Commercial transport, fleet operations and industrial mobility across Africa.
Tanzania
Investment and fleet direction
The market is adding capacity in petroleum, coal and general regional freight. Lake Trans, Simera and Blue Coast all operate at a scale above 300 trucks or vehicles, while Travel Partner’s acquisition of 70 Sinotruk HOWO 6×4 tractors illustrates the continued rise of Chinese prime movers.
OEM brands competing for fleet orders
Scania has a direct Tanzanian presence, while Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, MAN, Sinotruk, Shacman, FAW and Foton compete through local distributors and fleet relationships. Petroleum and mining duty cycles continue to favour high-horsepower 6×4 configurations.
Dealers, workshops and aftersales
Dar es Salaam is the centre of the dealer and workshop network, with secondary support aligned to the northern and central corridors. Dealer responsiveness on parts and mobile service is especially important for trucks spending long periods outside Tanzania.
Taxation and import treatment
Tanzania applies the EAC customs framework alongside domestic taxes and product-specific levies. The tariff outcome changes with classification, and trailers should be treated separately from tractor units. Used vehicles and, from June 2026, specified used equipment and trailers from the UK are subject to pre-export inspection requirements.
New versus used equipment
Used trucks remain common, but intensive tanker and regional line-haul work is pushing the larger fleets toward newer tractors and planned replacement cycles, particularly where finance and manufacturer support are available.
Tanzania’s largest fleets are concentrated around petroleum, bulk commodities and the long corridors running from Dar es Salaam into the Great Lakes and Southern Africa. The market includes several operators with fleets above 300 trucks, making it one of the strongest heavy-haulage centres in East Africa.