Time is money – we save you both, is the slogan of Time Link Cargo. This is only possible with a Scania truck.  Scania is an exceptional truck in all respects, but one of Scania’s most impressive features is its powerful V8 engines.

Scania’s PGR V8 series has crawled deep into the hearts of the South African farming community and transport industry, for these stalwarts have gently and without difficulty paved their way on our farm and tar roads. 

Scania’s first V8 engine was launched in 1969 and since then it has shown an impressive growth curve in terms of power and engine size. The latest generation of Scania trucks in South Africa is the P-G and R series launched in the mid 2 000’s. This power range was increased from the previous LB 144 model’s 343 and 395 kW up to 373 to 433 kW. It is also the first time that Scania has increased its engine capacity of 14,2 to 15,6 litres. For farmers and fleet managers who require even more power and torque, Scania launched the Euro 4 version with 463 kW.   The PGR-series has been assembled in the Scania plant in Johannesburg for the past 11 years, but this era has recently come to an end, to step aside for the new NTG-series. A celebration was held to mark the 23 000th unit that rolled out of the plant on February 26 this year. Scania’s plant workers and personnel, management and the buyer of the iconic truck were all there to celebrate.

The great event was also a great day for Time Link Cargo, who bought this unit. “It was a great honour to receive the 23 000th and last Scania PGR produced in the world,” said Kamal Mitoo, owner of Time Link Cargo. This Cape Town based transport company has the largest Scania fleet with V8 engines in South Africa.   Time Link Cargo started in 2005 and they bought their first Scania shortly afterwards. “This truck was perfectly suited to our needs and to this day I only have 6×4 Scania trucks with V8 engines in my fleet,” Kamal said.

Many Time Link Cargo trucks are crisscrossing roads all over the country, and to ensure that each one of them arrives in time at its destination, requires a strong and clever support team. Support is synonymous with Scania and on the technical side their teams are always ready for any challenge. “We drive between 30 000 and 34 000 km per truck per month and cover a wide range of distances with various kinds of loads. To achieve this, we need the best back-up service available,” says Kamal. Time Link Cargo has a full-service contract with Scania and even has loan trucks available to them. Downtime has become a strange concept for truck drivers. “In fact, a Scania is in all respects a well-balanced vehicle, from driving convenience, maintenance costs, fuel consumption, to adaptability to our operations,” he says.

Driver training is usually challenging for many businesses with a huge fleet, but Kamal was very pleased with the thorough work done by the Scania Driver Training programme in that regard. “Scania’s Driver Training is of paramount importance to us. Our drivers are all fully conversant and familiar with the operation of their trucks and are also regularly updated with new features,”   Scania’s 38 dealer network workshops are neatly distributed all over the country and there are more than enough mobile service units to assist a truck in time. Scania Assist is also available around the clock.   For a large transport company such as Time Link Cargo, the smallest technological improvement on a truck can make their expenditure statement look much better. Kamal says: “As the years go by, Scania remains at the forefront of the latest technology in their trucks and we are keeping ourselves updated to make the best decisions.”

The relationship between Scania and Time Link Cargo is rock solid. “It will continue for many years. “Not only are we satisfied with the vehicles, but also with every aspect of Scania’s after-sales service and maintenance contract. We have already placed an order for 100 units of the new range,” Kamal says.

For more information on Scania’s range of transport solutions, please contact the nearest Scania dealer or Scania’s head office at 011-661-9600. Also visit their website at www.scania.co.za for more information.