Armed cargo escorts across South Africa
Move it once. Move it protected.
Apex Ops provides armed escorts for high-value and high-risk cargo on South Africa’s national corridors. A trained, PSIRA-registered crew stays with your load from dispatch to offload, a control room tracks every kilometre, and a single number reaches the people responsible for the run. We plan the route before the truck moves and we stay in control until the load is signed for.
Why cargo needs an escort
SAPS recorded 327 truck hijackings between April and June 2026, 219 of them in Gauteng, and the Road Freight Association warns that the official count understates the problem because attempted hijackings are seldom reported. Security now costs the average operator about 2.3 percent of vehicle operating costs, and about 4.1 percent for high-risk cargo. An escort turns that cost into a controlled, planned expense on the loads that carry the most exposure, and it changes the calculation for the people who target them.
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, via Freight News, September 2026.
What we escort
- High-value consumer goods, electronics and appliances
- FMCG loads, including food, beverages and alcohol
- Pharmaceuticals and medical supplies
- Metals, copper, cable and vehicle components
- Mining consumables and equipment
- Fuel and hazardous loads
- Any consignment where the value, the route or the timing makes it a target
Five stages, every load.
The sequence never changes, and the client sees each stage of it.
You tell us what moves, from where, to where and when. We assess the load, the route and the timing against current intelligence and give you a written recommendation on the escort configuration.
We set the route, the staging points, the stop policy and the contingency plan. High-risk sections are identified in advance and the escort posture changes as the convoy enters them.
An armed escort vehicle, or more than one for higher-risk loads, joins the truck at the point of dispatch. Crews are PSIRA-registered, firearm-competent and briefed on the specific run.
Our control room monitors the convoy for the full duration, with scheduled check-ins, position tracking and a direct line to the crew and to the client. Deviations trigger an immediate response.
The escort stays until the load is offloaded and signed for. You receive a run report that records timings, incidents and observations, which becomes intelligence for the next run.
What sits behind the escort.
Every run is planned against current intelligence on the corridor, not against a template.
A 24-hour operations desk with a single number that reaches the crew, the planner and the client.
PSIRA-registered, firearm-competent operators with defensive and evasive driving training, deployed in marked or unmarked vehicles as the risk requires.
If an incident occurs, the crew responds, the control room coordinates with SAPS and tracking providers, and our investigations team takes over the recovery and the docket.
A written run report after every escort, and trend reporting for regular clients.
Where we operate
Apex Ops escorts run from [Johannesburg] on the N3 to Durban and the port, the N4 to Maputo and the Lebombo border, the N1 north to Polokwane and Beitbridge and south to Bloemfontein and Cape Town, the N12 and N17 into Mpumalanga, and the N2 along the coast. Regional and metro escorts are available across Gauteng, and [cross-border escorts into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Eswatini can be arranged].
Escorts and investigations, together
Apex Ops is one of the few escort providers with an in-house commercial investigations team. When a load is lost, whether or not it was under our escort, we investigate: driver and depot collusion, syndicate involvement, insurance and recovery. Clients who use both services get a continuous picture of where their risk sits, from the depot gate to the delivery bay.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an armed escort cost?
Pricing depends on distance, duration, the number of escort vehicles and the risk profile of the load and route. We quote per run or per contract after a short brief. Regular clients on fixed corridors receive contract rates.
How much notice do you need?
Planned runs are best booked 48 hours ahead so that the route can be assessed. Urgent escorts can be arranged at shorter notice subject to crew availability. Call operations.
Are your escort crews armed and registered?
Yes. Every operator holds a current PSIRA registration and a firearm competency certificate, and firearms are held under the company’s business licence.
Do you escort across borders?
[Confirm: into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Eswatini by arrangement, or within South Africa only.]
Can you track the load if we already use a tracking provider?
Yes. We work alongside your tracking provider and integrate their feed into our control room for the duration of the run.
Do you escort abnormal loads?
[Confirm. If not: abnormal load escorts are a road-traffic service with their own regulations. Our escorts protect cargo against crime.]
Tell us what moves, and when.
We will come back with a recommended configuration and a quote.