Timber transport and logistics Archives

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18th March 2026

Bell TF302E ticks all the boxes for Welverdiend Forestry

For a short-haul timber contractor to remain competitive, it is beneficial to have a dual-purpose vehicle capable of loading and unloading itself both in the field and at roadside depots, with the ability to drive on public roads being an additional advantage.

09th February 2026

WoodEX for Africa 2026 Opens Visitor Registration

Johannesburg, South Africa – Visitor registration is now officially open for WoodEX for Africa 2026, taking place from 9–11 June 2026 at the Gallagher Convention Centre,

18th October 2025

PBS Smart Truck pilot project confirms RTMS works

Stakeholders from South Africa’s transport and logistics sector gathered recently for a Road Transport Management System (RTMS) awareness workshop, a platform dedicated to sharing knowledge and advancing industry standards, with support from Michelin Connected Fleet and Standard Bank.

13th June 2025

Goobs Forestry loads up on Bell and Kobelco for timber loading contract

Simphiwe hails from a small village called eMakhwabe between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. When he matriculated at the Mantshinga Combined School in Paulpietersburg in 2007, there was no money for him to continue his education. He worked for a while as an intern with a large timber-growing and paper and pulp company. The same company would later sponsor his tertiary education in forestry.

03rd May 2023

A glimmer of belief that rail challenges are fixable

There is a spark of belief among forestry stakeholders that solutions to the deepening logistics challenges faced by the sector

03rd November 2022

Short of sleep spells D A N G E R for drivers & operators

By Carl van LoggerenbergSociety has generally been apathetic towards sleep and the need to have enough sleep. This has been

31st March 2022

Faltering rail service undermines competitiveness of the forest sector

A logistical nightmare is busy unfolding for forestry and downstream industries in South Africa as the freight rail service that

25th January 2021

Moveable bridge shortens long haul distance

New Zealand-based forestry company Juken NZ Ltd (JNL) has commissioned two moveable bridges that can be relocated to multiple harvest

06th April 2020

New NCT depot moves timber from road to rail

NCT has established a new road-to-rail transhipment depot at Vryheid that provides significant logistical cost benefits to timber suppliers to

02nd May 2019

Fourth generation PBS trucks lead the way

Timber24 is one of the leading transport companies hauling timber in South Africa. A subsidiary of Barloworld Transport, Timber24 operates

02nd April 2019

Measuring, monitoring, managing

Timber transport – depending on the distance from plantation to mill – is one of the highest cost components of

01st April 2019

Timber pioneers smart trucking

They’re smart, they’re big, and they are saving the forestry industry a packet. They’re also reducing wear and tear on

29th October 2018

Sappi Biotech’s Lignex product improves unpaved forestry roads

The Pulp and Paper industry uses trees as its primary raw material to produce a variety of pulp, paper and

11th April 2018

Life in the slow lane

Close to 57.2 tons of technology comes rumbling down the road. Possibly more if it is a PBS truck. By

28th September 2017

The real soldiers are the drivers

‘Running a fleet of lorries is a bit like handling a snake with a head on both ends’ SA Forestry

08th May 2017

Timber24 Zange lands specialised timber transport contract

Timber 24, a subsidiary of Barloworld Transport, has joined forces with a community-owned business in a specialised timber transport contract

24th October 2016

Transport and logistics solutions – Umgano Forestry upgrades capacity

Umgano forestry project upgrades timber loading and haulage capacity... Transport and logistics is one of the biggest challenges faced by

20th March 2015

Fourth generation PBS vehicles on the road

Timber transporter Timber24 has introduced its new fourth generation PBS timber vehicles – marking a first for the local industry.

30th March 2014

New loaders boost Merensky’s log handling capacity

Merensky has modernised and streamlined log handling capacity at three sawmills by replacing old machinery with versatile Bell L2106E Front

05th November 2013

NCT deploys 3rd generation PBS vehicles

Zabalaza Hauliers has two new '3rd generation' PBS vehicles on the road, transporting timber for NCT. These vehicles have been

31st August 2012

New loaders built tough in South Africa

Slew loaders specially designed for the sugar and timber industries are now rolling off the production line at Zululand-based Matriarch

30th August 2012

New MAN PBS fleet for Sappi contract

The truck transport industry the world over is driven by the need to constantly improve payload efficiency while simultaneously reducing

30th August 2012

Rail going nowhere

Efforts to persuade Transnet Freight Rail to expand their service to the forestry industry have not yielded solutions, but the

27th October 2011

‘Smart’ trucks improve efficiencies

Timbernology is a relative newcomer to the world of timber transport, but it has made quite an impact on the

Logmech solves Mkhoba Forestry’s steep slopes quandary

Welverdiend Forestry opts for TimberPro

Opportunities for Southern African timber exporters?