Dangote acquires 2,000 trucks for cement distribution, 500 for urea

To address challenges of distribution and availability of cement across the country, Dangote Cement Plc has deployed over 2,000 trucks.

With an investment of $150 million, the company took delivery of trucks, trailers, bulk tankers and tippers, the assets would meet the expected increase in demand for cement in every part of the country and create employment for over 4,000 people in the country.

Besides, Dangote Fertiliser, which recently made an entry into the market, has taken delivery of 500 trucks from Dangote Sinotruk West Africa Limited (a joint venture between Dangote Industries and Sinotruk China) for the distribution of urea to different states.

The newly acquired trucks are expected to improve the efficiency of Dangote Cement Logistics network of distribution nationwide, as the company plans to commission its new cement plant in Okpella, Edo State, in few weeks.

“We have acquired the new trucks in line with our new expansion capacity in Obajana, Ibese, Gboko and the new cement plant at Okpella. The acquisition is due to the growing need of the business, especially as regards the increased trucking demands lately, due to the surge in the demand for cement.

“The establishment of our clinker export terminals at Apapa and Onne ports led to the purchase of heavy-duty tippers for haulage of clinker from the plants to the terminals. The introduction of these trucks would improve customers’ demand, improve on job creation in the country, as well as promote economic development,” says the Group Executive Director (Logistics and Distribution), Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Abdu Dantata.

According to him, the company takes seriously the safety of truck drivers and road-users, which necessitated the collaboration between the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the company to attain zero tolerance for road crashes in the country.

He disclosed that the company had embarked on adequate training on effective driving techniques.

The collaboration involves re-certification of drivers, pre-trip and post-trip inspection, drug test, real-time tracking of vehicles, cause analysis, convoy movement, checkpoint policy and sanctions among several others, he added.

The locally-assembled Sinotruk Howo trucks came in as semi-knocked-down (SKD) kits, which were effectively assembled and commissioned for operations.

Dantata, who coordinates the group’s logistics and Transport function, assured that Dangote Sinotruk would continue the import of SKD kits into the assembling plant to support customers’ demand and improve job creation.