Cargo Commercial Vehicles Germiston is a commercial vehicles Freightliner / Mitsubishi Fuso dealership, conveniently situated at the end of the M2 East. Since the dealership opened in July 2003, turnover in all departments, service, parts and new and pre-owned truck sales – Freightliner and Mitsubishi Fuso - has nearly trebled.

When asking, Len Booysens, Sales Manager of Cargo Commercial Vehicles, what he attributes the success of the dealership to, he confidently smiles and says, “the right location, and more importantly, the products we sell are acceptable in the market place. They are popular and we are extremely fortunate to be in a position where demand exceeds supply, particularly with the Freightliner.”

The Freightliner Argosy is at the forefront of customisation and technology and takes into account our individual customer requirements. Freightliner has proven itself as the ‘no-nonsense’ truck-of-choice for long haul applications with its reliability and fuel efficiencies that have a strong impact on operator costs.

As you approach Cargo Commercial Vehicles Germiston, you are greeted by flags flying in the wind and an impressive trucking display invites you in to see what’s on offer. Access is extremely easy and the parking lot is filled with orders ready for delivery, yet there is ample parking for customers and staff. Smiling staff and a hot cup of coffee and one immediately feels at home. Impressive large engine blocks form the display area of the main sales office and you are reminded that when you buy a Freightliner you have a choice of three engines to choose from, Cummins, Detroit Diesel or Caterpillar.

Freightliner is popular with many customers who regard the Argosy as the preferred prime mover. “A number of our customers do have mixed engine fleets due to availability, but it is traditional to remain with one of these particular engines,” adds Booysen. The Freightliner Argosy is at the forefront of customisation and the state-of-the-art engine technology takes into account individual customer requirements.

Some of the trucks awaiting delivery are the first part of a 40 truck order for an important customer, Crossroads Distribution. The Freightliner Argosy trucks with the popular Cummings 500 engine and Smartshift Eaton transmission are specifically for a Post Office contract to deliver mail on long haul routes across southern Africa.

“The Freightliner has proven itself with Crossroads who first purchased five Argosy trucks more than a year ago. They were delighted with the operational costs and fuel efficiencies which have resulted with this further order of 40 units,” said Booysen. This large truck delivery is expected to be completed by the end of January 2007.

“Time is of the essence when delivering mail and The Post Office requires on time delivery seven days a week, and we believe the Argosy to be reliable and will we are confident that Crossroads Distribution will fulfill their commitment,” said Booysen.

Cargo Commercial Vehicles Germiston has a full service and maintenance workshop, however, Crossroads Distribution has chosen to do their own maintenance and service at their main depots.

With a total mixed fleet in their group in excess of 650 trucks, Crossroads Distribution has experienced technicians who are fully trained to undertake the Freightliners service and maintenance, which they find to be routine. Freightliner management insists on regular training of all technicians, service and sales staff from their dealerships, to keep abreast with modern technology.

“Currently the excessive fuel price is playing a very important factor when considering the purchase of a truck, and a number of our large operators are exceedingly pleased with our vehicles fuel efficiency and their fuel savings have become an important buying factor,” added Booysen.

Driver training plays an important role in cost effectiveness and Cargo Germiston have recognised this fact by having an accredited DaimlerChrysler SA Driver Trainer, Bryan James, who qualifies a number of driver trainers from their customer base. They in turn train their drivers to the exacting standards set out by the DaimlerChrysler SA driver training course. Additional to this is the contractor driver trainer, who guarantees 5% fuel saving on the correct style of driving. However, in most cases he achieves 10% and has an almost 100% success rate.

Additional to the driver training course, for every Freightliner purchased, the driver has a familiarisation training course which is extremely popular with all the drivers. “Our customers regard their Freightliner as a personal asset and the familiarisation of their truck is an important element in our handover process,” added Booysen. “We believe this gives them a sense of pride that makes them more responsible in all areas and ultimately extends the lifecycle of the truck.”

“Our business is extremely customer focused and we regard our individual owner operators as important as our fleet customers,” added Booysen. All the staff are well versed with the customisation of Freightliner and this plays an extremely important role in maintaining their strong customer base.

“The truck market has grown in both areas and the Freightliner has had phenomenal growth. Acceptance by the public is the fact that the vehicle does what it says – It is the Smart Choice. We have other contractors with approximately 15 – 25 vehicles in their fleet servicing bigger fleets as opposed to the individual owner operators.”

“We have a number of individual customers who are owner operators and who run small fleets. Because we design the vehicle to exactly what the customer wants, we always tailor make to the specification of the customer. As we have the ability to do this, we can make changes and order accordingly. Our big customer base is the owner driver of 1 to 2 trucks, who find the Argosy easy and reliable to operate and maintain.”

For the discerning owner operator who wants the ultimate in cab comfort, space and luxury, Cargo offers the Freightliner Argosy 110” raised roof, which accommodates specific requirements. This can be specced with many options including a lounge, double bunk and fridge.

Freightliner Finance & Mitsubishi Fuso Finance take pride in their exceptional penetration into the truck market. As a service to their customers, Cargo Commercial Vehicles Germiston offer customers these finance packages suitable to their business mainly through DaimlerChrysler Services. This in-house finance house tailor makes the finance deals to be convenient and best suited for their customers.

The truck Finance team are part of the DaimlerChrysler Financial services team, who are the only stand alone truck finance company in South Africa, and the largest truck financier in the world. The Freightliner & Mitsubishi Fuso finance team has an implicit knowledge of the truck market in South Africa, which goes far beyond traditional balance sheet analysis, as is traditionally the norm in the SA financing market.

“Freightliner recently celebrated its 10 years of operation in the southern African market and we are proud to be part of this energetic team that is making Freightliner a force to be reckoned with. Our aim is to be the best as we believe we have the best long haul product on the market,” concluded Booysen.