Putting PE on the map as an option for Gauteng importers

FROM NEW kid on the block to King of the Road in 16 years – that's the history of road transport specialist on the PE-Gauteng corridor, Sutherland Transport. “With a large fleet of long-haul rigs and local delivery trucks, and depots in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, Sutherland Transport is putting PE on the map as an attractive alternative for importers,” says founder and managing director Dawie van der Westhuizen. “While Port Elizabeth is a smaller port, it is far less congested than Durban or Cape Town. The routes up to Gauteng are similarly less congested than the N3 Johannesburg - Durban route, and consequently we are able to compete favourably when it comes to the endemic delays through the other ports,” says Van der Westhuizen. The company started with a couple of trucks, serving mainly the agricultural industry. Today it is active across a wide range of industries and has developed markets country-wide. “Our workshop complex at Perseverance in the Nelson Mandela Metropol Industrial Area maintains an active large fleet of vehicles and turns around approximately 18 trips to Johannesburg every day, as well as loads to Cape Town and Durban,” says Van der Westhuizen. “The company’s Advanced Road Transport System (ARTS) ensures that customers get added value through superior fleet maintenance and reduced downtime on the road, on-site safety and security support, en-route risk management with full realtime vehicle tracking, driver cellphone contactability and in-cab camera and driver monitoring via satellite,” he added.