Author:focus-on-transport
When I went for my Code 14, I discovered that I’m most definitely allergic to alley docking. I have huge respect for truck drivers who do this – day in and day out. However, a recent development got me thinking: wouldn’t it be cool if all trucks could alley dock themselves? The notion isn’t as daft as you may think – because the Volkswagen Group is currently testing autonomous parking at Hamburg Airport. We’re talking dinky toys – they’re experimenting […]
Electric vehicles (EVs) play an important part in reducing carbon emissions. However, with large, expensive battery packs, companies are scrambling to develop charging alternatives to make EVs more viable. FOCUS takes a look at the situation in Europe. The electric-truck market is expected to sell 2,2-million units annually by 2025, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan titled: Executive Analysis of Electric Truck Market, Forecast to 2025. The report states: “The European Union (EU) is expected to switch to […]
JARLATH SWEENEY, editor-in-chief of Irish magazine Fleet Transport, attended the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) conference on Powertrain Options for Commercial Vehicles, and found that the future will certainly be diversified. The aim of the event – entitled Powertrain Options for Commercial Vehicles – was to explore the short-, mid- and long-term power choices for trucks, vans and buses – in line with the objectives of the European Commission’s Mobility Package. These can include conventional powertrains running on diesel or […]
GAVIN MYERS finds out why Digistics exclusively chooses MAN When you’re the preferred transport operator for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies such as KFC and McDonald’s, speed and uptime are of utmost importance. These quick-service restaurants require a transport service that is “faster than FMCG”, says Pieter Steyn, managed freight business unit manager at Digistics. Having adopted a revised vehicle strategy in 2010, the company’s current fleet of 198 trucks is exclusively MAN – and Monique Marks, national facilities and […]
What happens with a vehicle’s warranty and service or maintenance contract when it is sold on? To begin with, it is important to distinguish between the concepts of warranty, service contracts and maintenance contracts. According to Theunis Eloff, director: aftermarket, Volvo Group Market Southern Africa, a warranty is “a promise given to the customer, which gives peace of mind that the manufacturer believes in its product and protects the customer against manufacturing defects in material or faulty workmanship”. “Service and […]
The agricultural sectors in South Africa and Zimbabwe are hot news items right now, but can South Africa learn from Zimbabwe’s mistakes, and how will new policies affect agricultural trade? Nkosini Ngwenya finds out. The South African agricultural sector has remained buoyant, despite the threat of expropriation of land without compensation. A number of key factors have boosted this wave of renewed optimism and agribusiness confidence, which has allowed the agricultural sector to continue to thrive. One of these has […]
As we hurry towards the second half of 2018, a total of 7 674 new trucks and buses have so far been sold this year. However, the South African commercial vehicle market has shown a decline in sales of 7,5 percent during April – compared to the same period last year. Further, April’s sales of 1 838 units was down by a significant 22,1 percent on March. Gert Swanepoel, MD of UD Trucks Southern Africa, has commented that April is […]
Volvo is taking road safety yet another step further by allowing individual vehicles from two of its business entities – Volvo Trucks and Volvo Cars – to talk to each other… The cloud-based service, called Connected Safety, allows Volvo trucks and Volvo cars to automatically alert each other to hazardous traffic situations. “Expanded cooperation between different players is one of the most important keys to improved road safety. If more vehicles can exchange real-time information about the traffic situation, it […]
With South Africa still in the grips of a three-week-long bus strike over salary increases, Arnoux Maré, MD of Innovative Staffing Solutions (ISS), suggests outsourcing could be the answer to avoiding labour action and its attendant detrimental impact on the economy: Strikes at a local level could be avoided if organisations opted to outsource their staff. ISS currently employs more than 8 000 staff members who are contracted out to various clients. Experience has shown that if you take care […]
Progressive and Power – two names buyers of Mercedes-Benz’s bakkie, the X-Class, will come to know well. For the brand, though, these model designations hint at its ambition … it’s progressive, “establishing a new segment” (as the company claims), and it’s doing so with a mighty show of power. “This is the first bakkie to convincingly combine the versatility of a double-cab with the luxury of a passenger car,” claims Nadia Trimmel, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Southern Africa. So what’s […]
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