Forging strong, service-based relationships with customers is a top priority for Babcock and one of the driving reasons behind logistics provider OneLogix’s decision to purchase a further 12 DAF Trucks from Babcock, bringing their DAF Trucks fleet for group company OneLogix Projex up to 80. OneLogix Projex purchased six DAF Trucks in 2012 and has since returned to Babcock on numerous occasions as the two companies continue to build a strong and symbiotic relationship.
Sales executive for Babcock’s Transport Solutions division, Alec Jackson, says that the new order comprises 11 DAF XF105.460s and one DAF XF105.460 hub reduction to pull 75 tonne lowbeds. OneLogix Projex uses the DAF Trucks primarily for highway haulage of machines and containerised cargo, both nationally and cross-border, and the new trucks will be used for lowbed and stepdeck work with the transportation of yellow machinery. They include hazardous chemical modifications by Babcock to allow the trucks to carry universal products.
“Five of the new trucks have already been delivered and the DAF XF105.460 in particular has shown excellent results for OneLogix Projex, currently standing as the best in their fleet in terms of uptime and fuel consumption,” says Jackson.
Built for the long haul, the DAF XF105 sets the standard for long distance road transport and has fast become Babcock’s best-selling truck with beneficial features such as low operating costs, top comfort to the driver and high revenues per kilometre to the operator.
The European designed DAF Trucks also incorporate special modifications in order to operate at optimal efficiency in South Africa’s harsh climate and mountainous roads conditions with customised air filters and heavy-duty cooling systems.
Jackson says that Babcock’s dealer network offers everything from a routine service to tailor-made repair and maintenance contracts, as well as full after-market support and strategically located parts distribution centres that support the dealer network by ensuring that parts are always available. In Europe, the DAF Trucks brand is synonymous with quality, and increasingly more South African transport businesses are beginning to recognise the immense potential that the brand has to boost their profitability. DAF Trucks offer the lowest vehicle tare weight in southern Africa as well as low fuel consumption and competitive pricing.
Babcock reports that sales of DAF Trucks are buoyant, and accredits this to its seven-year run as exclusive distributor of the brand in the region combined with strong aftersales support.
The day-to-day performance of the vehicles in an operating environment is one of the main factors contributing to its upward trajectory and its superiority was once again proven at Truck Test 2017 that placed the DAF XF 105.460 as the best long-distance truck tractor in the South African transport market. An average payload of 30 620 kg, average speed of 66,1 km/h and average fuel consumption of 44,29 ℓ/100 km ensured that the DAF XF 105.460’s came out tops in the Tridem flatdeck category with a payload productivity factor of 45,7. This followed on from its stellar performance in Truck Test 2015 when DAF Trucks outperformed other brands in the interlink category.
DAF Trucks applies state-of-the-art technology to maintain the highest standards in development and manufacturing, with a reputation for offering a truck for every application.
