'We must work together across road and rail platforms'

In an industry governed by two fundamentals – time and distance – creating a culture where all role-players acknowledge these two fundamentals and act accordingly is a major challenge, says Paul Cunliffe, managing director of 4PL. COM Logistics Cape. “Time is probably the biggest enemy,” he says. “Trucks reach offloading sites, where they are often held up for hours offloading.” The result, says Cunliffe, is that either the operator is too late to re-load or the driver is pressed to drive longer hours to reach his next destination as part of the service offering. “We all know what this results in – driver fatigue which ultimately leads to unnecessary accidents, another cost.” This, in light of the planned truck ban, will just be exacerbated, he said. “We have to work together across the road and rail platforms and create an environment where there are benefits for all and where we all acknowledge the importance of time and distance,” says Cunliffe. He says bureaucracy is another challenge that affects rail in particular. “In our 24/7 world, decisions need to be made in an instant. That is not always possible in the rail environment. There seems to be a big emphasis on seeking a “silver bullet” type solution to all of this and less effort is made for smaller cargo owners,” he said. Operating across both road and rail, Cunliffe and his team have built up good relationships with Transnet Freight Rail over time and this has helped to address some of the challenges. The 4PL Group currently has container and bulk volumes on rail, which are increasing significantly every year. Its flagship project is the railing of export citrus reefer containers from the Tzaneen area to Durban and Cape Town. “We started this service four years ago and have grown it by over 550% to date. We have entered into a three-year volume commitment agreement with TFR whereby they have committed additional equipment, allowing us larger volumes.” The company, says Cunliffe, recently also acquired an interest in a transport company in KwaZulu-Natal in line with its strategy of providing a one-stop solution for its customers. “This acquisition gives us the ability to provide a road transport service for hazardous cargo, consolidated freight, container de-stuffing and warehousing at our facilities in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town,” he said. INSERT & CAPTION We recently acquired an interest in a transport company in KwaZulu-Natal in line with our strategy of providing a one-stop solution. – Paul Cunliffe