Fears of a deadly trucking war are mounting following the torching of nine trucks on the N3 and R103 near Heidelberg on Thursday.
According to the Road Freight Association (RFA) the trucks were among at least 30 that were attacked across SA this week.
Police crime intelligence has joined the effort to track down those behind the violence, whose motives are still unclear.
The attacks on Thursday come ahead of a planned march on Transnet's Durban harbour offices tomorrow by the National Truck Foundation (NTF), which is demanding that foreign drivers be stopped from collecting cargo on the grounds that they pose a "security threat" to the country.
Transport companies are sounding the alarm over a possible repeat of last year's truck violence in which 21 drivers and crew, including South Africans, were killed.
That violence was attributed to local drivers and truck crews who were trying to stop the employment of drivers from other countries.
Mary Phadi, president of the Truck Association of SA, which represents 300 companies, said attacks had been happening without warning.
"No-one knows what's going on . We examined footage of the violence but cannot identify any perpetrators."
She said lives were at stake. "It is total anarchy. You cannot have people bombing trucks on SA's busiest trucking route with no arrests being made."
RFA CEO Gavin Kelly said the association had received reports of attacks in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal this week. The violence appeared to be "highly co-ordinated" and could be a continuation of last year's attacks.
"The attacks, especially on the N3, are hugely concerning given the economic importance of the route to SA and its neighbours," he said.
"Roughly 3,000 trucks use that route daily. It's vital it's kept secure. If these attacks continue, businesses in neighbouring countries will divert to ports in other countries."
Kelly said the latest violence could lead to people being killed. "We think the claim that foreigners are taking jobs is an excuse for something else."
Sipho Zungu, head of the All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF) which opposes the employment of any foreign crew, professed ignorance about the violence this week. "What trucks were burnt? I am sure people will use it as an excuse to blame the ATDF."
Zungu said that if trucks had been burnt, his organisation was not involved and he did not know what the motive was.
"What we can say is the issues the ATDF raised last year have not been resolved. We are angry South African truck drivers are sitting at home jobless, while foreign drivers are earning a living in trucks owned by South African businesses."
NTF general secretary Siphesihle Muthwa said the group did not know who was behind this week's attacks. "We are in the dark just like everyone else. We condemn the violence."
Gauteng police spokesperson Capt Marvin Masondo said no arrests had been made in connection with Thursday's attacks.
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