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.