Author:jaco-de-klerk

Your air taxi is landing! September 28, 2023 The concept of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft emerged in 2009, when a video of the NASA Puffin eVTOL concept went viral. Fast forward 14 years and it seems the time of air taxis is nigh. Flying “cars” have moved from the realm of science fiction to a real world alternative for getting people from A to B. At least, they will have in little more than a year. […]

Fleet management will flourish October 24, 2023 Fleet management is set to flourish in the future, so we delve into the global and domestic markets to see what exactly is expected to drive this growth. The global fleet management system market achieved a volume of US$23.8 billion in 2022 and is set for significant growth in the future. Leading international market research company ResearchAndMarkets.com says that the sector is expected to attain a market value of US$43.1 billion in the next five years. “This […]

Terrific tyre trends September 14, 2023 The wheel has never had to be reinvented, but tyres are a totally different story. We take a look at the latest developments within this sector. First up is Continental’s drive to step up its activities towards a circular economy. Recently, the tyre manufacturer added recovered carbon black (rCB) to its newly produced Super Elastic solid tyres at its tyre plant in Korbach, Germany, thus reducing the fossil raw materials used and carbon dioxide […]

Spot the fake  July 5, 2023 Industry-leading brands recently joined forces in Malaysia to educate attendees about the potential harm that fake and counterfeit parts pose to the transport industry. Asian Trucker Magazine’s one day seminar, “Spot the Fake – Protect your Assets”, held at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Setia Alam, provided various pointers on how to identify fake or counterfeit parts – useful information to any transport operator. Labels and packaging One of the most obvious ways […]

The tides of container transport  July 20, 2023 Demurrage and detention (D&D) charges increased drastically during the pandemic. Even though they’re falling again in 2023, there is still much uncertainty within the container transport sector. “Freight forwarders and shippers are no strangers to the dreaded demurrage and detention charges,” explains Container xChange – an online marketplace and operating platform for container logistics companies – in its piece, Demurrage and detention: Find out how to save money in top ports 2023. […]

Mitigating risk and rewarding safety  July 11, 2023 Many fleet managers and logistics companies are confronted with unique threats and risks on a daily basis. JACO DE KLERK dives into the world of fleet risk management to highlight how the right insurer and “dry driving” can lighten the load. Arrive Alive says it best in its piece Fleet Insurance and Truck Insurance for Commercial Vehicles: “Businesses operating in the transport industry, which deploy vehicles to an especially far-reaching and intensive […]

What’s up in the used market? June 20, 2023 Are prices rising or falling, and is it still possible to get a great deal? We talk to Thabo Moloi, general manager of used trucks and buses at Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA), to shed some light on the situation. Moloi, who is also a member of the DTSA executive committee, handles the overall management of the used trucks portfolio – a role he assumed on 1 February 2023. He also […]

Securing supply chain success  May 31, 2023 Cross-border shipping can be challenging for businesses aiming to expand internationally, and many turn to third-party logistics providers (3PLs) for help. Andrew Welling, vice president and general manager of brokerage operations at TA Services, highlights five ways in which 3PLs are advantageous to cross-border shipping. “Cross-border freight shipping can be a complex and challenging process for businesses that want to move goods across international borders,” Welling stresses. “There are many logistical and regulatory […]

Green crusaders? May 26, 2023 Frans Timmermans, executive vice president of the European Commission for the European Green Deal, highlights the fact that heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for more than a quarter of greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions from road transport. Nevertheless, JACO DE KLERK discovers that extra-heavy commercial vehicles could play an important role as green crusaders. During his opening remarks at a press conference on the revision of CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles, Timmermans pointed out that 99% of […]

Tyre technology on a roll March 9, 2023 In its piece The Invention of the Wheel, ThoughtCo* notes that the oldest known wheel – discovered in archaeological excavations in modern-day Iraq – comes from Mesopotamia and is believed to be over 5 500 years old. “It was not used for transportation, though, but rather as a potter’s wheel,” states the article. Regardless, the combination of the wheel and axle made early forms of transportation possible. These became more sophisticated over time […]