Trucker cuts 400 km off Trans-Kalahari route

New routes save fuel
CLIVE EMDON
PROMOTING FUEL efficiencies as prices rise, a Gauteng-based company has saved 21% on fuel costs by plotting new routes. Transworld Roadfreight, which operates on the Trans-Kalahari route, has managed to cut over 400kms on a 1900km trip by adjusting its routes. Its fleet of nine rigs carries groupage cargo from Gauteng and Cape Town to Namibia, specialising in bonded cargo. “We grow this segment of the market daily,” says MD Gordon Jay. “If we travel through Ariamsvlei, the distance is 1900 kilometres one way; through Botswana it is 1500kms. “This is of vital importance in today’s economic climate where diesel is expected to escalate to just under R10 a litre by the end of the year,” says Jay. “Although we have targeted the high value end of the market we find that some clients are willing to pay premium prices for good service even for low value goods.” Market share And although the market seems to be shrinking, the company has managed to grow its market share in a difficult climate by concentrating on secure, time-focused deliveries. “And so far this strategy has paid off,” he said. Rising fuel prices have forced the company to use dangerous routes which it has managed to avoid in the past. The biggest danger, says Jay, is hijacking in and around Gauteng.