October 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
Editor
Reuben van Niekerk
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082 837 8801
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Suzanne Walker
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Fuel hikes keep coming
Diesel prices increased for the fourth consecutive month at the
beginning of October these latest significant adjustments are
mainly attributable to rising international oil prices. While the weaker Rand/US Dollar
exchange is also playing a role in the hikes for all fuels, its contribution is less substan-
tial than the international product prices.
“These increases are going to hit all consumers hard, and they come at a time
when most South Africans are feeling extreme financial pressure. It remains con-
cerning, however, that in the face of these increases, government remains silent on
its plans, if there are any, on a way forward to deal more effectively with fuel price
increases,” says the Automobil Association.
Unfortunately there is not much that one can do about the fuel prices, because if
you are utilising vehicles for business purposes driving less is not an option. However
it is important to use vehicles as efficiently as possible and this is where a well sorted
fleet management system is worth its weight in gold. Ctrack offer a variety of options
which now utilise AI to lessen the workload on fleet managers.
The maintenance of vehicles is also critical in keeping the lid on fuel consumption.
It is important to ensure that vehicles are kept in a good mechanical condition,
serviced in line with manufacturers guidelines and that tyres are inflated to manufac-
turers specifications to ensure optimum consumption.
Transport industry faces headwinds
The latest Ctrack Transport and Freight Index, which measures six of the major sectors
of the transport and logistics industry retreated further during August, the third
consecutive monthly decline. This index is always a good barometer of the transport
industry’s health and also closely tracks the country’s GDP. Four of the six-sub sectors
including the biggest contributor, road freight, declined. In recent years the transport
industry has managed to outperform a variety of other industries and while the
economic narrative remains generally static, with ongoing load-shedding, elevated
interest rates, a lacklustre job market and low confidence levels, it is evident that
sector-specific challenges have also played a role in the transport sector’s underper-
formance during the second quarter of this year.
Sales remain buoyant
Despite the aforementioned challenges sales of commercial vehicles remain buoy-
ant. Aggregate domestic vehicle sales declined by 4,1% during September but sales
of light commercial vehicles, bakkies and minibuses increased by 4,6% while sales of
vehicles in the heavy trucks segment increased by 10,5%. This positive performance
is an indication that despite a variety of challenges works needs to be done and
commercial vehicle users continue to invest in new vehicles required to keep the
economy going
We would love to hear from you
We are always refining Business Fleet Africa as we aim to offer an all-encompassing,
informative and relevant read. As we plan for 2024, we would love to hear from you.
What would you like to see more of or less of? Please let us know by way of email.
Reuben van Niekerk
Editor
Editorial
EDITORIAL
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