Unicity, Gamagara, George, Hibiscus Coast, Karoo Hoogland, Kgatelopele, //Khara Hais, Knysna, Kungwini, Kouga, Hessequa local authority, Lesedi, Makana, Mangaung, Matzikama, Metsimaholo, Middelburg (Mpumalanga), Midvaal, Mngeni, Mogale, Mosselbaai, Msunduzi, Mtubatuba, Nama Khoi, Nelson Mandela, Nokeng tsa Taemane, Oudtshoorn, Overstrand, Plettenbergbaai, Potchefstroom, Randfontein, Richtersveld, Saldanha Bay, Sol Plaatjie, Stellenbosch, Swartland, Swellendam, Theewaterskloof, Umdoni, uMhlathuze and Witzenberg.
Area B covers all other areas that are not in Area A. The table below provides further details on the monthly salaries for both areas, depending on the truck being driven:
| Truck type | Area A | Area B |
|---|---|---|
| Light (3,500 kg or less) | R4,521.70 | R4,521.70 |
| Medium (3,501 kg – 9,000 kg) | R5,436.18 | R4,521.70 |
| Heavy (9,001 kg – 16,000 kg) | R5,917.79 | R5,627.27 |
| Very Heavy (16,001 kg or over) | R6,502.75 | R6,186.87 |
It must be remembered that these are the minimum salaries and experienced drivers usually earn considerably more than the amounts stated above.
Average salary
According to online jobs portal Indeed, the average truck driver salary in South Africa is R10,043 per month. Highly experienced drivers can earn up to R21,906 per month.
It all depends on which city drivers operate in, the type of trucks they drive, the companies they work for, the cargo they carry, how much experience they have and how many hours they work per week.
According to Nxesi’s notice, truck drivers can work a maximum of 45 hours per week, which works out to a maximum of nine hours per day in a five-day work week.
Some can choose to work six days a week, in which case they can make overtime arrangements with their employers.
Competition in the transport sector has increased considerably in recent months, along with tensions between local drivers and foreign drivers employed locally.
Speaking during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate earlier this week, Nxesi said the government will soon introduce quotas on the maximum number of foreign nationals that can be employed in various economic sectors.
“This will be done in line with the scarce and critical skills required by business as announced by the President in order to balance the needs of the labour market,” he explained.