Self-sufficiency is crucial to transport success

The future looks good for
transporters into Angola, but
for the moment road hauliers
entering the market must see to their
own needs.
“Preventive maintenance is very
important. You have to be totally
self-sufficient. We have to carry
our own spares. Any problem that
the driver cannot sort out himself
means you have to send people
from Namibia, and they don’t come
cheap,” said Pietie Carstens, owner of
Warthog Logistics.
Carstens’ firm has been doing longdistance
transport for 12 years – and
had experience trucking into Angola
when the SA business downturn
prompted a look into cross-border
opportunities.
“With the economic boom they
have now in Angola, I think that
for at least the next five years
transporters will do well there,”
he said.
Self-sufficiency on the road until
the country’s infrastructure improves
is hard to achieve if a driver
cannot communicate.
“We give the drivers a ‘crash
course’ in Portuguese and a
phrasebook and CD to help them. It
seems to work fine,” Carstens said.
“All the trucks are fitted with
tracking and we are in the process of
upgrading to satellite tracking where
we will be able to get a position
every 20 minutes via satellite, and
will not have to rely on cell phone
networks,” he said.
Every convoy of Warthog trucks,
which primarily haul perishables like
fruit, eggs and vegetables but also
equipment and other goods, will be
equipped with a satellite phone for
communication.
Local alliances are also important
to ensure smooth operations.
“Our logistical network is very
informal, in the sense that the drivers
build a relationship with drivers of
other transport companies to help
each other with spares and advice. It
is also very important to have a good
relationship with the agent of the
client in Angola. They usually sort
out most of the problems, at a fee of
course,” Carstens noted.