Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing South Africa. While there is enormous pressure on the government to resolve this challenge, what is really needed are healthy businesses to create jobs. Unfortunately for most businesses, particularly in the logistics industry which was hit hard by sky-rocketing oil prices early in the first half of 2008 followed by the onset of the financial crisis later that year, major cost cutting has been required to keep businesses afloat - leaving job creation as the last thing on their minds.

For JSE-listed supply chain and logistics service provider Cargo Carriers however, the phenomenal growth experienced in the first half of 2010 due to years of investment in several key aspects of its business has resulted in the company hiring an incredible 175 extra people since January. This new staff contingent has been taken on board to service a number of new contracts including two of four tenders put out into the market by Afrox, a contract with cement manufacturer Lafarge, a further contract with Sasol for the distribution of raw materials to clients in South Africa as well as a contract for the distribution of Caltex fuels and lubricants in the Eastern Cape.

Key factors in Cargo Carriers’ growth surge are a rapidly improving B-BBEE rating, and top scores for their SHEQ audits (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality), combined with the reliability record that comes from a new fleet and excellent driver training, Cargo Carriers has invested in all the right places to ensure it has a significant competitive edge over other companies in the industry.

“Instead of taking a cost cutting approach and having to reduce our staff contingent as many companies in the industry have been forced to during these turbulent economic times, Cargo Carriers actually faces a human resources challenge in keeping up with the growth levels we are currently experiencing.

“We have had to recruit 150 experienced drivers, and a further 25 people into management and supervisory roles, and the challenge doesn’t stop there. There is a big difference between a driver and a Cargo Carriers driver, or as Afrox tell us “a gas driver”. Fortunately our new state of the art training centre at Sasolburg is fully operational, and these new employees are being inducted into our culture and our standards,” said Cargo Carriers Marketing Director Andre van Vuuren.

Cargo Carriers has also reintroduced a management development programme aimed at fast tracking the number of people in the business ready to operate successfully at middle and senior management levels.

“The challenge posed by staffing up for growth is considerable, but is made easier by the fact that we have already made and implemented decisions to boost training, created a significant number of learnerships, have re-established the management development programme and are working to grow our owner-driver scheme. These ‘home-grown’ people are steeped in Cargo Carriers culture and will become the mainstay of our future as we continue to grow,” said van Vuuren.