How We Refurbish & Export

Step 1 — Sourcing & Selection

We start with your spec, not our stock. Tell us the truck type — dump truck, tractor head, mixer, fuel or water tanker, crane truck, cargo truck or trailer — and the job it has to do, and we source matching units from across the Chinese market. Axle configuration is part of the brief: a 6x4 covers most long-haul and tipper work, while an 8x4 carries heavier payloads on rough roads. Engine power follows the same logic, with 371hp suiting general haulage and 380hp giving extra pull for loaded climbs and mountain routes.

We deal only in Chinese brands, because that is where the parts supply, the pricing and our own buying experience line up. That means HOWO, SHACMAN, HOHAN, FAW, Foton and Dongfeng — proven workhorses with spares available across Africa and the Middle East. We screen each candidate for mileage, accident history and structural condition before it is ever quoted to you, so the shortlist you see is already filtered down to units worth refurbishing. If your target market or import rules favour a particular brand or emission level, we factor that in at this stage rather than after purchase.

Step 2 — Inspection & Refurbishment

Once a unit is bought it goes through our refurbishment line. This is hands-on work in our own yard, and you can see the full breakdown on our quality control page. The short version is six steps:

• Mechanical inspection — engine, gearbox, clutch, brakes, steering and electrics checked and tested.
• Structural inspection — chassis, frame, suspension and body examined for cracks, rust and past repairs.
• Replacement of wear parts — filters, belts, hoses, seals and other consumables swapped for fresh items.
• Road test — the truck is driven to confirm the mechanical work holds up under real conditions.
• Servicing and repainting — fluids changed, faults corrected and the cab and body repainted to a clean, presentable finish.
• Pre-container photos and video — the finished unit is documented before loading so you see exactly what ships.

We refurbish to a working standard, not a showroom illusion. If a component is worn but serviceable we tell you; if it needs replacing we replace it. The goal is a refurbished truck that starts working the day it clears your port, not one that looks good in a photo and fails on the first load.

Step 3 — LHD ↔ RHD Conversion

Driving side is decided by your country, and we handle conversion in-house rather than farming it out. When a left-hand-drive truck has to become right-hand drive, we move the steering column, swap the pedal assembly, refit the dashboard, relocate the wipers, reposition the mirrors and adjust the lighting so the unit is correct and road-legal for your market — not a half-measure that passes inspection and nothing more.

Right-hand-drive markets such as South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Ghana need this work on many units, while left-hand-drive markets like Nigeria and most of the Middle East take the truck as it is. We confirm the requirement with you before any cutting or refitting begins, because converting a truck that did not need it wastes time and money. For a fuller explanation of why this matters and how it is done, read our guide on RHD vs LHD conversion.

Step 4 — Road Test & Pre-Shipment Photos

Before any truck is loaded into a container it gets a final road test, run loaded where practical so the brakes, steering, gearbox and engine are checked under the kind of weight they will carry in service. A truck that drives well empty can still hide problems under load, so this last test is about catching anything the refurbishment line missed.

With the road test passed, we photograph and video the truck from every angle and send the set to you for confirmation. Nothing ships until you have seen the actual unit and agreed it is the one you bought. This step is where Quality is Power becomes something you can verify yourself rather than take on trust, and it is also your record of condition at the moment of loading.

Step 5 — CIF Booking & Shipping

We ship on CIF terms, which means cost, insurance and freight are included up to your destination port — you are not chasing separate shipping and marine-cover quotes after the fact. We book space, arrange the insurance and load the unit, then keep you updated through to arrival. Common destination ports we serve include Durban, Mombasa, Apapa, Lagos, Tema, Dar es Salaam and Jebel Ali.

Transit times depend on the lane. East Africa runs roughly 20 to 35 days, West Africa 25 to 40 days, Durban 20 to 30 days and Jebel Ali 15 to 25 days; actual schedules shift with sailing dates and transhipment, so we give you the real ETA once the booking is confirmed. For landlocked destinations such as Uganda and Zambia we arrange onward transit from the nearest port — Mombasa or Dar es Salaam for the East African corridor, Durban for the southern route — so the truck does not stall at the quay. Full detail on lanes and handover is on our shipping and delivery page.

Step 6 — Documents & Payment

A truck without the right paperwork does not clear customs, so we prepare a complete export set: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and inspection certificate. These cover what most ports and clearing agents ask for; if your country needs an additional pre-shipment inspection or a specific certificate, tell us early and we arrange it before the truck sails.

Payment is straightforward. The standard route is a T/T deposit to start the order, with the balance settled against shipping documents before release — you pay the remainder once you can see the bill of lading and the rest of the set. We also accept a letter of credit where you prefer the security of bank-handled terms. Our payment terms page lays out the options, and our payment and L/C guide walks first-time importers through how the money and the documents line up.