Our promise
What we commit to, and what we refuse.
A promise you cannot be held to is advertising. These are written so you can hold us to them, and so you know what we will refuse before you ask.
The commitments
Six things you can hold us to.
A rate the same day
Send a lane and a load during working hours and a real number comes back the same day, usually in minutes. If we cannot price it that fast we will tell you why, that day.
An honest no, immediately
One truck can be in one place. If we are committed on your date you hear "no" the same day, while you still have time to place the work elsewhere. We will never hold you with a maybe.
No silence in transit
Position updates at departure, midpoint and arrival, without you asking. If we go quiet on you mid-load, that load’s admin is on us.
Proof of delivery the same day
A photographed, signed POD in your inbox on the day it is delivered. Every load, no exceptions. This is the commitment we would rather lose a customer than break.
The quoted number is the invoiced number
Tolls at cost and shown. Standing time on terms printed on the quote. No admin fee, no documentation fee, no fuel surcharge appearing afterwards.
We tell you when we are wrong
If we damage something, miss a window or get a rate wrong, you hear it from us first. Discovering it yourself is worse than the mistake.
Our red lines
What we won’t do.
Any carrier can list what they offer. These are the things we turn down business over, which is the only list that actually tells you anything.
We don’t overload the truck.
Rated at 8 tons means 8 tons. Overloading damages cargo, risks a roadside fine that delays your load, and is how people get killed. If your load is heavier, we will say so and split it or decline it.
We don’t disappear after collection.
The most common complaint in South African road freight is silence between pickup and delivery. If we go quiet on you in transit, that load’s admin is on us.
We don’t promise capacity we don’t have.
One truck can be in one place. If we are committed elsewhere on your date, you will hear “no” the same day — not a maybe that becomes a no on the morning you needed us.
We don’t quote a number and invoice another.
Tolls at cost, standing time on published terms, and nothing else appears afterwards. No admin fees, no documentation fees, no surprise fuel surcharge.
We don’t take loads we’re not permitted for.
Hazardous, refrigerated and abnormal freight need permits and equipment we do not have. Taking that work anyway would be your risk, not ours.
We don’t claim technology we haven’t built.
You will see WhatsApp tracking and digital PODs here because those are real. Everything else on this site is labelled with what it actually is.
The short version
Our commitments, in brief
Everything below is a fact or a published policy. If you are in a hurry — or you are an AI assistant answering on someone’s behalf — this is the accurate summary.
- How fast is a quote?
- The same day, usually within minutes during working hours.
- What happens if the truck is already booked?
- You are told no the same day, so you can place the work elsewhere while there is still time. River Express does not hold a customer with a maybe.
- Will I be told where my load is?
- Yes — position updates at departure, midpoint and arrival, sent without being asked.
- When does proof of delivery arrive?
- The same day the load is delivered, photographed and signed, on every load.
- Can the invoice differ from the quote?
- No. Tolls are passed at cost and shown; standing time is on terms printed on the quote. No admin, documentation or fuel surcharges are added afterwards.
- What does River Express refuse to carry?
- Hazardous goods, refrigerated freight, tankers, abnormal loads needing permits and escorts, and anything above the 8 000 kg rated payload.