Scania safari sells 75 fleet tractors
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• Truck industry executives are hardly tripping over each other in their eagerness to visit Zimbabwe, but Richard Hall, vehicle remarketing manager at Scania, isn't the sort to be deterred.
In an eight-day trip to Africa recently he managed to sell 75UKsourced used Scanias in Kenya, Uganda, flood-hit Mozambique and strife-torn Zimbabwe, despite the strong pound.
All of these countries face problems sourcing hard currency, so how are payments being arranged? "We're dealing with the local Scania importer in each case, so payment is guaranteed," says Hall. "They're paying good money for the vehicles, too—we're not having to resort to drastic price cuts."
The trucks are ex-fleet 4x2 tractive units at 32 ohp. "We've got a lot of sleepers on air that we want to get rid of, and we're managing to get them to take them," he adds.
The Scanias are being shipped three to a container along with a selection of used parts such as springs.
Operators in subSaharan Africa desperately need newer trucks: "I went to see one transport company with Go vehicles, the youngest of which was 17," says Hall. "They just patch them up and keep them going as best they can. The owner told me he liked Scanias because they could pull 6o tonnes. 11
That is a tall order for 320 horses on rough African roads: and rather more demanding than hauling boxes of crisps around the Iv125, Cross Commercials, of Leek, Staffordshire, has just sold six Scania day-cab tractors to customers in West Africa. "But the strength of the pound is still making things difficult," says general manager Don Mitchell.