As the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) reached local shores, bringing with it extreme uncertainty and unprecedented strain for sub-Saharan supply chain efficiencies, driver safety and health awareness was placed at the forefront of response strategising by over-border transporter, Crossroads.
“One of the first things we decided to do,” says the company’s CEO Arend du Preez, “was to make sure we take proper care of our people, especially our drivers.”
With 90 years of experience in the market and a reach that includes Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Crossroads realised that the 580-odd drivers on their payroll was what kept the company moving.It meant, says Du Preez, a thorough re-consideration of safeguarding the lifeblood of the company.
“It has always been our contention that we don’t sell transport, we sell safety – the safety of our drivers and security of our trucks.”So when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa was going into a contagion-curbing period of severe restrictions in a bid to protect citizens from Covid-19, carefully considered what such a lockdown would require operationally.
“We instituted Disaster Plan Measures (DPM) such as alternative premises to operate from and we made sure that communications and connectivity was in place as we positioned key people to work from home.“Actual operators though can’t work from home and we knew that we would have to be very careful about how we manage that process.”
Apart from training additional drivers as part of the company’s DPMs and spreading skills across the spectrum, the company looked at ensuring that the cabs of drivers were properly sanitised, encouraging them to stay healthy, and arranging regular medical check-ups for them.It also entails, says Du Preez, having good perspective on “who’s at risk and who not so resources and response can be properly focused on where the greatest need is at any given time”.
In addition to constant updates provided to clients from Covid-19 nerve centres which Crossroads has established in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, acute communication, more than ever before, has became a vital function as lockdown has disrupted face-to-face contact.
