Putco’s 3-Million-Litre Warning: SA’s Largest Bus Fleet Proves Diesel Costs Are Breaking Transport Operators
Diesel cost transport operators — Putco buses at depot with rising fuel cost graph overlay
May 21, 2026
DIGITFMS Blog & News
Rordon Cowley
Rordon Cowley is the Founder of DigitFMS and writes for the DigitFMS Fleet Intelligence Desk, which reports on fleet safety, video telematics, and driver monitoring technology in South Africa. DigitFMS provides AI dashcam, ADAS, and fleet management solutions. For product information, visit digitfms.co.za. Desk articles are news reporting drawn from named third-party sources and are kept separate from DigitFMS product marketing.
13 Days Until Diesel Jumps R2: Three Crises Converge on Fleet Budgets Simultaneously
Fleet operating crisis June 2026 — three converging threat arrows pointing at a fleet budget on a dashboard
May 20, 2026
Human Rights Watch Condemns Xenophobic Violence: Cross-Border Fleet Disruption Enters Month Two
The xenophobia fleet logistics disruption that began in April has now drawn formal international condemnation — and entered its second month with no end in sight. Human Rights Watch published a major report today documenting violent attacks on African and Asian foreign nationals across South
May 20, 2026
Garden Route Recovery Day 12: Meiringspoort Still Closed, 55 Roads Down, and Criminals Already Exploiting the Chaos
Garden Route road closures fleet recovery has entered its second week — and the picture is both improving and worsening simultaneously. Twelve days after storms dumped 300 mm of rain and triggered a national disaster declaration, the Western Cape Provincial Government reports that 15 roads
May 19, 2026
Phala Phala Impeachment Crisis and the Rand: What Political Instability Means for Fleet Fuel Costs
Political instability fleet fuel costs — South African rand banknotes and fuel price graph showing currency impact on diesel
May 18, 2026
Fuel Purchases Down 35% and Diesel Up Again in June: The Data Fleet Operators Need to See
June diesel price fleet budget — fuel consumption graph showing 35% decline alongside rising price projection
May 15, 2026
R300 Million in Cocaine Hidden in Truck Parts: What the Madlanga Commission Reveals About Fleet Security
Drug cartel fleet infrastructure exploitation is no longer an abstract risk — the Madlanga Commission is documenting exactly how it works, in real time. This week, Hawks Colonel Francois Steyn testified that a Brazilian drug syndicate concealed 999 kilograms of cocaine — nearly a tonne,
May 14, 2026
Stockpiling Diesel Before July? The Compliance Risks Fleet Operators Are Ignoring
Fleet bulk fuel storage compliance has become the overlooked risk in every fleet operator’s plan to beat the July levy reinstatement. The logic is sound: with the diesel levy at zero until 2 June, buying forward saves R3.93 per litre compared to July prices. However,
May 13, 2026
Hawks Boss and Crime Intelligence Chief Arrested: SAPS Corruption Crisis Deepens for Fleet Security
The SAPS corruption fleet security crisis that we reported three weeks ago has deteriorated further — and faster than anyone expected. On 10-11 May, Police arrested Major General Feroz Khan (Crime Intelligence) and Major General Ebrahim Kadwa (head of the Hawks in Gauteng) for illicit
May 12, 2026
National Disaster Declared: 61 Roads Closed as Floods Devastate Fleet Routes Across Six Provinces
Flood road closures fleet operators face across six provinces have triggered South Africa’s first national disaster declaration of 2026. The Department of Cooperative Governance declared the national disaster on 10 May after a cut-off low system dumped more than 300 mm of rain on the
May 12, 2026
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