Tr ucking companies have instituted fuel surcharges to cover the increased cost of road haulage due to rising fuel prices.Sanctions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have affected global oil, precious metal and food prices.A f r ica’s dependence on road freight, thanks to the widespread demise of the railway system, means that inland commodity exporters will not see the full benefit of increased prices because of the jump in logistics costs.Fuel prices in South Africa reached a record high in March, with diesel at R21.469/l ($1.398), rising above R21/l for the first time.At an average consumption of 35 litres per 100km, a 3 000km round trip would cost R22 542 in fuel alone, which puts South African hauliers at a disadvantage if they fill up locally. Truckers travelling through Namibia would do better to save by filling up in the neighbouring country, where diesel was priced at R17.28/l ($1.137) on February 28. That would amount to R18 144 for the projected round trip.There is also a saving in Zambia, with diesel priced at $1.213 (R18.56), and R19 488 projected for the round trip, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.The cheapest is Mozambique at $0.967/l (R14.79), or R15 529. There is a hefty premium in Zimbabwe: the price is $1.85/l (R28.30), which equals R29 715 for the trip.International companies build fuel surcharges into their rates, with TNT Middle East and Africa imposing a 26% surcharge on all services.The UPS surcharge is 27%.Container shipping lines have also been hit by historically high fuel prices.Ship & Bunker reports that the average price of VLSFO at the world’s top 20 bunkering ports reached $882.50 per ton early in March, up 73% year-on-year
