'Smart trucks' the solution to inland haulage dilemma

There is a place for trucks in
the logistics future of South
Africa, as a complement
to rail transport, according
to Iain Geldart, managing
director of private company
Bulk Connections, which
manages two bulk berths at
the Durban port.
“Is the move to rail South
Africa’s answer?” he asked.
“I don’t think you can do
bulk without rail. But there
is still room for improvement
[for rail transport].
Otherwise we wouldn’t be
getting 250 trucks a day into
the [Durban] port.”
He said smart trucks, or
the South African equivalent
of Australia’s road trains,
will become increasingly
viable because these trucks
are more environmentally
friendly and kinder to the
road infrastructure than
conventional trucks.
“Truck companies will
become fewer and more
focused,” he said. “If there
is a future for road trucks it
will be smart trucks.”
One drawback of
smart trucks for the bulk
commodities is that they are
comparatively smaller than
conventional trucks.
Nevertheless, the port
of Durban is upgrading its
facilities to receive both rail
and truck consignments in
the future. The port has just
commissioned a new rotary
tippler that turns and decants
rail wagons in a matter of
minutes. At the same time,
the port remains capable of
receiving over 200 trucks
a day.
The port is also making
an effort to expand its
capacity to receive and
stockpile more manganese
ore, Geldart said.