Delivery and goods transport on an e-hailing platform is a different service from carrying passengers, and it engages a different part of the transport framework. The vehicle, the licence and the insurance all differ.
This page covers what a bakkie used for platform deliveries requires, and the goods transport rules that apply on top of the platform’s.
Driver or Vehicle Requirements at a Glance
What a bakkie used for platform delivery generally requires.
- The applicable operating licence or authorisation for goods transport, where the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009 requires it
- A current roadworthy certificate and valid vehicle licence
- Registration in the operator’s name, or documented authority to use the vehicle
- Comprehensive insurance covering commercial goods transport — not personal use
- A driver with a valid driver’s licence for the vehicle class
- A professional driving permit (PrDP) for the applicable category, where required
- A load area suitable for the goods carried, with tie-down points and covering
- A vehicle meeting the platform’s year model, type and condition requirements
Licence and Eligibility Requirements
Goods transport has its own rules. Confirm with your provincial regulatory entity and the licensing authority what authorisation applies to the vehicle and the service you intend to provide, and what professional driving permit category is required. Passenger and goods requirements are not the same.
Vehicle mass matters. Requirements including the driving licence code, professional driving permit category and roadworthy testing frequency depend on the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass. Check the vehicle’s figure on the registration certificate rather than assuming.
Load restraint is a legal requirement under the road traffic framework and a serious safety matter. An unsecured load that shifts or falls is an offence and a cause of accidents. Use proper tie-downs, load evenly, and cover loose loads.
Do not overload. A vehicle’s permissible maximum is on the registration certificate, and exceeding it is an offence, invalidates the insurance position and makes the vehicle dangerous. Payload includes the driver, passengers and everything in the load area.
Insurance must cover goods in transit as well as the vehicle. Ask specifically whether customers’ goods are covered, to what value, and what the excess is — because a damaged load is the claim you are most likely to face.
Vehicle, Inspection and Safety Requirements
Condition standards and inspections apply as on any platform, and the load area condition is assessed too.
Tyres and brakes carry more load on a working bakkie and wear faster. Budget them as a cost per kilometre and check them frequently.
Physical risk is part of the work. Loading and unloading causes back injuries, and helping a customer move heavy items is where most of them happen. Establish before accepting a job whether you are expected to load and carry, and decline what you cannot do safely.
Establish liability for the goods. If a customer’s furniture is damaged, who pays? Ask the platform what its terms say and check your own insurance. This is the question most drivers have not asked before it arises.
Keep records and take photographs. Photograph the load before and after every job, dated. It is the only defence in a damage dispute.
Insurance must cover commercial use. A personal motor policy generally excludes e-hailing, which means a claim after an accident while carrying a passenger is likely to be rejected. Declare the use, obtain a policy that covers it, and confirm the excess and whether passengers are covered.
Documents, PrDP or Supporting Evidence
What is needed to register the vehicle.
- A valid operating licence or authorisation
- The vehicle registration certificate and current licence disc
- A current roadworthy certificate
- Comprehensive insurance schedule showing e-hailing cover
- A valid driver’s licence and professional driving permit
- A police clearance certificate, where the platform requires it
- A letter of authority from the owner, where the driver is not the owner
- Proof of identity and the right to work in South Africa
- Banking details in the operator’s own name
- The applicable goods transport authorisation, where required
- Proof of the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass and permissible payload
- Goods-in-transit insurance details, where held
Registration or Application Process
The operating licence is the legal requirement, not the platform’s. The National Land Transport Act requires the applicable operating licence or authorisation for a public transport service, issued through the provincial regulatory entity. Platform registration is not a substitute, and operating without it exposes the vehicle to impoundment. Confirm the current requirements with your provincial regulatory entity.
Confirm the licence and permit position for goods transport before starting, because it differs from the passenger position and the consequences at a roadblock fall on the driver.
Ask the platform what it covers — liability for goods, what happens in a dispute, and what insurance it requires or provides. Get the answer before the first job.
Decline unsafe loads. An overloaded or unsecured load, or one you cannot restrain properly, is not worth the fare. That decision is always available.
Keep records of trips, earnings and expenses. Income from this work is taxable and must be declared to SARS, and expenses actually incurred in producing it are deductible — but only with records. Registering as a provisional taxpayer may apply; confirm with SARS.
- Confirm the goods transport authorisation with the regulatory entity
- Check the professional driving permit category required
- Check the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass and permissible payload
- Never overload — it is an offence and voids the insurance position
- Restrain and cover every load properly
- Confirm whether customers’ goods are insured and to what value
- Establish who is liable for damaged goods before the first job
- Photograph every load before and after, dated
- Establish whether you are expected to load and carry
- Budget tyres and brakes as a cost per kilometre
Frequently Asked Questions
Are goods and passenger requirements the same?
No. Goods transport engages different authorisations, professional driving permit categories and insurance. Confirm the position with your provincial regulatory entity and licensing authority.
What determines the licence and permit category?
Largely the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass, which is on the registration certificate. Check it rather than assuming.
Who pays if a customer’s goods are damaged?
Ask the platform what its terms say and check your own insurance, specifically whether goods in transit are covered and to what value. Ask before the first job, not after.
What protects me in a damage dispute?
Dated photographs of the load before and after every job. It is the only defence that works.
Goods transport authorisations, permit categories, load and mass rules and platform terms are set by the provincial regulatory entities, the licensing authorities and the platforms, and are revised. Confirm current requirements with each.