EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR COAL TRUCKERS IN A BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN

This report by WWF South Africa explores the potential for transitioning coal truck drivers to biomass supply chains, specifically focusing on the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The analysis suggests that a significant portion of the approximately 4,000 coal trucking jobs in South Africa could be offset by transporting sustainable biomass, with side tipper truck drivers being the most directly transferable group.

• Approximately 75% of current coal trucking jobs in South Africa could be directly transitioned to biomass transport using side tipper trucks, primarily through the transport of lignocellulosic biomass such as garden waste and cleared invasive alien plants. This could create almost 3,000 jobs for drivers of side tipper trucks.
• The development of domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production could create over 550 jobs for super link truck drivers to transport Solaris tobacco seeds from fields to oil extraction facilities, and more than 300 jobs for tanker drivers to move vegetable oil, ethanol, and syncrude to refineries.
• If South Africa fully utilizes locally available sustainable feedstock for SAF, it could generate nearly 7,500 truck driver jobs and 840 supporting roles. Of these, over 3,800 positions would be based in coal regions, providing a viable alternative for the majority of the country's 4,000 coal truckers.
• Transitioning to biomass supply chains would require specific capital investments and training: converting coal side tipper trailers to flatbeds for superlink jobs would cost between R200,000 and R300,000 per truck, and coal drivers would require additional training to operate tanker trucks.
• The lignocellulosic biomass pathway offers the highest employment potential for truck drivers due to the low bulk density of the material and the long distances required for transport.
• A transition to biomass hauling is expected to preserve most existing employment related to truck refuelling and maintenance.

APA

Chireshe, F., & Bole-Rentel, T. (2022). EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR COAL TRUCKERS IN A BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tips_alternatives_for_coal_truckers_feb_2022.pdf

Chicago

Chireshe, Farai, and Tjasa Bole-Rentel. EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR COAL TRUCKERS IN A BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN. WWF South Africa, 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tips_alternatives_for_coal_truckers_feb_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chireshe |first1=Farai |last2=Bole-Rentel |first2=Tjasa |title=EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR COAL TRUCKERS IN A BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=January 2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tips_alternatives_for_coal_truckers_feb_2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chireshe2022exploring, author = {Chireshe, Farai and Bole-Rentel, Tjasa}, title = {{EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR COAL TRUCKERS IN A BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tips_alternatives_for_coal_truckers_feb_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }