Self-reliance is key for Botswana truckers

Successful transport operators
in Botswana have to be selfreliant,
says Gerald van Zyl,
managing director of Bolders
Transport.
“One would not survive
otherwise as the areas covered
are vast, very rural and with no
support systems.”
With trucks travelling some
1000km to the Zambian and
other borders, maintenance is
especially important, says
Van Zyl.
“The only real centres where
truck repairs are performed
are in Gaborone and in
Francistown. It takes time to
reach a broken-down vehicle,
see what is wrong and then get
the part to fix it. It is important
that operators are able to deal
with such crises efficiently
and quickly.”
With a round trip from
Gaborone to Kasane or Maun
being in the region of 2000km,
it can easily become a logistical
nightmare should anything
go wrong.
According to Van Zyl,
continuous vehicle maintenance
is paramount even though roads
in the country are considered to
be in extremely good condition
compared to other neighbouring
countries.
“The government has been
very committed to upgrading
and repairing roads, with major
work currently under way on
the road between Gaborone and
the Thlokweng border post.”
Van Zyl says planning is just
as important for operators as
they need to ensure they always
have enough fuel and are able
to meet deadlines on time.