Demand grows for intermodal port-to-door

Despite a challenging economy,

Umhlanga Ridge-based JTR

Freight has grown over the past

decade from a one-person show

operating out of a container in

Isipingo, south of Durban into a

logistics and supply chain provider

that counts among its clients

corporates in the FMCG sector.

As the company celebrates its

10-year anniversary, director

Jenny Govender, who started

the business with her husband,

director Thaven Naidoo, says the

SMME initially offered a courier

service for clearing and forwarding

companies. This was later

expanded into transport broking,

offering warehousing and longhaul

transport services between

Durban and Johannesburg, as well

as cross-border to neighbouring

countries.

“We have always built ourselves

around service compliance and

have learned that if you can

maintain service levels or bring

something new to customers they

will love you for it,” she said.

“Our relationship with

customers is long-term. We have

been with our customers through

tough times and good times,” she

said.

Today, JTR Freight employs

seven staff and moves bonded,

containerised, breakbulk, LCL,

hazardous, abnormal and project

cargo between all major routes

within South Africa, Lesotho,

Swaziland, Mozambique and into

Africa. The company also offers

depot and warehousing services,

including container inspection,

storage, handling, unpacking,

repacking and repositioning.

“We also have an extensive

network of local vehicles in

Durban, Cape Town and

Johannesburg which enables us

to offer our customers complete

coverage between and in all major

cities in South Africa,” Govender

said.

Understanding the economic

and time pressures facing clients

was key, said Govender.

“The ability to learn from

and understand your clients is

paramount to offering strategic

rather than short-term solutions,”

she said.

Naidoo added that the

company found itself increasingly

facilitating rail cargo

transportation as client demand

was steadily growing.

“We offer a port-to-door

combined rail and road service.

Our vehicles have access to City

Deep inland rail terminal,” Naidoo

said.

“This translates into a timesaving

advantage for our customers

as we can directly access the

containers coming off the rail

link and do not have to wait for

Transnet to move them out of the

rail terminal first,” he said.

CAPTION

Jenny Govender and Thaven Naidoo... celebrating JTR Freight's 10-year

anniversary.