A company that lives up to its name – literally!

For advice on doing overborder clearing and forwarding, it’s logical to go to a reputable firm with overborder as part of its name. Willie Stuart, founder and owner of Speedy Overborder, says that a reason the Jo’burg to Gaborone route is one of his company’s most profitable is that the drivers have “down pat” the procedure to move goods swiftly through border customs operations. But more use of available technology would make cross border passage not only faster but also more coherent, so that clearance becomes a routine procedure with no surprises. “Data should be entered into a central system available to all nations’ customs services, telling them that a truck is coming through. This is what the SADC protocols are calling for. It should be as easy as using an ATM machine. Trucks with their cargo already entered should be waved right through once their identification code is checked by customs agents,” Stuart said. Fuel prices may be an unpredictable factor, but efficiency and cost savings can become institutionalised if customs agents use the tools already at hand. An example Stuart cites is the situation at the Swaziland/SA border, where his company’s trucks travelling from Gauteng with their break-bulk cargo for overnight delivery are passed by SA customs, but then have to endure a second inspection by Swazi customs. “It’s as if they don’t trust the South African agents and they want to do the whole procedure again. For a delivery service like ours when every minute counts, this is a problem that should not be,” said Stuart. But addressing such problems – Swazi trucking firms are in communication with their customs department – is what Speedy Overborder has come to be known for in its two decades of service – an asset valued by its customers.