Fuso TV33-400S: Payloads’ perfect partner

For over four decades, Payloads has been a stalwart of the South African logistics industry, renowned for its family-oriented approach and dependable service. The latter is partially attributable to the tools of the company’s trade – and the FUSO TV33-400S is playing a starring role…

Founded in 1981 by Daan Joubert Snr, the Krugersdorp-based business is now run by two generations of the Joubert family, including Daan Snr, Daan Jnr, and Riaan Joubert. Specialising in the transportation of chrome, manganese, and iron ore, the company continues to operate across short-, medium-, and long-distance routes with a fleet of over 50 trucks. 

The family-owned business, which originally started with Mercedes-Benz trucks, has now transitioned to include the FUSO TV33-400S in its operations. This transition has brought about significant benefits, as operations director Daan Joubert Jnr explains: “Essentially, it is the same Daimler Truck experience. Initially, we were a little sceptical about the FUSO brand because we’ve traditionally run Mercedes-Benz trucks within our fleet. However, we’ve been very pleased with the service and support provided by FUSO.”

Payloads has always prioritised robust and dependable vehicles to meet the demands of transporting heavy materials like chrome, manganese, and iron ore across regions such as Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal. According to Joubert, the search for a new truck began following the discontinuation of the Mercedes-Benz Axor 3340 – a vehicle that had been a stalwart in the Payloads fleet.

“We were looking for a truck that could match the reliability and robustness of the Axor 3340,” he says. “After testing the FUSO TV33-400S, it was clear that this product would live up to our expectations, and we have never looked back since. The FUSO TV33-400S also made sense from a competitive pricing perspective.”

In a business that runs trucks daily across 600-km routes, performance and efficiency are crucial. Joubert is quick to highlight how well the FUSO TV33-400S has integrated into their operations. “Every operator has different requirements, but for us, in the short- to medium-haul applications this product is perfect. It is simple, robust, and our drivers are giving a lot of positive feedback on the power of the truck.”

When it comes to the total cost of ownership, Payloads has been equally impressed. Fuel efficiency plays a key role in the operational success of any logistics business, and Joubert is happy with the numbers the FUSO TV33-400S delivers. “From a fuel consumption point of view, we are quite happy. We are achieving fairly good results on our short to medium runs, especially given the number of stops and pull-aways on these routes. On average, we’re getting between 1.9 and 2.1km/litre. We once tested a longer route to Richards Bay and even then, we were able to achieve 2.4km/litre, which compares really well with other products on the market.”

One of the standout advantages of the FUSO TV33-400S is its simplicity and ease of maintenance, which is particularly important in an industry where uptime is essential. “Because of the truck’s simplicity, it’s extremely easy to maintain and repair,” Joubert affirms. “We’ve recently become an accredited workshop for both Mercedes-Benz trucks (which we still run) and FUSO. This allows us to service our own trucks and significantly reduces maintenance costs. We purchase genuine parts from the dealers, but being able to handle repairs ourselves has been a game-changer.”

Reliability is key in logistics, and for Payloads, the introduction of the FUSO TV33-400S has addressed a major pain point. Joubert explains, “We ran other products for a while and had many issues with product reliability, availability, and breakdowns. This caused a lot of downtime and meant we had to use more subcontractors to fill the gaps. This all changed with the introduction of the FUSO TV33-400S into our fleet. Uptime and vehicle availability have definitely been the biggest positive impacts on our business.”

Looking forward, the Joubert family is confident that FUSO will remain a key partner in their future growth. Payloads has always sought to combine operational efficiency with a commitment to quality service for its clients, and the FUSO TV33-400S has played a critical role in achieving that balance.

When asked to sum up the vehicle’s most valuable feature, Joubert doesn’t hesitate: “The product is perfect for us because of its simplicity and reliability. It’s exactly what we need for our operations, and it has helped us get back to focusing on what matters – delivering on our promises to our clients,” he emphasises.

Clearly, delivering on promises has been pivotal in the growth and sustainability of this transport operator. So too have family values – combined with the right tools. Ultimately, this has created a legacy in the logistics industry.