frequently-asked-questions

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTIONANSWER
What are your charges based on?Our charges are based on weight, volume and destination.
Do you carry furniture?We are not furniture or household removal specialists, so do not provide this service. We will carry household items, but only at the owner's risk.
Do you deliver to or collect from residential addresses?We will for a minimum delivery/collection fee which is calculated according to the distance that has to be travelled. The minimum charge is $5.
Do you carry fresh flowers?Yes, but only to overnight destinations at owner’s risk.
What are your operating hours?Monday to Friday all Swift Depots open at 07:00 except for Harare satellite depots (Graniteside, Msasa, Amby, Kopje, Arundel and Chitungwiza) which open at 08:00. Administration staff are on duty from 08:00.
 All depots close at 17:00 except for Harare Main and Bulawayo Main, they close at 18:00. All administration staff leave at 17:00.
Are you open during lunch hour?Yes we are open.
Do you operate over weekends?There are no door-to-door collections during weekends, but walk in customers can collect or bring their parcels for delivery before we close at 11:00 on Saturday. We also do Saturday deliveries for perishables and urgent freight. We are closed on Sundays and most public holidays. Administrative staff do not work on weekends.
Do you have an overnight to Beitbridge?Only on Swift Express, which has a weight limit up to 100kgs. For other goods we go on Tuesdays and Thursdays via Bulawayo.
Do you have an overnight to Chivhu?There is no overnight service to Chivhu, but deliveries are done once a week on Friday.
Do you have an overnight to Shurugwi?There is no daily service to Shurugwi, deliveries are done twice a week out of Gweru on Tuesday and Thursday.
How much do you charge per kilometer?This depends on the service you use. On Full Loads we charge $3.44/km, $2.44/km and $1.55/km for a Full Rig, Semi and draw-bar respectively.
Do you do cross-border?Swift do not offer a cross-border service yet.
Do you have refrigerated trucks?We do not have refrigerated trucks. We have Unicoolers which are insulated metal boxes that can hold up to 2.2 tonnes, they are gassed, sealed and can maintain temperature for up to 24 hours, we use Unicoolers as alternatives to refrigerated trucks.
Do your drivers accept cash upon collection?Our drivers are not allowed to handle cash, unless by prior arrangement with the depot, who will issue the driver with a receipt.
Do you carry jewellery or money?No, we don’t offer that service. We also do not carry weapons, ammunition and precious gems.
Can I send someone to pick up a parcel for me?Yes, they will need to provide a valid form of identification together with a letter from the owner authorising him/her to collect.
Why don’t you pay claims in full?All claims are investigated in full. Payments are made depending on the outcome of these investigations and according to our Conditions of Carriage, which states that we pay claims at $0.25c a kg.
Do you offer storage facilities?Not at this time.
How much is it to send a document to United Kingdom?Swift only offer a local courier service. You can contact our sister company Skynet Worldwide Express they offer an International Courier Service.
Can I send my consignment on carriage forward?Yes, but it has to weight more than 20kgs.
Do you offer ‘door to door’ delivery?Yes, we deliver ‘door to door’ to business addresses. This service to residential address, will attract an additional service charge. Alternatively the residential recipient can collect a consignment or parcel from the receiving depot.
What do we do if we want to delivery to an area where you do not have a depotWe can deliver it to our closest depot and the recipient can collect it from that depot.
Do you have insurance?Yes, we offer insurance at 1% of the value of the consignment.
Why does it take two weeks+ to open an account?We have to exercise due diligence when opening accounts.
Why don’t you offer a dedicated truck service?It is not part of our business model; our competitive advantage is our high turnaround time on collections and delivery.
Do you notify receivers that their goods are ready for collection?Yes, recipients are contacted advising them that there is a consignment or parcel ready for collection. It is important to ensure the correct contact details are supplied.
What is the volumetric weight restriction for your Courier Express Service?The actual weight limit is 20 kgs, the volumetric weight is based on the size of the parcel. The size limit for Courier is 45cm x 45cm x 40cm or a combination thereof.
How many services does Swift offer?We offer six transport services, namely; Courier Express, Express, Freight, Full Loads, Mutakuri Swift and SkyNet Worldwide Express.
How many depots do you have?We have 35 depots in total. Two in Bulawayo, 12 in Harare and 21 strategically placed nationwide.
Do you offer a Carriage Forward Service? We do offer this service on Express, Freight, and Full Loads. We do not offer this service Courier Express or SkyNet Worldwide Express.
What is PayNow?It is a secure payment platform offering buyers the opportunity to pay for goods or services using a Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card.
What is my Parcel or Consignment Note number?This is a unique 10 digit number which is found on every consignment note on the top right hand corner. Once a consignment note (also known as a Waybill) is completed the number directly relates to your parcel or consignment in the freight movement IT system. It is how parcels are tracked from collection to delivery. You will always be asked for this number when you have a query relating to your parcel or consignment.
Why are contact numbers so important?In order to communicate the status of all parcels and consignments it is important to be able to contact both the sender and receiver.
How is your "Get a Quote" price calculated?It is based on our standard cash rate, the weight of the consignment or parcel and its destination.