Truck on fire on N3 toll road overnight

A truck was ablaze at Howick on Sunday night, emergency services shared.

The fire was reported just before 9pm.

The N3 toll concession operators said the route was cleared by 11pm.

Earlier, it confirmed a truck was on fire and that all lanes were obstructed to traffic, with motorists using ramps to move past the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Police were in attendance.

According to the SA Long Distance Truckers on Facebook, the truck was torched. According to a thread on their page, the truck had been parked near a squatter camp and its load of Defy appliances was looted.

The Road Freight Association said recently that based on incidents reported, some 1,300 trucks had been damaged or destroyed over the past year.

The association estimated the damage to property from destroyed trucks, trailers, the loss of labour, medical expenses and associated costs to be in the region of R1bn.