THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

July 2007

The rural distribution chain... local distribution by wheelbarrow, linehaul vehicle loaded to the hilt and warehousing - under the truck.

If we think our operational conditions are stressful and challenging, consider those in the Sudan where flash floods, a scarcity of modern vehicles and a volatile security situation calls for a steady mind in dealing with transport logistics. The South African scenario is like heaven compared to these conditions reckons John Brunton in this article written exclusively for FleetWatch. The photographs are also taken by Brunton.

Having recently spent eighteen months in the Sudan, I thought FleetWatch readers would be interested in an insight into some of the logistical challenges faced in another part of Africa.

I was on contract to a company providing logistical support to the African Union Peacekeeping Forces in Dafur and suffice to say it was a most interesting and humbling experience. The local population had very little to survive on in a harsh enviroment but made surprisingly good use of what little they had. I was also fortunate to meet and work with some amazing and capable people from all over Africa.

Sudan is the largest country on the African continent with a population of 25 million. Most economic activity is along the Nile River or the oil fields in Southern Sudan but development in Dafur, which lies in the west of the country, has been largely neglected which was one of the reasons for the recent uprising against the Sudanese government and current situation in the region.

Being an Islamic country, Friday is a Holy Day when no-one works and the work week therefore begins on Saturday. In Dafur, little English is spoken with Arabic being the method of both spoken and written communication. This presented me with my first challenge on arrival as it required that interpreters be employed at all our bases. Can you picture us balancing the petty cash with the details of cash slips all written in Arabic on scraps of paper?

Vast distances
Distances are vast with poor roads linking the main centers and dry weather tracks connecting other settlements. Even on the main roads, bridges are rare with most river crossings consisting of at best a causeway. In the rainy season, July to October, storms are frequent and violent resulting in flash floods depositing large quantities of sand on the causeway. Consequently, a number of the camps we ran were virtually inaccessible by road over this period and trucks caught in these areas were sometimes away for months before returning to base.

Now add to all this a violate security situation which necessitated all movement by road being done in convoy under armed escort provided by the African Union, and you begin to get a picture of what we faced. In fact, due to the security situation, our distribution of supplies was predominantly by air using Russian aircraft and crews with road supply restricted to fuel and construction material.

As very little in the way of supplies was available locally, the majority of our requirements were sourced from either Khartoum, Sudan's capital, or Dubai and flown into our Logistical Operations Base in El Fasher, then distributed to some 30 base camps.

Although we had to deal with numerous problems in the sourcing and distribution of supplies, the local population - especially in the remote areas - faced far greater hardships. Many had been displaced by military activities and lived in I.D.P. camps relying on United Nations humanitarian aid. Their movements were severely restricted.

I could never understand the 'desert economics' and how money was generated to purchase basic requirements but in the markets, the buzz of economic activity never ceased to amaze.

Donkey and other power
Transportation was primarily donkey power and the few vehicles in the rural areas were a lesson in a national 'fleet age'. Fifty-year-old series II Landrovers were still running sweetly and being worked to the full. Old Bedford's, Thames Traders and Seddan diesels were still in use together with unknown marks from Eastern Block countries.
 

Although more modern vehicles are filtering into Dafur with some manufacturers setting up assembly plants in Sudan, in the early stages of our contract when we were doing the construction of the camps, the local contractors' vehicles that were available in Dafur at the time were a real education. I have seen tyres with large patches sewn onto the sidewalls with string - and that was sometimes on the steering axle nogal! 

On arrival of a convoy of these relics, the driver would source food while the crew - which included an 'apprentice' in his teens - would start fixing punctures in the sand. At night, they slept under their trucks and the next day the driver would get his vehicle started using the expertise of a heart surgeon to make various delicate adjustments under the bonnet. Air pressure then had to be built up before anything could move and to put it mildly, this took some time.

The standard handbrake was a block of wood behind a wheel. Fuel was available in three different grades - all pretty suspect but you took what you could get at the time.
 

As all bases and camps were self-sufficient generating their own power, fuel was a critical element of the operation and required careful logistical planning, especially prior to the rains if flying supplies in was to be avoided. Fuel was stored in bladders, 5 000 - 10 000 US gallons in the camps and monster 50 000 gallon ones at the bases. (1 x US gallon equates to 3.8 litre).

Water was equally important with this vital commodity being purchased at local wells and transported into the camps by tankers until we could sink our own boreholes.

The borehole at one camp at which I was based was 140 metres deep but fortunately, was only 50 metres from the camp and provided a reliable supply of sweet water, which we piped in directly to bladders in the camp.

I hope this quick glimpse into transport life in Sudan gives FleetWatch readers a better appreciation of how wonderful the conditions are down here at the southern tip of our continent. Sure there are challenges - small and big - but the infrastructure and back-up is there to assist you in meeting and overcoming those challenges. After spending 18 months in the Sudan I can honestly say that South Africa is not such a bad place to be.