Tailor-made service operates Monday to Sunday

When you’re moving perishables, reliability is non-negotiable – and that’s the basis on which road transport major Rollex Freight has built its service. Fully-owned by the Lonhro Group, Rollex was established more than 20 years ago by Paul de Robillard and provides intermodal international logistics solutions, with its core focus on development and sustainability in various markets. Zambia is a key route for the company, and road freight division Rollex Freight specialises in full loads and consolidations into Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola using a diversified fleet of owned vehicles. The company has developed a balanced mix of business on the route with general cargo moving into the region and perishables on the southbound leg. “Our vehicles have always been owned by Rollex,” says airfreight director Tracy Stafford. “The entire fleet is fitted with GPS satellite tracking and satellite phones linked to an operations room in Johannesburg so that the location of each vehicle is tracked in real time. “This is further supported by satellite phones in each of the trucks, enabling 24-hour communication with the operations centre by the drivers to alert the operations centre to any unforeseen circumstances so that the company can be proactive with our customers in case the need arises,” she added. “We’ve spent a lot of time and energy with customers in the Lusaka market to build up and develop that network,” says roadfreight operations’ Melanie van der Westhuizen. “Zambia is a strong and important route for us and we have the ability to move cargo as and when our customers require. On this route our service is tailored to the customer’s requirements,” she said. And while most operators offer a Monday to Friday service option, says Stafford, Rollex trucks ply the route from Monday to Sunday. “Cargo availability dictates the frequency.” One of the company’s biggest strengths, in the view of roadfreight manager Michel de Robillard, is its diversified fleet – which includes Superlinks, triaxles, reefers and 14-tonners – providing the kind of flexibility that customers demand. “Our maintenance is of the highest order, and that translates into reliability that you can always count on.” Because of the nature of perishable cargo, which makes up the bulk of the company’s southbound volumes, border delays are not an option “We have our own offices at Beit Bridge and a network of agents at Chirundu to expedite cargo clearance,” says De Robillard. “At any point in time, there are two to three Rollex trucks at any of the borders posts into Zambia.” The company also offers extensive warehousing facilities in Johannesburg and Zambia. “The bottom line is that we’re serious about growth and development on the route – and evidence of that is the growth in cargo volumes,” says Stafford. The company has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Namibia and Zimbabwe.