TKC to get a truck stop makeover

Trucking and logistics companies have welcomed the move by the Trans Kalahari Corridor Management Committee (TKCMC) to establish four new truck stops along the crucial trade corridor. TKCMC announced in a Request for Investment Proposal document that it would invest around R55 million for all four truck stops, excluding the value of the land. “Business opportunities exist for a restaurant, takeaway facilities, maintenance facilities, security services and fuel service stations,” a Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat (TKCS) spokesperson told FTW. The corridor network consists of the Trans Kalahari, the Trans Cunene and the Walvis Bay-Ndola- Lumbumbashi (Trans Caprivi) Corridors linking South Africa, Botswana and Namibia with each other and then on to Zambia and Angola. The four truck stops will span all three countries. The decision for the new truck stops has the buy-in of the governments of all three participating countries – representatives of which make up the TKCMC – and follows a feasibility study which shows the viability of the strategy, the TKCS spokesperson noted. He added that industry had indicated it would support wellmanaged and welloperated truck stops and that it was prepared to pay for these services. A trucker anonymously told FTW that the long distances associated with routes along this corridor brought challenges such as driver fatigue, cargo security and road safety issues. Managing director of Kingfisher Freight Services, Alwyn Nel, said that the new truck stops would bring “immediate benefits” such as added fuel availability, resting areas for drivers, safe parking and controlled access. “There will also be economic spin-offs for the surrounding communities as small and medium enterprises will f lourish as a consequence of the vehicles and drivers being on-site,” said Nel. He noted that this route was already well utilised by traders, mining groups and other stakeholders. “It will continue to develop as an alternative to the South Africa/Mozambique corridors as it is already more effective and less costly than some routes thanks to less congestion and fewer border controls,” said Nel. INSERT & CAPTION The Trans Kalahari Corridor is already more effective and less costly than some routes. – Alwyn Nel