Heavy Duty Trucks for Africa

A trailer only earns money when there is a tractor pulling it. We supply both — new and inspected used heavy duty trucks from China’s three highest-volume brands, quoted together with the trailer so the combination arrives matched instead of being mated at the port.

Three brands, one supply chain

Chinese heavy duty trucks dominate African fleets for a practical reason: parts are everywhere and most diesel mechanics have worked on them. We export the three brands dealers ask for most, and we quote them against the routes and payloads you actually run rather than against a fixed catalogue.

Typical configurations only. Engine rating, gearbox, axle ratio and tyre size are confirmed on the quotation.

Matched truck and trailer

The most common problem when a fleet buys a tractor from one supplier and a trailer from another is a mismatch that only shows up on arrival: fifth-wheel height, brake type, electrical socket, air line couplers. We quote the pair together so those interfaces are checked before production rather than after shipping.

Trailer types that pair with these tractors:

• Flatbed semi trailers for containers, timber and steel coil
• Skeleton container trailers for 20 ft, 40 ft and 45 ft boxes
• Low bed and RGN lowboys for excavators and mining plant
• Fuel and bulk tanker trailers for petroleum, water and cement
• Tipper and side-wall trailers for aggregates and grain

What we handle before the truck ships

• Specification review — engine, gearbox, axle ratio and tyre size checked against your route profile, not against a stock sheet
• Pre-shipment inspection — photos and video of the unit, with chassis and engine numbers recorded for the documents
• Documentation — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin handled in-house
• Shipping — RoRo or container depending on the destination port, with the trailer consolidated where possible
• Spare parts — filters, brake chambers, clutch plates and suspension parts shipped with the unit on request

Choosing between the three

If you need the widest parts availability and the lowest entry price, Howo is the default. If your loads run heavy and the roads are bad, Shacman’s chassis and driveline take more abuse. If the routes are long and the payload is moderate, Foton’s fuel economy is the argument. We quote all three against the same requirement so the comparison is like for like.

New or used

Both are on the table. New units carry a full warranty and a specification you control from the factory; inspected used units cost less per tonne of payload and can be in the water within weeks rather than months. The honest answer depends on your cash flow and how quickly you need capacity — so we quote both and let you compare the numbers.

Frequently asked questions

Do you supply the trailer as well as the truck?

Yes. Trailers are quoted together with the tractor so that fifth-wheel height, brake type and electrical sockets are matched before production rather than at the port.

Which brand is easiest to maintain in Africa?

Howo, because WD615 engine and driveline parts are stocked by most heavy-truck dealers in West and East Africa. The Shacman F series is close behind.

Can you quote new and used against the same requirement?

Yes. Send the route, payload and budget once and we quote both, so the comparison is like for like instead of two different specifications.