Shippers get matched carriers with insurance, licence and references on file. Carriers get loads that pay and pay on time. Domestic lanes and SADC cross-border — the same standard on both.
The freight desk
Southern African freight runs on WhatsApp — fast, familiar, and completely forgetful. We keep the speed and add the discipline: vetting, rate confirmations, tracked execution, POD on file, and a record that follows both parties.
Send the load once — lane, equipment, dates, commodity. You get back a matched carrier with the documents already checked: CIPC registration, goods-in-transit insurance, operating licence disc, references. Rate confirmation in writing before the truck rolls.
Clear loads with honest rates and payment terms stated up front. No last-minute rate games, no ghosting on invoices. Loads matched to your corridors and equipment — including cross-border work if your papers are in order.
| Corridor | Covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CPT ⇄ JHB | Cape Town – Johannesburg (via N1) | Highest-volume domestic lane; dry van, tautliner, reefer |
| JHB ⇄ DBN | Johannesburg – Durban | Port runs, fast transit, high reefer demand |
| CPT ⇄ PE ⇄ EL | Coastal Eastern Cape | Regional distribution runs |
| JHB → Maputo | Cross-border via Lebombo/Ressano Garcia | Port import/export, customs stack handled |
| JHB → Beira | Cross-border via Beitbridge/Forbes | Zimbabwe/Beira corridor — permits + border timing |
| CPT/NMB → Walvis Bay | West coast cross-border | Namibia corridor — fuel and general freight |
One message: lane, equipment, dates, commodity, weight. We handle it from there.
Corridor + equipment fit first; then the file check — CIPC, GIT insurance, OL disc, references. New carriers run supervised until proven.
Both sides see the same rate confirmation before anything moves. Payment terms stated up front — 30 days from POD unless agreed otherwise.
Status updates at pickup, mid-route and pre-delivery. If a load runs long, we're on it before you've noticed.
Proof of delivery captured on the day, filed against the load. Detention over appointment time is auto-claimed — money that usually just evaporates.
Carrier paid on terms. Both sides rated. The next load starts with a record, not a promise.
Straight talk
A load board shows you a phone number. A group chat shows you whoever shouted loudest. Neither checks whether the truck is insured, licensed, or has ever completed a load like yours. That check is the job — and it's what the commission pays for. The rest — the speed, the matching, the paperwork — is what we automated so the desk can focus on it.
Typical brokerage on domestic lanes runs 5–10% of the freight rate; cross-border 10–15% — the range covers what can go wrong and the vetting that keeps it from going wrong.
Lane, equipment, dates, commodity — one message and the desk takes it from there.
info@meridianpetroleumgroup.com