THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

September 2008

While leading lights in the trailer building industry have their brands firmly lodged in the trucker’s mind, few diesel heads know that there are local axle manufacturers who really build from scratch. Not only do these manufacturers know exactly what our market requires but they also get to see firsthand what they’re up against as far as dodgy imports are concerned. 

Omar Essop started TSE Big Max over 20 years ago and his company is now one of the country’s leading trailer component suppliers. Over the years, he has built his organisation into a true manufacturing success story and a veritable one-stop-shop for trailer builders and transporters alike. 

“We stock everything that you would possibly need to equip a chassis and load body,” he says, “from tyres and rims, through complete running gear to spray suppression flaps and tool boxes.” 

Got a trailer chassis that needs all the bells and whistles, TSE Big Max has everything to make it safe, efficient and good-looking. Zaid Moosa, marketing manager at TSE Big Max (left) and Omar Essop are pioneering home-spun trailer component manufacturing.

Foreign threat 

Despite the fact that times are good for Essop and his team, there is a threat facing the industry – that of cheap imports. “Some of our leading trailer builders are fitting cheap, inferior-quality axles, for example. They have a weld-on torque plate rather than bolt-on and this has serious cost implications for the operator should that axle unit get damaged.” 

Essop adds that these imports don’t come with a warranty and aren’t spec’d to local requirements. “Operators really need to understand the cost implications and the risks associated with the fitment of these inferior components.” 

This concern has also been expressed by Jost SA, a TSE Big Max supplier, which recently shut down a Jost 5th wheel counterfeiting operation. 

“Brake drums are another problem area,” adds Essop. “Cheap imports are eating away at market share but that’s not the biggest worry. We gave a sample of a cheap drum to a foundry for analysis and the results were shocking. The metal was full of porosity and contained no copper or chrome. It’s no surprise these drums explode when driven hard. And operators will only save R100 against a quality drum!” (See separate story in this edition) 

As a member of Jost SA’s dealer network, TSE Big Max conducts extensive fleet inspections to assist operators in getting the most out of their trailers and their drivers. 

“It’s a reality that there are far too many drivers and operators who simply don’t care about trailer component maintenance. One just has to witness the number of 5th wheels that are in dismal shape to wonder why insurance companies don’t step in and ensure vehicle quality is of a safer standard,” Essop concludes.