Author:focus-on-transport
Now in its 37th year, the 2018 South African Transport Conference (SATC) looks set to attract nearly 700 delegates from the public and private transport sectors. Among the various presentations scheduled to take place at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Convention Centre, in Pretoria, between July 9 and 12, the conference organisers have secured three prominent plenary speakers. Speaking on July 9 (between 9:20 and 10:00) is Skhumbuzo Macozoma, CEO, South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral). […]
ZF will return to the South African Bus Operators Association (Saboa) Conference in 2018 with its range of specialist transmissions and axles in tow. Specifically, ZF will display its Ecolife transmission, as well as front and rear axles, which are optimised for use in the public-transport industry. The well-known Ecolife transmission is designed to banish the stress (on driver and drivetrain) of stop-start operation. The six-speed, torque-converter automatic unit is suitable for use in all buses, whether in city or […]
Japan’s Hino Motors recently rewarded four dealer staff members from South Africa for their excellence in the annual Hino Skills Contest by taking them on a six-day educational tour of Japan. This was the fourth year that Hino Japan has honoured these skills contest winners in this manner. The four people from South African Hino dealerships were: Vincent Nicol (Hino Parow, Cape Town) for parts sales, Annalise Scholtz (Hino Diaz Road, Port Elizabeth) for parts stores, Gonasagaren Naicker (Hino Mobeni, […]
Recently, Portland became the first company in Cape Town to take delivery of a FAW 33.420 FT. The company bought its first batch of FAW trucks some eight years ago and is now on its third buying cycle with FAW. “There are two important factors for us when purchasing a truck: purchase price and quality of the backup provided,” explains Portland’s MD, Nico Heyns. “Of these two factors, after-sales backup is the most important.” Apart from in its quarry in […]
Kalamazoo might be a mere dot on the map of the United States (in Michigan, to be precise), but, in KwaZulu-Natal, it’s actually quite a big deal, as PETA LEE discovers. Kalamazoo is a well-established and hugely successful coach line in Pietermaritzburg, offering around 150 buses for hire (including coaches and semi-luxury liners) for all functions and requirements throughout South Africa. Kalamazoo has been around for more than half a century and is the parent company of Sizanani Mazulu Transport […]
Prepare for something entirely different from Powerstar… Known for its extra-heavy trucks that have been particularly successful in the mining and construction sectors, Powerstar has officially launched its new medium range of trucks. GAVIN MYERS meets the new Powerstar FT range. No, your eyes are not deceiving you … you have seen the Powerstar FT3 and FT5 light- and medium-range trucks before. The basic vehicle was previously sold locally by Foton with little success. However, Ever Star Industries (ESI) will […]
Forget South Africa’s world-class N3 and other national routes for the moment, because a dire situation has developed with some of the country’s regional routes – and it’s affecting many of the transporters who run them. I recently met with a prominent operator and industry consultants (who, for now at least, wish to remain anonymous). They alerted me to the frightening situation in the regions of Koster, Rustenburg, Lichtenburg, Kroonstad, Klerksdorp and Middelburg – to name a few. The roads […]
The 37th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) will be taking place from Monday, July 9, to Thursday, July 12, at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) International Convention Centre in Tshwane. Under this year’s theme: “Towards a desired transport future: safe, sufficient and affordable”, delegates can look forward to plenary addresses from various international and local transport experts, who will address this burning issue and provide viable solutions. Other sessions will cover interesting topics such as (but not […]
GRW Trailers launched the next generation of its tautliner trailer series, the Inkabi 2.0, at a packed-out function at its Boksburg premises last night. Inkabi is Zulu for bull, and symbolises the strength of the curtainsider, says GRW CEO, Gerhard van der Merwe. The Inkabi 2.0 builds on experience gained with the original version, launched in March 2015, and features many advanced design elements from GRW’s new partner, German trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull (SCB). Key among these is the use […]
Worldwide logistics company DHL is partnering with semi-trailer manufacturer, Don-Bur, to launch a system that draws solar energy from trailer roofs and converts it into electricity to operate the trailer lights and tail-lifts. The Don-Bur system, called TRAiLAR, incorporates the use of a thin film of lightweight, durable solar matting, which is fitted to the roofs of articulated, box-truck and draw-bar trailers and is connected to the vehicle’s battery or additional on-board batteries via a charge controller. We think that […]
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