ROAD FREIGHT AND LOGISTICS SERVICES
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Introduction
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Factors to be considered that influence the choice of Road Freight for export
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Road transport quality system
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Types of Road Freight in South Africa
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Benefits of Road Freight Services for your business
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Cross-border legislations in South Africa
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Why you should Outsource Logistics
www.mabenkwa.co.za
Road freight (also sometimes referred to as “road haulage” or “road transport”) is often the most effective mode of transport for Southern African Countries, particularly when exporting to the landlocked countries of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi. Mabenkwa’s road transport specifically also operates between South Africa and Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana and certain parts of Mozambique. Not only is Mabenkwa road freight a consideration for exports into Africa, but also a large portion of exports from land-locked cities such as Johannesburg, Kimberly, Pretoria, etc. are moved down to the ports (Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, etc.) by road. Even if you are based near a port, you are likely to use road transportation to move your goods from your factory to the quayside.
Transport Smarter
“Factors Influencing the choice of Road Freight For export�. The decision to use a road freight forwarder for the whole or part of the transit, to a foreign destination is influenced by a number of factors: Speed The transit time for over the border consignments can be shorter by road than by rail (or sometimes even by air). This is because the road hauler controls the delivery of the goods right up to the final destination (which may be near the border and far from the main airport), whereas goods transported by rail can be delayed when railway trucks are handed over from one railway authority to another.
Convenience of distribution When goods are being exported to a neighboring country, a road haulage service may provide either direct delivery to the importer or to a convenient point nearby.
Freight Rates Freight rates in respect of road freight rates are generally lower than those rates offered for carriage by air. However, consideration should be given to the higher risk which cargo is exposed to when freighting goods by road, and, as an example of this, it is worth nothing that insurance cover for war and riots, is not available when goods are dispatched by road or rail freight. Road freight movement are prepaid, as road haulers are reluctant to deliver cargo into an African country without having the freight prepaid in South Africa.
“Road Transport Quality system� In terms of the Road Transport Quality System (RTQS), South African road freight is strictly monitored. This is achieved through the issuance of permits. Permits are not issued or renewed if a road freight forwarder is found to be overloading and/or operating substandard vehicles. Respective of the type of cargo road freights carry, they are required to obtain a local transport permit for the purpose of transporting goods within the country of destination as well as those countries through which the vehicle may travel. That is why Mabenkwa has a comprehensive road transport quality in place to make sure all permits are renewed and updated to avoid any glitches along the way.
THE CHALLENGE IS NOT ONLY FINDING A QUALITY SERVICE BUT ALSO FINDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR YOUR NEEDS.
“Types of Road Freight in South Africa” INTERMODAL FREIGHT Intermodal freighting is essentially the use of multiple modes of freight to transport goods from one point to another. These modes of freight include sea, rail, air, and road. For example, a TV factory in China manufactures your new TV and packs it into a lorry. This lorry then road freight the TV to the harbor, where it is packed onto a ship and sea freighted to Cape Town. It is then packed onto a train that rail freights it to the warehouse where a delivery driver picks up your TV and delivers it via road freight.
EXPEDITED FREIGHT While the above freighting covers many modes of freighting, the last four points will cover road freight. Expedited freight is the only method for transporting time-sensitive loads or packages across land. The load is packed into the vehicle, and it is driven directly to its end destination – with no stops in between! Got a pack of cookies that need to get to grandma in a hurry? You can use expedited freight, but it’ll cost you more than regular freight.
LTL FREIGHT LTL Freight stand for ‘Less than truckload’ or ‘less than a load’. LTL freight and is probably the most utilized road freighting across the globe. Essentially, LTL freight specializes in transporting smaller items from various transportation hubs together. This means that packages often travel on a on a few trucks, and processed at a few transport hubs, before arriving at their final destinations.
VOLUME LTL FREIGHT This ‘less than load’ method of road freight works on volume instead of weight, and is used when items that might not weigh very much but take up too much space. Industry officials share that volume LTL freight charges are applied when a package weighing less than around 3kg per cubic foot occupies more or than 750 cubic feet on a trailer. This could lead to a cubic capacity penalty which pushes the freight charge up.
“Benefits of Road Freight Services” Road transport is a very popular mode of transport used by suppliers and businesses to deliver orders both locally and cross-border
IT’S SAFER There’s no other way to look at it: road freight is the safest way to move important and fragile goods within the same metropolitan area. Because road transport vehicles are loading and unloading only at puck up and drop off points – there is no intermediate loading and handling because there’s no switch to a different transport mode or route – the goods are subject to the minimum amount of handling, which is where they’re most likely to be damaged. There’s also no need to rely on notoriously careless postal services or poorly trained company drivers.
IT’S FASTER One of the most impressive changes in the logistics industry over recent years is the reduction in delivery lead times. Road transport professionals have notably increased their speed, not just in the actual transport process, but in Managing orders and handling the goods at each end, and because of improvement in communication and tracking technology, logistics professionals are now more adept that ever in smoothing the distribution process: they’re able to foresee and manage challenges and obstacles before they’re encountered by the drivers, preemptively clearing pathways to ensure that their deliveries are always on time
IT’S MORE FLEXIBLE Road transport is the backbone of the logistic industry in South Africa. Simply put, every movement of every consignment ultimately begins and ends with the road. And its because of this long history and deep experience in feeding other modes of transport across rail, sea, and air that road transport is so flexible in managing deliveries even over short distances.
CROSS- BORDER
Safety Beyond Borders
“Cross-Border Legislation in South Africa� All across border consignments require a cross border permit when traveling by road. There are a number of requirements which a road freight company needs to adhere to it they want to effectively transport goods across the border into another country. If you were to transport a consignment exceeding 3500 kilograms you would be required to obtain a cross-border permit. For instance, when a trucking cargo goes cross-border, an exporter / importer must ensure that all the necessary documentation is in order to avoid delay at the various border post otherwise standing times will be imposed. When trucking cross-border & if goods are abnormal / large in size it will require specialized trailers, import permits, export permits, police clearance. Goods in transit insurance & effective clearance at the various borders thus allowing a seamless operation & peace of mind for the customer. Exporters/ Importers must note that some cross-border destination maybe longer transit time due to the country infrastructure, border clearance delays and whether full loads or part loads. South African Exporters can also benefit by supplying s SADC Certificate thus reducing the consignee / buyer duties at the SADC nominated countries thus assisting with them securing the deal. African destination countries often need pre-shipment inspections prior to exporting
Border Transfer can be one of the most complex pieces to freight management. That’s why finding a carrier with experience such a Mabenkwa in guiding people through the process is paramount. Security is critical when moving goods across border, and the most important component to security is visibility. Hire carriers with the technology to monitor shipment progress. Even with all the technology available, you can’t beat firsthand knowledge of the transporting destination. When transporting company regularly moves cargo to an area, it knows the best routes to take. Choosing the right carrier for cross-border transport does more than eliminate any confusion or frustration over paperwork. It often ensures your goods will smoothly go through customs with little risk of damage and security issues.
More time More profit
“Why outsourcing your logistics is the best choice” TIME SAVING Outsourcing cannot only save you money in the long run but it will also save you something of equal value – your time. Relieving yourself and your employees of the burden of daily logistical tasks allow for you to spend more time on growing your business.
COST EFFICIENCY Don’t saddle your business with the cost and hassle of establishing your logistical needs when a 3PL services will provide you with warehouse space, technology and transportation for you.
ACCOUNTABILITY Putting an aspect of your company into someone else’s hands isn’t easy. A good 3PL service provider will take responsibility for your business and be held accountable to your standards
INNOVATION Much like you are an expert in your scope of business, 3PL Providers are an expert in theirs. A provider has the ability to work with you and apply their knowledge to enhance and improve your bottom line in an innovative way.
EXPERTISE Most 3PL providers are passionate about what they do. As a result, they will integrate their level of expertise with your business practices to ensure the best customer service experience possible.
OPTIMIZATION Having the necessary resources that you may not have access to on your own, helps ensure that your logistical needs are met in the most effective manner
REDUCE RISKS Outsourcing your company’s logistical needs not only reduces labor risks on your end but it also reduces your financial risk of an investment in property, equipment, and transportation in the even your company or business downsizes
When there is a utilization of highly skilled professionals, the business gets professional results. Outsourcing companies are focused on the best practices and operate with the most updated technologies and effective solutions. Having trained individuals at your disposal can productively reduce errors, which will then produce more qualitative results. With the help of Mabenkwa Road Freight and Logistics management services, reports and custom analysis will be accurate and reliable. It is a matter of deciding to leave the management and other platforms to the people with expertise. In other words, outsourcing and managed solutions can empower a freight forwarding company to improve the practices and strategies. It will reduce the waiting time and complicated steps in grabbing accurate information for the business. These are just a few of the many benefits freight forwarders can get when they choose to outsource some of their business tasks.
MABENKWA ROAD FREIGHT AND LOGISTCIS
EFFECIENT. SAFE. RELIABLE