Girl-power movers choose VW Trucks

 

Furniture removal fleets form an integral part of modern society, deploying trucks of varying sizes to move all manner of commodities from both household and business premises to locations near and far. While the industry is dominated by corporate fleets, private companies are grabbing their slice of the furniture removal market by offering value-added services at the right price.

 

One such organisation is 3G Relocations, 100 percent women-owned and based in Centurion, Gauteng. Launched in 2008 by Adelé Bain (Founding Member), with Lizelle van Rooyen the current owner, 3G Relocations fields a fleet of 15 trucks, nine of which are from the Volkswagen (VW) Trucks stable.

 

According to Adelé, “I worked for large furniture removal companies for nine years prior to opening 3G Relocations, working my way up through the ranks in respective operations departments. I realised that I had the necessary flair for pin-point vehicle scheduling and people management, as well as identifying a need for integrated packing, transport and warehousing solutions, conducted with a friendly and personal touch.”

 

In what is a highly competitive industry, 3G Relocations is now “the fastest-growing furniture relocation company in South Africa,” says Adelé. “We started with a single truck and trailer and one driver and his four-man crew. Today, we employ 98 people and the backbone of our fleet is Volkswagen Trucks. I experienced the performance of many other truck brands in my previous jobs and when I started 3G Relocations, I shopped around extensively for the ideal ground-breaker for my business.

 

“I was introduced to the Volkswagen 19.320, a 4x2 truck-tractor, by Roelf Lewis, VW Truck Sales at Hatfield Truck & Bus, who really understood our requirements. Volkswagen Trucks had recently launched in South Africa and Roelf gave us a demo VW 19.320 unit and I was immediately smitten by its aesthetic appeal – by far the prettiest truck on the road!”

 

The original VW truck in the 3G relocations fleet quickly proved its merits, offering exceptional fuel economy, driver comfort and ease of maintenance. Adelé’s husband, Christo Bain, was the Operations Manager of 3G Relocations. He states that “the aftersales service we receive from Hatfield Truck & Bus and the southern African MAN dealer network has been pivotal to our growth as both a short and long-haul transport operation. Our fleet now includes five VW 19.320 truck-tractors, three VW 17.250 rigid-chassis trucks and one rigid-chassis VW 15.180.”

 

The 3G Relocations fleet travels a combined 160 000 kilometres per month on average in both rural and metropolitan areas and its VW truck component is setting new fuel economy benchmarks in the industry, explains Adelé. “My experience in the operations rooms of leading removal fleets gives me a clear idea of what other truck brands are capable of as far as fuel consumption is concerned. The more powerful truck-tractors are running at around 1.8 kilometres per litre while the industry average is 2.8 kilometres per litre. Our VW Constellation 19.320 notches up an industry-best 3.2 kilometres per litre. This enables us to travel nearly double the distance that our competitors can!”

 

Manufactured in Brazil, the Volkswagen Trucks range has earned a solid reputation in emerging economies for its abilities as a distribution vehicle in applications based on payload volume rather than mass. “Our payloads generally weigh less than nine tons so we don’t need the horsepower of the top European truck-tractors. The VW range offers a perfect combination of cab comfort with manual simplicity,” adds Adelé. “Our drivers are the biggest reason for our success and the VW sleeper cabs and day cabs all have air conditioners, radios, electric windows and air-sprung seats, as well as comfortable bunks in the sleeper cabs, with lots of stowage space and ample headroom. It’s a perfect package. My drivers get Euro cab comfort and we don’t have to pay for fancy frills we don’t need.”

 

Volkswagen Trucks come with a one-year/unlimited-mileage bumper-to-bumper warranty plus a second-year, unlimited-mileage driveline warranty which, explains Christo, “gives us hassle-free trucking for the bulk of our VW fleet. Our original VW has clocked up over a million kilometres and our out-of-warranty trucks are serviced by our in-house technician who has no problems repairing or servicing our VW trucks because they aren’t cluttered with electronics requiring sophisticated diagnostic tools. Another great advantage for us is the exceptional aftersales service we get from the workshop and Parts department at Hatfield Truck & Bus. We always receive swift hands-on support and the provision of customised service kits for all our VW models really keeps our downtime to a minimum.”

 

With 80 percent of its clients based in rural/farming communities, much of the routes travelled by the 3G Relocations fleet are on gravel roads. Apart from the fuel-savings, round-the clock dealer support (including roadside assist) and optimised uptime, “the purchase price of a new VW truck is also better than the competition, allowing us to expand with confidence, knowing we can buy new trucks that are ideally specified for our various applications. It’s a thrill for 3G Relocations to be able to prove to all those people in the industry who said we’d never make it with an ‘unproven truck’ that our Volkswagen trucks have helped make 3G Relocations a force to be reckoned with,” concludes Adelé.

 

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ONE MAN kann TGX comes home to G&H Transport

 

Having completed its epic 13 240km odyssey through nine African countries in 53 days, the ONE MAN kann Journey MAN TGX 26.540 EfficientLine truck-tractor made its way to its new owner, specialist explosives transport fleet, G&H Transport (G&H), based in Chloorkop, Gauteng.

 

Established in 1992 by Giacomo (Jimmy) and Heather Giannocarro, the fleet currently deploys 230 trucks, 150 of which are MAN derivatives. Heather and Jimmy’s twin sons, Gianni and Ricky Giannocarro, serve as fleet directors and were instrumental in procuring South Africa’s first Euro 5 MAN TGX EfficientLine 6x4 long-haul truck-tractor.

 

As a dedicated long-haul fleet serving the mining industry, G&H Transport’s trucks travel to many of the countries the ONE MAN kann Journey passed through, proving its ability to endure harsh African conditions.

 

“The majority of our work is for African Explosives Limited, delivering all types of explosives including ammonia nitrate and dynamite to both local and cross-border mines in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia Tanzania, Malawi and Congo,” says Gianni. “We have a long-standing relationship with MAN and it is our brand of choice. When our MAN account manager, Henk Dique, mentioned the imminent arrival of the TGX in South Africa some months ago, we made up our minds there and then to buy the first one available, which happened to be the ONE MAN kann TGX 26.540 EfficientLine.”

 

The G&H MAN TGX was officially handed over to the Giannocarro family at the ONE MAN kann Journey final event in Centurion on 30 October 2015 where G&H fleet decals were swiftly applied to the cab of the truck.

 

“It is a beautiful truck with a good pedigree behind it,” says Gianni. “The excellent service we get from our other MAN derivatives speaks for itself and this new MAN TGX can only be an improvement on the performance of its predecessors. As far as new technology goes, many South African transport operators are fielding the latest premium-brand hi-tech trucks and the TGX serves as an ideal flagship for G&H – it has all the right technologies to improve our operational efficiencies and will be deployed in our fleet servicing mining operations in Namibia.”

 

According to Henk, who has been the fleet’s MAN account manager for over 16 years, “I am extremely proud to have sold South Africa’s first TGX to one of my key customers. The ONE MANN kann Journey has had an immense impact on so many people working in the trucking industry who streamed the weekly videos of the TGX moving through Africa. When we delivered the TGX to G&H Transport on the 9th of November, the young ladies working in the fleet offices came running out, expecting to see Riaan Manser and Nduna Chari climbing out of the awesome extra-large cab!” 

 

With several MAN models (including TGS derivatives, and old F90 and TGAs) and Volkswagen trucks in its fleet, G&H Transport has an onsite MAN-accredited workshop where the TGX will be serviced every 40 000km as stipulated by its standard four-year/600 000km driveline warranty. MAN’s new Service Care package (a standard value-added service with every TGX sold in South Africa), which includes MAN TeleMatics, will automatically alert the workshop via email and sms to forthcoming services.

 

MAN ProfiDrive will train the fleet’s driver trainer on the latest technologies on the TGX which include a MAN hydrodynamic PriTarder in the BrakeMatic system that combines an electronically controlled engine valve brake (EVBec) with a Voith Aquatarder, plus safety features which include a Lane Guard system (LGS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and an emergency stopping signal (ESS), along with EBS, ASR and ESP.

 

“Apart from the visual impact the TGX has on our company image, we are really looking forward to the enhanced efficiencies the truck will bring to our fleet. The fuel-saving and carbon emission-limiting technologies in the Euro 5 MAN D26 engine, coupled with the EfficientLine package; the aero-kit, the air-pressure management system and low-rolling resistance tyres, will set new benchmarks for us and our customers in terms of operating costs and carbon emissions-reduction. But most importantly, as Riaan and Nduna proved on their journey, the TGX is a super-comfortable truck and whoever gets the keys for its Namibia run is going to be one happy driver!” concludes Gianni.

 

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VW Trucks bring sweet success to HFX Services

 

The trucking industry has always been a hotbed of entrepreneurship and it is particularly refreshing to witness young business minds making a success in what is an extremely competitive market. One such bright young thing is Micheal Bosch, Manager of HFX Services, a specialised distribution operation based in Alberton, Gauteng.

 

Launched in October 2013, HFX Services owns two Volkswagen trucks, dedicated to the delivery of palletised sweets for client, Trade Kings. According to Micheal, “I saw a gap with one of the customers of the company I was working for prior to starting my operation which had a problem with its small vehicle distribution and pallet-returns efficiency. I approached them with a solution which was to introduce a vehicle dedicated to their daily distribution requirements, which turned out to be the 14-ton Volkswagen 24.250, which perfectly suited their need for palletised load optimisation and same-day turnaround times with full return of their pallets.”

 

As Trade Kings grew, its need for extended distribution services prompted Micheal to start his own truck transport fleet. “Trade Kings needed a bigger vehicle but a super-link would be too big and too costly. Ryno Blignaut, my VW account executive from Tulisa Park Truck & Bus, introduced me to the 4x2 Volkswagen 19.320 truck-tractor which, with the right trailer, can carry 22-tons, which was perfect for my client’s needs.”

 

Conducting long, medium and short-haul duties, HFX Services distributes sweets within a 500km radius of Johannesburg, with the VW 19.320 travelling as far as Polokwane and Nelspruit. “As a start-up operation in 2013, we obviously had a stringent budget and had to shop around extensively to find a truck best suited to our requirements, from both application and financial perspectives. The pricing of the VW truck range was way better than its competitors, as were the proven fuel consumption figures Ryno showed me. Furthermore, Volkswagen’s history of reliability in South Africa made my purchasing decision an easy one.”

 

Apart from Ryno’s hands-on customer-care, the aftersales service Micheal receives from Tulisa Park Truck & Bus continues to impress him. “Our VW 24.250 was hijacked and the door-locking mechanisms, the ignition, the door panels and most of the dash were destroyed by the thieves in their search for the tracking unit. They failed to find it and we recovered the vehicle. What I thought would take two months to repair because of lengthy parts-supply lead times, took Tulisa Park Truck & Bus’ VW technicians just two days to fix!”

 

When it comes to routine servicing of his VW trucks, Micheal says his VW dealership is equally efficient. “I book the vehicle in a day prior to the service, take it in the next morning and its ready to return to duty in four hours. Brilliant!”

 

With both trucks clocking over 200 000km since initial deployment with no engine, turbo or gearbox problems, HFX Services’ profitability is sustained in what is currently a tough economic climate, says Micheal. “Fuel is the biggest cost component in a transport company which runs at between 40-45 percent of your total vehicle operating cost so keeping fuel consumption as low as possible is our number one objective. I swap notes with people I know in similar applications to HFX Services who run similar types of vehicles and my VW trucks have a CPK far better than any of its direct competitor brands.”

 

Elaborating on his strategy to lower CPK and total-cost-of-ownership, Micheal cites swift and comprehensive parts provision, 24-hour roadside assist, driver training and unlimited-mileage two-year warranties as key ingredients to the success of his fleet and the productivity of his drivers.

 

“Volkswagen trucks are like VW cars, really easy to drive with really comfortable cabs that have genuine German engineering and finishes. Driver safety is also a priority and the reinforced cabs have proven their life-saving ability in our operation where our VW 24.250 collided with a truck that had broken down in the right-hand lane of the highway, at night, with no lights on any warning triangles placed behind it. When I got to the scene and saw the damage to my truck, I thought my driver, Elijah Vilakazi was history, but he hopped out unscathed.”

 

Payload productivity is a primary concern for professional truck transporters and VW trucks are purpose-built to maximise load capacity, with class-leading power-to-weight ratios. “Our VW 24.250 can carry 14.5-tons while our VW 19.320 has a trailer built for volume loads of up to 20-tons. When you couple that with the low running costs and the reliability of VW trucks, you arrive at an unbeatable CPK figure and that’s why I will, in future, only buy VW trucks for my distribution fleet.”

 

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Crop Carrier gets the Cream

 

South Africa’s Free State province is the ‘breadbasket’ of the nation and a key source of agricultural produce for neighbouring African states. Every week, millions of tons of freshly milled foodstuffs are transported by truck from the Free State to food manufacturers across southern Africa. While much of this vital logistics work is contracted to corporate fleets, smaller independent fleets also help feed the region. One such private operation is South-Trans/Tip-Trans, owned and managed by the extremely ‘hands-on’ Peter Southwood, who has recapitalised his fleet with eight new MAN TGS truck-tractors.

 

Established in 1990 with four second-hand 6x4 truck-tractors towing superlink side-tippers and dropside grain-dumpers transporting sunflower seeds, maize and wheat, South-Trans/Tip-Trans (based in the picturesque Free state farming town of Viljoenskroon) now fields a mixed fleet of 50 truck-trailer combinations, including four newly-purchased MAN TGS 27.480 and four TGS 27.440 6x4 truck-tractors.

 

The combined fleet transports between 1700 to 2000 tons of produce per day.

 

Southwood’s relationship with MAN goes back to the year 2000 when he decided to replace his old vehicles with new trucks, injecting 40 MAN F2000 derivatives into South-Trans/Tip-Trans.

“My original second-hand units were expensive to maintain, used a lot of diesel and were not as reliable as we would have liked,” says Southwood. “Fifteen years ago, MAN sales executive, Henk Dique approached me and tailored a package that suited my needs. As the years progressed, I replaced the MAN units with various other brands of European and Japanese trucks in order to get a really good understanding of what is possible as far as running a lean operation is concerned, keeping operating expenses as low as possible while maintaining fleet uptime above 90 percent.”

 

Testimony to Dique’s commitment to his customers is his long-term relationship with Southwood which has been sustained for fifteen years, despite the fact that the fleet had phased out the MAN F2000.

 

According to Dique, “my relationship with a customer is based on providing them with a genuinely profitable solution for their fleet. If a rival supplier is able to better my MAN proposition, I do not walk away from that customer. Heavy-duty trucking is a constantly evolving industry and MAN Truck & Bus SA has worked long and hard to bring to market a specialised long-haul solution that I knew would suit Peter and South-Trans/Tip-Trans perfectly.”

 

With his 25 years of fleet management experience, Southwood had very specific requirements when it came to replacing eight 6x4 truck-tractors in March 2015. “I wanted the best purchase price on a premium-class 6x4 with the best possible fuel consumption, backed by a comprehensive extended warranty from a supplier who would give me satisfactory trade-in prices on my old units,” he explains.

 

Thanks to his customer proximity and perseverance, Dique was able to strike while the ‘iron was hot’, supplying Southwood with two TGS demo units, a 27.440 and a 27.480, while mustering his associates, Johnny du Plessis at MAN Financial Services and MAN TopUsed’s Manie Jansen, to assist him in providing South-Trans/Tip-Trans with swift service that met all of Southwood’s procurement criteria.

 

“After a month of duty in our fleet, the two TGS demo units proved what remarkable technology MAN is putting out these days, especially in terms of fuel consumption. Our trucks each clock up between twelve to fifteen thousand kilometres per month, travelling all over South Africa and as far as Namibia and Botswana, as did the TGS trial units. I looked at the fuel consumption data generated by both TGS units and quite frankly, I was stunned. Over a month of testing, each TGS delivered a diesel saving of eight thousand rand!” says Southwood.

 

Purpose-built for on/off-highway applications in southern Africa, the MAN TGS 27-series of longhaul truck-tractors is also an extremely driver-friendly vehicle, equipped with ‘intelligent’ TipMatic transmission and BrakeMatic systems that help minimise driver fatigue and boost on-road safety levels.

 

The TGS also comes with a class-leading four-year/600 000km driveline warranty and a best-of-breed service interval of 40 000km. These standard features, coupled with the rapid and accommodating service supplied by Dique, du Plessis and Jansen, have now made MAN the OEM of choice for South-Trans/Tip-Trans, adds Southwood.

 

“In order for my fleet to remain competitive, I need to deploy trucks that deliver lowest possible total-cost-of-ownership. I also need my truck supplier to be as agile as my business is. It really pleases me that through Henk’s consistent follow-up over the years, we have been able to rekindle our relationship with MAN and introduce with such efficiency, trucks that really meet our needs. The MAN F2000 put my operation on the map and my new TGS fleet, with full OEM back-up and support supplied by MAN, will carry South-Trans/Tip-Trans confidently into the future,” concludes Southwood.

 

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