Adewale Okonji
Founder and managing director. Drove the first Northstar truck in 2011.
About Northstar
A Yaba workshop that grew into a fleet
Northstar began with one flatbed and a promise to answer the phone at any hour. Fifteen years on, the phone is a dispatch desk and the flatbed has 63 siblings, but the promise has not moved.
Since 2011
How we got here
- 2011
One second-hand flatbed and a phone at a Yaba workshop.
- 2014
First container contract out of Apapa; ten trucks.
- 2017
Second tracker fitted on every truck after a near miss on the Lokoja road.
- 2020
Reefer division started for frozen fish and poultry.
- 2023
Low-loaders added for project cargo.
- 2026
64 trucks and a 24 hour dispatch desk.
The people
Who answers when you call
Names and photos are examples for this demo.
Ngozi Ebuka
Head of dispatch. Runs the 24 hour desk and its eleven dispatchers.
Musa Danladi
Fleet and workshop manager. Thirty years under trucks.
Funmi Alade
Finance and accounts. Monthly accounts and the 72 hour price promise.
What we believe
Three rules we will not bend
- 01
Answer the phone
Day or night, a person who knows where your truck is.
- 02
Rest the driver
A tired driver is the most expensive thing on the road.
- 03
Hold the price
A quote is a quote for 72 hours, whatever diesel does.
01
Safety: driver rules
- Ten hours at the wheel, then stopTracked by the onboard unit, not by trust.
- No driving 22:00 to 05:00 outside citiesExcept permitted wide loads with escort.
- Breath test at the gateEvery departure, every driver, logged.
- Night stops at guarded parksWe pay for the park; the driver does not choose a roadside.
02
Safety: training and papers
Every driver completes a fourteen day induction before carrying freight, then a refresher each year: defensive driving, load securing, first aid and what to do at a checkpoint. We hold goods in transit cover up to ₦150 million per load, haulage operator registration and road worthiness papers for every truck, sent on request.
112drivers and mates trained this year
14days of induction
30minutes to tell you about any incident
Example figures for this demo.
03
Safety: load securing
Every load is photographed after lashing. Flatbeds carry twelve chains and binders, curtain-siders carry straps at every pallet row, and reefers are checked for door seals. If the driver is not satisfied, the truck does not leave, and the dispatcher backs the driver.
Careers
Drive with Northstar
We hire experienced drivers and mates for long-haul and port runs. Salary paid on the 25th, allowances paid before departure, health cover through an HMO, and a night stop at a guarded park on every long run.
- Class E licence and three years of articulated driving
- Clean record, breath test at every departure
- Two week paid induction at our Yaba yard
Need a truck at the gate before the traffic?
Tell dispatch what is moving and where. We reply on WhatsApp or by phone within 20 minutes, day or night.