Trucks

Volvo Trucks drives one of SA’s youngest fleet owners

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa’s newest long-haul fleet owner is most likely also one of its youngest. Kiara Baijnath (21) this week took ownership of five brand-new Volvo FH extra heavy trucks, complete with very distinctive pink branding and accompanying bright pink double-link trailers. These will form the foundation of HerWay Logistics, a new haulage operator for bulk deliveries across South Africa.
Kiara Baijnath (center) takes ownership of five brand-new FH extra heavy trucks, presented by Herman Steyn, Volvo Trucks Sales Executive on the left, and Anders Friberg, Director of New Truck Sales at Volvo Trucks South Africa on the right.
Kiara Baijnath (center) takes ownership of five brand-new FH extra heavy trucks, presented by Herman Steyn, Volvo Trucks Sales Executive (left) and Anders Friberg, Director of New Truck Sales at Volvo Trucks South Africa (right).

“As a young girl, I would always insist on driving with my grandfather in his old truck when he delivered his crops to the local farmer’s market. Even then I told him that one day I want to drive my own truck,” says Baijnath.

 

This idea never left her and after school she started penning her idea of creating a female-owned long-haul operator that would also train and employ female drivers.

 

She credits her parents for supporting this somewhat uncommon dream, and after a few years of saving and a starter loan from them, Baijnath approached Volvo Trucks in Durban with her deposit and her business plan.

 

“I was ready to face rejection, and I psyched myself up to defend the merits of my business plan, so I was quite taken aback when I was met with the opposite,” she jokes. “Everyone was very excited about my plan, and they immediately started brainstorming ideas and creating timelines. Their excitement fuelled my own ardour, and I started thinking much bigger than before.”

Kiara Baijnath standing in front of a line of 5 pink coloured volvo trucks bearing the text Herway Logistics

The bigger dream included larger trucks and more of them, giving HerWay a much stronger start and the ability to bid for larger contracts from the onset.

 

“It also included the Volvo Connect fleet management system, which allows her to remotely monitor every aspect of the fleet’s mechanical health as well as the drivers’ performance,”  explains Herman Steyn, Volvo Trucks Sales Executive at the company’s Durban dealership. “So when you have to manage a whole fleet, Volvo Connect provides the services and support to make your transport operation more efficient and potentially more profitable.”

 

Anders Friberg, Director of New Truck Sales at Volvo Trucks South Africa, notes that the new generation of truck operators are very tech savvy, and they immediately understand Volvo’s unique business proposition, which marries durability and fuel efficiency with our telematics.

 

For instance, Baijnath calculated that a mere 400 metres of extra distance per litre, which is possible when you drive less aggressively and trust the truck to do the work, can translate into a saving of R100 000 in fuel per truck per year at the current price of diesel.

 

“It is this line of thinking that excites us at Volvo Trucks,” says Friberg, who personally handed over the keys to Baijnath. “When I look at our staff complement, from our engineers to our sales team, and of course our owners, we see a lot more females entering this male-dominated world. They bring with them a new way of looking at this business and an incredible work ethic, which only benefits Volvo Trucks and the industry at large.”

 

Returning to HerWay Logistics. The company will start on 1 February with long-haul deliveries between Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa’s busiest route. Baijnath and her small team will then start pitching for contracts that expand their reach beyond the N3, including to neighbouring countries.

 

“We have set up our business, and our service contract with Volvo Trucks, to include neighbouring countries. Volvo Trucks already have a very strong service network throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and we thought it prudent to include that in our agreement to make sure we can cross borders at any time.

 

“Following that, we will work with them on our driver-training plan. We are serious about our plan with women empowerment and about safety.

 

“You can imagine that these bright pink trucks will be hard to miss on the road and one that is stuck next to the road or in an accident will immediately draw attention. So, making sure our drivers, our cargo and our fellow road users are safe is paramount,” says Baijnath.

 

HerWay Logistics has a truck yard and offices in Prospecton, Durban. It aims to set up depots across South Africa as its business grows.

 

30 January 2025

For further information, please contact:

Belinda Butler
Brand, Marketing & Communication, Volvo Trucks
Tel: +27 11 842 5000
Email: press.za@volvo.com

 

Volvo Trucks supplies complete transport solutions for discerning professional customers with its full range of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Customer support is provided via a global network of dealers with 2,300 service points in about 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 12 countries across the globe. In 2022 approximately 145,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks’ work is based on the core values of quality, safety, and environmental care.