She Lost Money Running Five Trucks Then Came a 600-Truck Opportunity

Lebo Mbethe’s journey from a small coal-haulage business to the executive leadership of Reinhardt Transport Group highlights the risks of trucking and the opportunities that can emerge from unexpected business relationships.

Running a trucking business is not for the faint-hearted. For Lebo Mbethe, who entered the transport industry in 2006 with five trucks hauling coal, the experience came with financial setbacks. Years later, an opportunity to join a much bigger operation would challenge her to reconsider the risks she was willing to take.

Today, Mbethe is a Group Executive and Board Member at Reinhardt Transport Group, one of Southern Africa’s established transport businesses. Her journey offers an interesting perspective on how setbacks and commercial relationships can shape a career in logistics.

Born and raised in Witbank, now Emalahleni, Mbethe grew up in an entrepreneurial family. After completing a BCom in Accounting at the University of Cape Town, she established a small trucking business transporting coal from one of her brother’s mines to Eskom.

The operation started with five vehicles, but the experience was challenging. Mbethe acknowledges that she lost money running the trucks, giving her an early lesson in the realities of the transport business.

For anyone who has operated a truck or managed a fleet, the challenges are familiar. Running a transport operation requires more than securing loads and keeping vehicles moving. Costs, margins, fuel and operational efficiency all influence whether a business can remain profitable.

From five trucks to a much bigger opportunity

Mbethe subsequently moved into fuel importing and distribution, founding Advent Oil in 2010, where she remains chief executive.

Her relationship with Reinhardt Transport Group began in 2016 when she approached the company as a prospective fuel supplier. What started as a commercial relationship eventually developed into an opportunity to become a shareholder and executive in the transport group.

However, the prospect of taking on such a significant commitment initially made her hesitate.

“I had already lost enough money with my five little trucks, and now these people wanted me to take a risk on 600 of them!” she recalled.

After further discussions, she decided to give the opportunity a chance.

Her experience highlights an important business lesson: a difficult experience in one venture does not necessarily mean every future opportunity should be rejected. The circumstances, risks and people involved may be different.

Why operational experience matters

Mbethe believes the future of logistics depends on developing people who understand the operational realities of the industry, rather than limiting their exposure to office-based roles.

She wants to see more women entering logistics at junior operational level, gaining practical experience and progressing into positions where they can influence commercial decisions and lead transport operations.

“You can’t manufacture operational experience when someone reaches senior management — it has to be built over time,” she said.

Her message applies beyond gender. The transport industry needs people who understand the relationship between the numbers on a balance sheet and the people responsible for keeping trucks on the road.

For aspiring transport entrepreneurs, Mbethe’s journey is also a reminder that experience gained through setbacks can still have value, even when a business venture does not deliver the expected financial results.

Her move from five trucks to the boardroom of a major transport group demonstrates how a career in logistics can take an unexpected direction. Sometimes, the next opportunity comes not from starting another fleet, but from recognising the potential in a relationship already built along the way.