Cover Story

 

A dream come true... FleetWatch - with the help of SOS Breakdown in Cape Town - helped make a dream come true for Andrew van Aswegen last month when he and his girlfriend arrived at his matric dance in one of the largest trucks on the road. The were the stars of the show.

The Big Haul... FleetWatch recently visited a remarkable road haulage operation that must be unique in Africa. It involves a partnership operation between Unitrans and Richards Bay Minerals with DaimlerChrysler supplying the hardware. Technical correspondent for FleetWatch, Dave Scott, reckons there is a lesson here for all transport operators.

A Fleetwatch special feature

 

Cape Town - hardly the 'fairest' for drivers... What has a driver, having just driven 1 300 kilometres through the undulating Free State and then across the mind-numbing Karoo and over numerous mountain passes, got to look forward to on arrival in Cape Town? Not much concludes FleetWatch's Cape correspondent, Stephanie Platt, who went to find out.

The wide gap of truth... It seems management and drivers in some companies are totally out of sync with each other. The drivers tell one story and management tells another. As it stands, some drivers are unhappy and disillusioned and that does not bode well for profitable trucking.

Attitude holds the key to change... Minister of Transport Dullah Omar recently announced that a team of MECs for Transport and others were sent to Holland to investigate how the authorities have achieved success in law enforcement and the points demerit system. Jack Webster contends that such trips are a waste of taxpayers' money as we already have the answers.

A Fleetwatch exclusive

 

WorldWatch.... The first of a new monthly column written exclusively for FleetWatch by Frank Beeton of Econometrix intended to keep our readers up to date with what is happening on the global truck stage. In this first article, Beeton explores how manufacturers are grouping together in a desperate search for economies of scale.

Hi Ya Kia... Korean manufacturer Kia has entered the light commercial truck market with a 1-ton chassis cab model called the K2700 and a cargo van that goes by the name of Pregio. It will be interesting to see how the new entrants fare.

Toyota enters the heavy sector... After an absence of some three years, Toyota SA Trucks has once again entered the heavy vehicle sector with the launch of the Hino Profia. However, what started as an exciting event for Toyota was dulled by the motor industry strike writes Patrick O'Leary.

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