THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

August 2008

Ismal Khan (above left) demonstrates the effectiveness of the VDO Fuel Meter to Bakers driver, Anthony Ndlovu.	Winning team – (from left) Brian Kerr (MBCV), driver trainer Ismal Khan, driver David Madondo, driver Anthony Ndlovu, driver Newraj Bennie and driver trainer Rajad Peter.

Making sure money isn’t wasted is a prerequisite for any business hoping to survive in tough times and this requires discipline and vigilance from both workers and management alike. In truck transport, there are operations that alleviate margin pressure via dubious means, be it through overloading, low wages, diesel-spiking or general skimping on vehicle maintenance. These fleets may enjoy a period of financial respite but the risks associated with these unsavoury practices soon take their toll on the company pocketbook, often resulting in liquidation.
 

‘Business must serve people’ Abdul Tayob

Successful operators, as a rule, have a stringent approach to quality, a welldefined code of practice that ensures optimum service delivery across all departments within the organisation. One such enterprise is Bakers Transport, a well-established KZNbased long-haul operation with a fleet of over 140 trucks, 700 employees and 13 depots around the country. 

“Bakers Transport has always had a quality focus, on its people, its equipment and its service,” says Abdul Tayob, National Operations Director at Bakers Transport and son of the company’s founder Abu-Baker Tayob. “Starting with the vehicles we purchase, through the aftermarket fitments we make, to our workshop and our operation’s departments, we strive to continuously improve our efficiencies through skills development and smart product deployment.” 

A guided tour of the Bakers Transport head office situated in Pietermaritzburg shows just how clear-cut the organisation’s vision is. “Each department within the company has its own set of goals and wellstructured regimens that, through open communication, work together smoothly,” explains Tayob. “We are able to offer top class service to our customers because we invest in our people by training them and equipping them with the best tools for the job.”

Quality iron 
Naturally, the primary tools in the operation are the trucks themselves and in this case, Bakers Transport is positively brand-loyal, with 99% of its fleet made up of Mercedes-Benz Actros, Axor and Atego models. “When my father went out to buy his first truck over thirty-one years ago, he headed straight to the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Pietermaritzburg,” says Tayob. “He wanted quality, reliability and solid after-sales support and Mercedes-Benz is recognised around the world for having these virtues.” 

The decision to buy only from Mercedes-Benz brings uniformity to the fleet and has enabled Bakers Transport to run its own fully-accredited (by Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles [MBCV]) workshop, staffed with over 30 technicians and equipped with the very latest diagnostic tools and all the spare parts necessary to keep the fleet mobile. 

“The many new technologies in our Merc trucks make a huge difference to the cost of repairs at the workshop and significantly reduce vehicle downtime across the fleet,” says Aman Kader, technical truck specialist at Bakers Transport. “We are achieving a 70% saving on brake linings and the drop in gearbox wear and tear is phenomenal.” 

The technologies in question are the Telligent gearbox with Powershift and the Voith Retarder which, respectively, take the grind out of gear changing and allow the vehicle to descend steep gradients safely and efficiently without the driver having to apply the service brakes. “It is important to remember though,” adds Kader, “that these technologies need to be used properly and driver training is essential.” 

Quality drivers 
Integral to the after-sales support infrastructure at MBCV is the Driver Training Academy, headed by Brian Kerr, who visits Bakers Transport frequently to help guide the ongoing driver-training programme. 

“The primary objective of the Academy is to ensure our customers derive full benefit from our trucks and in order for this to happen, every driver needs comprehensive training on product features as well as skills development on how to drive defensively and as economically as possible,” says Kerr. “The Academy, accredited by all the relevant local SETAs and by Mercedes-Benz Germany, has a unique approach to skills transfer, with a suite of customised training tools, including tailor-made audio-visual aids, which ensure truck drivers are set firmly on a path of continued improvement.” 

The Bakers Transport fleet is equipped with sophisticated electronics that make driving safer, less stressful and more economical, explains Kerr. “But, to realise these benefits, drivers need to undergo continuous specialised training using the MBCV Driver Training curriculum and learning material.” 

The lynchpin of this process is the ‘Train the Trainer’ course, where MBCV customers select inhouse drivers to undergo training with Kerr and his team in Pretoria as well as in their respective working environments. 

“This involves an intensive year-long process which starts with psychomotor and psychometric assessments of the Driver Trainer candidates, followed by various courses on how to effectively impart information to learners, the art of economical and safe driving, optimum product utilisation and ‘best practice’ driver management,” adds Kerr. “After graduating from the course, these driver trainers become key players in the overall management of the fleets they work in, providing a vital communication link between management, the workshop and the team of drivers.”

Quality tools 
The task of benchmarking new truck performance in order to gauge the performance of candidate drivers and driver-trainers is an ongoing one for Kerr. “Fuel consumption is a huge area of concern these days for fleet owners and Mercedes- Benz trucks are among the most fuel efficient in the world, if driven correctly. I use technology like the VDO Fuel Meter to help in the diesel consumption benchmarking process, which not only provides me with tangible consumption targets, but also enables every learner driver to see his truck’s fuel consumption in real time, while he’s driving, educating him as to how changes in driving style can positively impact on diesel use.” 

This integration of tailor-made learning material and technology with the right breed of drivertrainer has had remarkable success in the seven years since the launch of the Academy and Bakers Transport has embraced its hands-on approach to driver coaching. 

“We decided to establish an in-house driver training centre in 2004 to rigorously address the need for enhancements in operational efficiency,” explains Tayob. “We selected two of our top drivers to undergo the Driver Trainer course with MBCV to upskill our team of over 120 longhaul drivers. They graduated in 2005 and now work full-time as driver trainers at our Pietermaritzburg head office.” 

Quality captains 
The two driver-trainers now leading the training at Bakers Transport are Ismal Khan and Rajad Peter, who not only process all drivers through an intensive biannual four-day training course, but play an integral role in the boardroom, acting as conduits of intelligence between management, drivers and the workshop. 

“The four-day course is a combination of classroom and on-the-road learning, covering everything from company policy, health issues, new truck technologies and advanced driving techniques, to the issues that drive business profitability, like fuel consumption, wear and tear and risk mitigation,” Kahn explains. “While there is a lot of theoretical classroom learning, there is a 60/40 bias towards onthe- road training.” 
 

The quality quartet – (from left) Workshop manager Aman Kader, Abdul Tayob, Ismal Khan and Brian Kerr, MBCV.

Reducing fuel consumption is a key focus of the driver training process, says Khan, and the latest Merc technologies are proving most valuable in this regard. “The new nonsynchromesh, fully automated PowerShift box has helped improve our drivers’ performance and productivity. It is stronger than previous models and allows for faster, smoother gear changes, improving diesel consumption and overall travel times." 

All drivers are coached on the many advances in truck technology found in the Actros and Axor derivatives. “The PowerShift transmission comes equipped with a set of operational ‘modes’ to assist overall driving efficiency in different operating environments and these need to be explained thoroughly to the drivers,” says Khan. "The EcoRoll mode improves fuel efficiency and reduces wear and tear by automatically putting the moving vehicle in neutral with the engine idling when the truck goes into overdrive mode over 55 km/h. Maneuvering mode helps drivers make smoother pull-offs and Power mode gives that extra turbo boost so often needed on longhaul trips.” 

With a host of Fleet Management technologies at their disposal, Khan and Peter, along with their colleagues in the fleet control centre, can gather vital statistics on each driver’s performance behind the wheel and collate this information into customised reports that help management understand where more training is needed. 

In the pocket 
“The data we get from the VDO Fuel Meter and the FM Communicator system also enables us to produce performance charts for all our drivers which act as the basis of our driver bonus incentive scheme,” says Khan. “Software was developed in-house to generate score charts for each driver based on fuel consumption savings measured by the VDO Fuel Meter. The fact that improved driving style translates directly into monetary reward for our drivers makes all the difference.” 

The benefits of in-house driver training are best expressed by the operation’s balance sheet and Bakers Transport Financial Director, A.K. Joosab, has high praise for the cost and risk reductions resulting from the ongoing driver training process: “Fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear are down significantly. We outsource our tyre management to Tyre Corporation and this, combined with improved driving, has resulted in the operation having the lowest tyre scrapping rate in the country, according to Michelin SA. What’s irrefutable is the fact that our CPK has improved considerably.” 

Excellent driver training cracks another nod from the finance department. “Our accident statistics are negligible, with repair costs under R3000 per event in a fleet of 141 vehicles,” adds Joosab. “In just three years since we began in-house driver-training, we have shifted from a position of being uninsurable to one where every insurance company wants our business.” 
 

This shop-front presents a modest face to what is a benchmark trucking operation.

Team work 
While Bakers Transport may be a profitdriven enterprise, it operates on the understanding that business must serve people, not the other way around, says Abdul Tayob: “This philosophy runs right through our operations, from total commitment to customer care, to how we treat our colleagues and our community.” 

Responding to the question: “What is the Bakers success secret?” Tayob replies: “We believe that by striving for a perfect balance between technology, skills development and driver motivation, we are addressing the most important risk areas within the operation. With top-flight drivers behind the wheel and accurate measuring technologies tracking their performance, operating costs are reduced and efficiency is improved. All this is supported by the Fleet Management technologies at our head office which are also a central feature of our customer relationship management process.” 

As a parting shot, Tayob says the operation is in the process of purchasing 100 tanker rigs to augment the freight fleet. “The role our driver-trainers play in the overall growth strategy of the company cannot be overstated. By really understanding and communicating what our drivers’ needs are, they have not only helped us retain drivers, but allowed us to expand with confidence. The strategic information they share with management, our drivers and the workshop has become the glue that fixes all eyes in the company firmly on the prize.”