Truck shortage stumps Zambia shippers

NO TRUCKS to Zambia.
That's a sign staring in the faces of those in the trade trying to get containers to the neighbouring state in time for Christmas.
"It's an exceptionally serious problem," said Colleen Scott of Interlogix, part of the TLD Group, who has 100 containers waiting to move to Zambia.
"We've had to put aside R70 000 for the cost of putting containers into depots until the trucks turn around."
A lot of the shortage of vehicles is due to a late run of the fertiliser contracts, and a drought-induced demand for maize in Zambia, according to Scott.
Add to that a mine not having paid its bills and trucks having to wait there before unloading as well as inexperienced SARS staff at Beit Bridge border crossing slowing down document flow and causing queues of trucks running up to seven kilometres long, and you can see just some of the problem in finding available vehicles, Scott told FTW.
"The trucks are just not
turning around," she said. "Also, because of the
supply/demand situation, truckers are demanding exorbitant rates."
Kevin Gesseau of Ikamiji believes there are four reasons why no trucks are available.
"First, it's the peak season, the busiest week of the year, with everything needing to get there before the holiday season."
Second, it's because more fertiliser is going north than last year.
"Add to that an enormous amount of maize having to be hauled into Zambia," Gesseau said.
And all this is paid for in US dollars - and extra attractive to truckers.
"There are also no return loads," said Gesseau, "so
hauliers are pulling out of sending loads to Zambia because they have to come back via Harare if they expect a back load."
And Gesseau doesn't expect anything to improve until February.
Two shipping lines in Durban also reported seeing problems in getting containers to Zambia.
"We've had quite a few clients battling to get their
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containers up there," said Sam Samlall of P&O Nedlloyd.
From the line's point-of-view, he added, the big problem is getting their boxes back in time. And, with the road to Zambia being blocked, as it were, by a lack of available truck units that's likely to be a problem that a lot of forwarders will meet.
But Samlall suggested an answer to this potential problem.
Shippers who can't return their boxes in time should apply in writing to the line for extra free time over the normal 35-day limit. There's no guarantee that this will be granted, he added, but it is something forwarders should bear in mind with the delays as bad as they're proving to be.
But forwarders and freight companies have only themselves to blame, according to a major trucker on the overborder routes.
"It's the same seasonal swing that happens every year," said Rob Stocker, operations manager for TruckAfrica. "It's a simple case of supply-and-demand.
"But it's nothing new. People just never pre-plan when they should be taking something like this into account."