Johannesburg, 13 October 2026 — Durban Gateway Terminal has named the platform that will replace its truck appointment system. According to the Sunday Times, chief executive Javier Lancha said the terminal will move to a digital solution called Navigate. He said it should give transport operators better planning, visibility and flow management. However, the DGT Navigate system 2026 rollout has no start date yet. Meanwhile, freight operators are running the terminal’s new IT system alongside a manual one, and that adds to backlogs.
In response, the Road Freight Association has set out what it wants from the new platform. CEO Gavin Kelly called for an end to unpredictable mass slot releases, with transparent and dynamic capacity planning instead. He also wants automated grace periods when road blockages, bad weather or terminal breakdowns stop a truck from making its slot. He also noted that each heavy freight vehicle carries overheads of R5,000 to R7,000 a day. “Stability at the quayside represents only half the operational equation,” he said.
Transnet, meanwhile, is standing by its partner. Chair Andile Sangqu said the backlogs would not make Transnet rethink its commitments. Instead, he called the episode a learning opportunity. He is expected to attend to the issue later this month, while chief operating officer Solly Letsoalo spent time at the terminal last week.
What The DGT Navigate System 2026 Must Fix
The booking problem is older than the new name. DGT first admitted in September that its slot system was failing. Then, in early October, it said the appointment system would be completely changed, as the Desk reported on the DGT truck booking system. Since then, quay performance has improved. In the SAAFF and BUSA weekly update reported on 4 October, DGT handled about 4,388 TEU a day. That was up 53% in a week, so it reached about 88% of 2025 levels. Even so, vessels still averaged 224 hours at anchor, and trucks still book under the old rules.
Who Answers For The Landside
Responsibility is split, however. Transnet holds 51% of the terminal, but its role is governance, so it sits on the board and approves capital spending and strategy. ICTSI, by contrast, runs operations under a 25-year concession that began in January 2026. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy then visited the terminal on 3 October, according to the Sunday Times. As a short-term step, terminal storage charges have also been waived. For his part, Lancha says operations have stabilised and that DGT will keep affected stakeholders in regular engagements, including trucking associations.
Analysis
What The DGT Navigate System 2026 Means For Fleets
As a result, the RFA figure changes the arithmetic. So far, the Desk has costed a standing truck at about R320 an hour, in its report on DGT truck delays. That basis, however, used fixed costs of about R55,000 a month, or roughly R1,830 a day. Kelly’s R5,000 to R7,000 is about three to four times that daily figure, because it covers the full overhead of a working heavy vehicle. Therefore, every hour lost at the gate costs more than the Desk’s earlier estimates suggested.
The Desk Calculation: Rebasing The Cost Of A Wasted Slot
Here are the sums, with the assumptions shown. First, the hourly rate. Spread over a 12-hour working day, R5,000 to R7,000 comes to about R420 to R580 an hour. Second, idling. In addition, a truck that idles at about three litres an hour burns roughly R100 of 50ppm diesel an hour at R33.29. So a standing truck now costs about R520 to R680 an hour, rather than R320.
Third, the wait. Hauliers reported gate waits of 4 to 22 hours in late September, as the Desk noted in its DGT recovery report. At the new rate, therefore, a four-hour wait costs about R2,070 to R2,730. A missed slot without a grace period, however, usually means a lost day, so it costs the full R5,000 to R7,000. Finally, the month. A truck that loses one day a week at the terminal carries roughly R21,700 to R30,300 a month in dead overhead.
DGT Navigate System 2026: The Cost Of Waiting
| Scenario | Earlier Desk basis | Rebased on RFA overheads |
|---|---|---|
| One hour standing | R320, including idling diesel | R520 to R680, so about double |
| Four-hour gate wait | R1,280, while trucks queued | R2,070 to R2,730 per visit |
| Eight-hour gate wait | R2,560, still before diesel rose | R4,130 to R5,470 per visit |
| Missed slot, so a lost day | About R1,830 in fixed cost | R5,000 to R7,000, rather than a few hours |
| One lost day every week | About R7,930 a month | R21,700 to R30,300 a month |
The Numbers Behind The DGT Navigate System 2026
Fleet Impact
How Fleets Can Prepare For Navigate
Hauliers cannot design the platform, but they can arrive at the consultation with evidence. Lancha has promised regular engagement with landside operators, so the data each fleet brings will carry weight. Vehicle tracking for fleet management logs arrival, gate entry and exit times for every port visit, which turns a complaint into a dated record. Digit D-Fuel shows how much of each tank went on waiting rather than driving, so the queue appears as a fuel figure as well as a time figure.
- First, log every DGT visit from arrival to exit. A dated record of waits is the strongest input a haulier can take into the Navigate consultation.
- Second, price a lost day properly. On the RFA’s figure, a missed slot costs R5,000 to R7,000, rather than just the diesel burned.
- Third, push for grace periods in writing. When a road closure or a terminal breakdown causes a missed slot, the haulier should not pay for the extra day.
- Finally, watch the start date. When the DGT Navigate system 2026 goes live, compare a month of waits before and after the change.
Fleet Technology
Fleet Technology For Port Visits
Every haulier on Bayhead Road has a story about the queue. However, few have the timestamps. DigitFMS tracking records when each truck reached the port, entered the gate and left, while Digit D-Fuel shows the diesel burned in between. As a result, they give an operator a cost per visit that it can put in front of the terminal, a customer or an insurer. Cartrack, Netstar, Tracker, Ctrack and MiX by Powerfleet sell comparable tools. DigitFMS installs and supports its systems through a national network of more than 100 franchise branches.
Key Numbers: DGT Navigate System 2026 At A Glance
Key Numbers · DGT Navigate System 2026
Navigate: replacement truck appointment platform named by DGT chief executive Javier Lancha; no start date yet, while consultation with trucking associations continues
RFA asks: an end to unpredictable mass slot releases; transparent, dynamic capacity planning; and automated grace periods for road blockages, bad weather and terminal breakdowns
Costs: heavy freight vehicle overheads of R5,000 to R7,000 a day (RFA); Desk standing cost about R520 to R680 an hour, rather than R320 before
Terminal: about 4,388 TEU a day at DGT in the 4 October update, so about 88% of 2025; 8 vessels at anchor, while the average anchorage wait was 224 hours
Ownership: Transnet 51% with a governance role only; ICTSI operates under a 25-year concession from January 2026; storage charges waived
Source: Sunday Times (Business Times), 10 October 2026; SAAFF and BUSA weekly update, as reported by Africa Ports & Ships, 4 October 2026.
Questions Answered
Frequently Asked Questions: DGT Navigate System 2026
What Is Navigate At Durban Gateway Terminal?
Navigate is the digital platform that will replace the truck appointment system at Durban Gateway Terminal. According to DGT, it should give transport operators better planning, visibility and flow management.
When Will Navigate Go Live?
DGT has not announced a date for the DGT Navigate system 2026 rollout. Instead, it says it is first consulting landside, waterside and trucking associations.
What Does The Road Freight Association Want?
First, it wants an end to unpredictable mass slot releases and transparent capacity planning. In addition, it wants automated grace periods when road blockages, bad weather or terminal breakdowns cause a missed slot.
What Does A Lost Day At DGT Cost A Haulier?
More than most estimates suggest. The RFA puts heavy-vehicle overheads at R5,000 to R7,000 a day. On the Desk’s assumptions, a standing truck therefore costs about R520 to R680 an hour once idling diesel is added.
Is Durban Gateway Terminal Recovering?
The quayside is improving. For example, DGT handled about 4,388 TEU a day in the 4 October update, which is about 88% of 2025 levels. However, vessels still averaged 224 hours at anchor, and the booking rules for trucks have not yet changed.
Will Transnet Change Its Partnership With ICTSI?
No. Transnet’s chair says the backlogs will not change its commitment to the concession, and he sees the episode as a lesson in switching systems while a terminal is running.
Facts checked 13 October 2026. Source: Sunday Times, Africa Ports & Ships and SA Trucker. Related: the Durban Gateway Terminal complaint and the TNPA separation.
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