Bulk Transport

The Big World of Bulk Transport

As an all-round freight logistics provider of repute, one of the numerous and varied services which our company is proud to offer to our clients, is that of bulk transport, a highly specialised cargo carrying function should the load consist of a potentially hazardous substance.

Much of the bulk cargo which we handle and transport is for import and/or export purposes, and in these instances, we also attend to the border clearing procedures on behalf of our clients. The principle import and export bulk loads that we are engaged to carry across South African borders include coal, grain, maize, fertiliser and cement.

People who do not have knowledge of the freight industry only associate bulk with big and cumbersome, which such loads most certainly are. However, bulk freight describes a commodity in enormous quantity, handled, loaded and moved from point of origin to the desired destination in loose or unpackaged state – in bulk.

Categories

Broadly speaking, bulk cargo is categorised as either being dry or liquid, also known as wet cargo. Dry bulk products may be relatively fine in texture, as in the case of maize, grain, sand or gravel, whilst coarser commodities include stone and coal.

Typical Dry Cargo

  • Bulk cement – for large projects or import/export purposes, in which case it is not traded in pocket form, the packaging in which one would purchase cement from a builders’ supply outlet, or in comparatively small quantities
  • Iron ore – ferrous or non-ferrous, may be in pellet form, iron alloys or pig iron, scrap metals
  • Minerals – salt, gravel, limestone, copper
  • Dry chemicals and chemical compound – fertiliser, synthetics and resins, plastics, which may be in powder, granular or pellet form
  • Coal
  • Grains – rice, wheat, rye, sorghum, maize, oats, barley, soya beans
  • Edible dry products – peanuts, animal feed pellets or other dry livestock feed, flour, starch, seeds for planting or consumption, sugar – raw and/or refined

 

Wet/Liquid Non-Hazardous Bulk Products

  • Olive oil
  • Cooking or sunflower seed oil
  • Vegetable oil
  • Fruit juice
  • Liquid rubber

 

Hazardous Liquids

  • Petroleum
  • Dieseline
  • Chemicals in liquid form
  • Liquid nitrogen
  • Liquefied natural gas – LNG/LPG

 

Specialised Dry Bulk Handling Equipment

Depending on the type of dry commodities which their industry requires them to handle for storage or transport purposes, our clients variously utilise specialised stationary or fixed equipment, such as conveyor belt systems, bucket elevators, truck or railway car dumpers, hoppers, stackers and ship loaders.

Mobile handling equipment includes shuttles and loaders, while nowadays, more sophisticated systems are fully integrated to store, transport and unload bulk products.

Drivers, Vehicles and Support Staff

There are numerous rules and regulations which apply to transporting bulk and hazardous cargo by road, and drivers may require advanced training, depending on what type of vehicles are used and the nature of the loads, ensuring the safety of the cargo, driver, public and the environment.

Our drivers are integral to the success of our bulk transport and other haulage operations, just as our vehicles and technical maintenance personnel also play a vital role. Most of our distinctively branded vehicles are less than 3 years old and rigorously maintained for the safety of clients’ cargo, prompt and reliable service and minimal downtime, if any.

Workshops and equipment are state of the art, while in-house teams provide ongoing training, since we believe in the empowerment of our staff members through skills development and improvement on all levels, and our management is committed to various social investment programmes.

Bulk Coal

By 2006, our bulk coal road transport services conveyed close to one million tons of this black gold commodity; currently our fleet covers more than 85 000 kilometres per month on Southern African roads, in the performance of our duties on behalf of our valued, loyal clients.

In situations where our clients utilise bulk rail services, we ensure that the supply chain from source to rail and/or rail to destination runs smoothly, without costly breaks and interruptions.

Warehouse and Facilities

Currently, our warehousing facility of 6 500 square metres, plus its railway siding, allows for sizeable storage needs, although we still have another 70 hectares of industrial zoned land for additional development, as and when the need to extend arises. We also have a magnetite bunker at Grootgeluk Mine and a railway siding capable of handling 40 000 tons of bulk material per month.

Excellence and Reliability

If prompt, reliable bulk transport and other freight logistic services are important to you and your business’s success, you may rest assured that our constant commitment to excellence in all that we do, is there to serve you, 24/7 if required.

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