Author:jim-ward

When arrogance pushes opportunity aside March 21, 2025 A careless first encounter can cost businesses dearly, as an international delegation discovered when dealing with a major transport group. JIM WARD discusses the priceless perception of service, and behaviour that influences first impressions.  Good service is a fragile, fleeting thing. It is hard to quantify, but good impressions and an organisation’s reputation can be created or destroyed early in a relationship – even by something small or seemingly insignificant.  A waiting […]

The best advice a truck salesperson can get March 12, 2025 Successful truck sales require more than just a good product; the salesperson holds the key to sealing the deal or losing it entirely. JIM WARD shares warts-and-all advice that can turn a missed opportunity into a guaranteed handshake. I was once asked to address the annual sales conference for a gathering of truck sales professionals. The brief was succinct: “What must we do to sell more trucks?” I was […]

Fled and the African compass February 25, 2025 Transport comes with drama, adventure, and a cast of unforgettable characters. In this article, JIM WARD introduces us to Fled, a Zairean-turned-Zambian with bush smarts and the ability to outwit even the feistiest Pygmy ambushes. At 18 I was sent off to gain work experience in rural Zambia, where I worked for a fine farmer, whose family lineage stretched in an unbroken line right back to the long-suffering wife of Dr David […]

The colour of love November 18, 2024 There are very few poems written for panel beaters or their close cousins, spray painters, but JIM WARD says there should be more. Finding a highly skilled, ethical panel beater is like finding a rare jewel on the beach: it doesn’t happen very often. In the decades I have dealt with them, I can count the truly excellent ones on one hand. They tend to open, close, move premises, and change names with […]

The importance of participative management October 23, 2024 It is a proven fact that when employees understand why they are expected to do certain things, they tend to do them better. Similarly, writes JIM WARD, involving employees in the project design or development process early on increases the likelihood of rapid buy-in and commitment when that design becomes a reality. I have deliberately avoided mentioning names in previous columns. I cannot avoid doing so here, but for all the right […]

Swings and roundabouts: The Maintenance pendulum (Part 3) September 25, 2024 Vehicle maintenance (VM) contracts are becoming increasingly popular within the transport industry. In our August issue, JIM WARD explained how dealers calculate and establish their vehicle maintenance rates. In September, he explained the role of the owners. In this, the third and final article in the series, he warns that any contract is a delicate balancing act… Transport operators need to be aware of the pitfalls surrounding VM contracts. […]

Swings and roundabouts The Maintenance pendulum (Part 2) August 30, 2024 Vehicle maintenance (VM) contracts are becoming increasingly popular within the transport industry. Last month, in the first of a three-part series, JIM WARD explained how dealers calculate and establish their vehicle maintenance rates. This month, he explains the role of the owners. Maintenance contracts, like insurance and medical aid, share some important traits: they can limit exposure to risk, but they do require a certain level of honesty to […]

Swings and roundabouts: The maintenance pendulum August 2, 2024 Vehicle maintenance (VM) contracts are becoming increasingly popular within the transport industry. In the first of a three-part series, JIM WARD explains how dealers calculate and establish their vehicle maintenance rates. He also describes the lifecycle of a contract.  Full and part maintenance/service contracts (FMCs, or MCs) have become an important part of commercial transport. Offering predictable maintenance costs – fixed per month, kilometre, or even engine hour – they enable […]

No man is an island June 28, 2024 Over the years I have been impressed many times by the calm professionalism of paramedics at serious accidents. They are usually frantically busy attending to the injured and dying, but the quiet cooperation and understanding between them is remarkable and often taken for granted. These are highly committed, superbly trained, often quite young people, doing gruelling, dangerous, and essential work. They are required to follow long established life-saving medical procedures from memory, […]

Mkhulu and the AMG May 30, 2024 Soon after the light first appeared in the rearview mirror – faintly blue-tinted and exceptionally bright – it crested the horizon and transformed into a pair of headlights, moving incredibly quickly and approaching from behind… JIM WARD relates a tale that is truly strange, yet profoundly poignant. It was a Saturday morning, and I was heading back to Johannesburg from KwaZulu-Natal, having spent several days in supplier meetings and fleet inspections. The roads […]