Tyres are a ‘hot’ operational and strategic subject. Regulation 212 of the National Road Traffic Act is
the most referred to operational section of tyre law in South Africa from a maintenance, safety, and
legal benchmark viewpoint.
It deals with legal tread depth among other issues. But the end of tyre life – scrapping a tyre – is a
regulated procedure under Waste Tyre Regulations, (WTR) 2017 Published under GN 1064 in GG
41157 of 29 September 2017.
A standard operating procedure (SOP) for avoiding a loose scrap tyre waste tyre stockpile is
legislated under WTR 2017, three items for example:
an abatement plan; point 7 submission and contents of a waste tyre stockpile abatement.
plan 8 notification of a waste tyre stockpile abatement
plan 9 consideration of a waste tyre stockpile abatement plan
In short it means that scrap tyres cannot be simply thrown across the fence. Legal infringements will
be pursued under environmental care legislation where the fines are heavier. https://cer.org.za/wp-
content/uploads/2023/01/Waste-Tyre-Regs-2017.pdf
Regulation 294 - Speed Rating * It is an offence for any vehicle equipped with pneumatic tyres to
exceed the safe maximum speeds tabled by the SA Bureau of Standards (SANS1550) * The vehicle
manufacturer’s original speed-rated tyre equipment must be fitted.
Countermeasures must be tabled for immediate action following every scrap analysis to assist
operating staff avoid unnecessary losses and downtime. And then track the trend for route, driving
style and key multidiscipline that make up tyre care and safety.
There is a wide-spread misconception that minimum legal tread-depth is 1mm – wrong! Tread-depth
is not legal when tread depth is level with the tread depth indicator (TDI| inside the tyre groove,
usually 1,6mm and readable on the tyre wall.
