Transport and distribution specialist Crusader Logistics is set to launch a new concept in fleet leasing and management. “Over the years we have had many contracts where we have provided dedicated fleets to customers. This is all good and well but they are limited as it still leaves the client with the daily headache of operational and personnel management of the fleet,” says Crusader Logistics managing director Stuart Roos. “The package we have developed allows the customer to focus on other areas of his business. We supply drivers, all the maintenance, breakdown assistance, administration, fuel, management of toll roads, tracking and insurance and we package that at a rate marginally higher than if they were doing it themselves.” The only drawback, says Roos, is that it can’t be done on an ad hoc basis – it must be a contractual agreement of three to five years. It’s also very flexible, with an option for the client to own the vehicle at the end of the contract if required. “A lot of people that have dedicated fleets are paying too much,” says Roos who is targeting blue chip manufacturing companies who have a consistent flow of distribution and therefore the need for dedicated fleets. And while it is generally focused on local distribution, it also works for long distance. The longerterm plan however takes the concept to a new level, says Roos. “Instead of the old point-to-point transport model, bigger conglomerates with distribution centres all over the country should be speaking to one central planning department. “That would allow them to interlink and network dedicated vehicles – and the result would be a massive decrease in transport costs. But it involves changing one’s mindset and thinking out of the box.” Crusader Logistics would provide that central planning hub – which is part of its DNA as a transport and logistics company. “Once a planning hub knows that the company is rotating vehicles, we can add in a dedicated long-distance fleet and the company pays a monthly fee regardless of where the truck is going – and it’s up to Crusader’s planning department to route the truck and inter-network it between the company’s sites or branches and its customers.” The end result, says Roos, is a more productive fleet and a cost-effective solution. In addition to this fleet management arm, Crusader Logistics specialises in local and cross-border transport. It owns a fleet of 45 vehicles with long-term agreements with committed third parties It currently operates a 9 500-sqm fully food grade compliant FMCG warehouse and distribution facility in Pomona, Johannesburg. Plans are under way for the construction of a 17 000- sqm warehouse – fully food grade compliant – in Durban, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2018.
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Through a central planning department we will interlink and network dedicated vehicles — and the result would be a massive decrease in transport costs. – Stuart Roos
