Breakbulk option cuts costs for importers

Cutting transport costs is top of mind for all shippers – and the solution could be as easy as converting freight to breakbulk and transporting it on the more efficient tautliner, says Sagie Govender, import manager at Turners Shipping. Up to 70% of freight in South Africa is being transported by road and most of the imported goods are transported in the containers in which they arrived. Govender says that while containers are an efficient mode of transport for sea freight, “it is a different story when the goods arrive and have to be transported by road.” Johannesburg importers can save up to 25% of the transport costs to the reef by making the best use of a superliner tautliners trailer – with the added benefit of not having to pay for the container turn-in in Johannesburg, says Govender. “We have been offering this option to some of our customers and the response has been very positive. By transferring the freight to a tautliner, off-loading at the destination is easier and more efficient. The truck can be off-loaded from both sides and, unlike a container delivery, there is no need for a ramp at the destination,” explains Sylvester Moodley, Turners Shipping’s transport manager. “There is no time spent repositioning containers either,” he added. “It is up to the logistics managers like us to find innovative ways of cutting costs and becoming more efficient. As the cost of imported diesel rises and pressure on the road network increases I suspect more customers will look at options like this. Getting deliveries in a container has become a habit, but one that circumstances might force us to change.” INSERT Johannesburg importers can save up to 25% of the transport costs to the reef by making the best use of a superliner tautliners trailer. – Sagie Govender CAPTION Sagie Govender and Sylvester Moodley