You know the drivers behind the wheels of Manline Energy’s fleet must be among the finest when only three percent of applicants make the grade in a rigorous recruitment process.

The bulk vehicle operator of fuel, chemicals, and other hazardous cargo pulls out all stops to ensure that they deliver on their promise of safety and service excellence.

The company has come a long way since it was launched in 2008 as a specialist dangerous goods operator, starting with a fleet of just five fuel tanker combinations, to now owning and operating 175 vehicles from strategically located depots on major Southern African transport routes.

The three core pillars around which Manline Energy’s operations thrive are service, safety, and efficiency.

Manline Energy, a subsidiary of Barloworld Transport, bears the ISO 39001 standard of certification. This standard is road transport specific and draws on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 with the specific aim of reducing road traffic collisions.

The fleet is 100% compliant with HSSE (Health, Safety, Security, and Environment) standards and carries CAIA (Chemical & Allied Industries’ Association), SQAS (Safety & Quality Assessment System) and RTMS (Road Transport Management System) accreditation. All vehicles meet, and even exceed, the compliance to legislated safety standards.

The company’s SHERQ (Safety, Health, Environment, Risk, and Quality) management system was developed in-house and forms the core part of Manline Energy’s day-to-day operations, resulting in excellent safety performance, beating industry statistics.
“High emphasis is placed on recruiting drivers with a positive attitude and ensuring they are well-versed with the safety values of the business. Also critically important is our strong focus on employee training and skills development,” said Justin Blythe, Managing Director at Manline Energy.

“Our bulk vehicle operators are more than just drivers, as highly trained specialists they are well equipped to confidently deal with various situations they may encounter on their journey, especially considering the environment in which we operate and their responsibility for the hazardous cargo.”

Drivers receive specialized training on an annual basis related to safety, health, environment, risk and quality which includes TETA (Transport Education and Training Authority) accredited courses in handling Dangerous goods, First Aid, Fire Fighting, Defensive Driving, loading and offloading procedures to name a few. New drivers joining the business are only signed off by the Training Department and permitted to get behind the wheel on their own after five weeks of intense training, evaluation and mentorship.

Manline Energy’s fuel fleet is equipped with leading technology multipurpose tanker combinations which can be tailored to all methods of fuel delivery, including metered pumps.

The company spares no expense in vehicle maintenance and invests significantly in modern, advanced technology to ensure the continuous monitoring of Manline Energy’s fleet via in-cab telematics and customized software applications that enable real-time fleet, driver, and on-road risk management.

In addition to dedicated fleet controllers and trackers at the various depots, state-of-the-art monitoring systems such as DriveSmart and DriveCam record specific events and risk management data such as driving hours, mandatory breaks and rest periods, vehicle speed, distance travelled and defensive driving metrics.

The company’s in-house developed, web-based operating platform MAX, is a market leading transport management system which incorporates all aspects of operational and commercial fleet
performance including real-time tracking of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) and customised notifications to clients.

The benefits of embracing technology of this caliber is evidenced by, amongst other factors, a realisation of the companies SHERQ objectives, which is to attain a measured, substantial reduction in road incidents and product spillage.

“To achieve an aggressive growth strategy, it is imperative that the right management is in place. The high levels of commitment to upholding the five core values of teamwork, commitment, excellence, integrity and sustainability make the end goal more achievable,” said Justin.

“The highest levels of professionalism permeate the company to ensure we remain at the forefront of the transport industry. Whether it is the administrative and operational procedures to ensure compliance; the stringent recruitment process for drivers; or the revolutionised training that we offer, top class service will always prevail. At the end of the day, we want to execute our business in a manner that ensures we cause no harm to the public or the environment and most important, that our drivers come home safely to their families.”