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tales
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THE FISHING COMMUNITIES in Scotland's North-West Highlands provide a living for hardy hauliers, although the operations have unusual costs—the nearest customer might be 200 miles away and mountain roads can reduce fuel consumption to 3mpg. But when the tuna boat comes in there's real money to be made. Offshore, operators on the Hebridean islands pray the salmon farms won't be blitzed by the latest bug, although some are kept busy bringing
in Christmas hampers in the festive build-up. Patric Cunnane and Scottish snapper Andy Forman shared a tandem to hear the problems and delight in the shaggy sheep tales from this remote
region, taking Commercial Motor as far north as roads go.
WITH THE TEMPERATURE HOVERING AROUND FREEZING in Scrabster harbour, on Scotland's most northern tip, it's a blessed relief when the tuna boat finally hoves into view, sailing in from the Faroe Islands with its day's catch. Despite the cold the members of the Norwegian crew are in jubilant mood, having landed 50 fish, valued at £25/kg. When the first of these monsters is winched out of the hold, weighing in at 350kg, the value of the catch and the reason for the smiling faces becomes apparent. The crew is paid in shares and today's shareout will be handsome.
Pity the poor fish though, strung up on a hook, taller than a man and about to lose its head and tail to the butcher's knife wielded by a Japanese member of crew. The Japanese connection doesn't end there. "We will weigh it, pack it in ice, put it in air freight containers and trunk it to Heathrow overnight. It will be on a flight to Japan in the morning," says David Steven, boss of operator D Steven, which has its main operating centre in Scrabster harbour, complete with warehousing and packing facilities. The Japanese, it seems, are rather partial to fresh tuna. However, although a specialist in fish transport since 1920, this is Steven's first season transporting this delicacy. Restricted by quotas the season runs From September through to December.
A sudden influx of tuna into waters around Faroe has caught everyone by surprise, since shoals are unusual in these cold northern seas. Global warming and its effect on the oceans may account for this rare appearance. Routinely Steven gives a service to fishing ports throughout the North East and to Glasgow and Edinburgh. In addition to a daily market at Scrabster each morning, it will have up to five trucks at fish markets in
Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fleetwood, Fraserburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Hull, and North Shields."Most of the fish is delivered
directly to factories and processors," says Steven. The company has depots in Wick, Glasgow, Scrabster and Aberdeen to smooth the distribution process. The principal catch is white fish—haddock, cod and black halibut—none so exotic as the Faroe tuna. Some trucks go to the Continent: "We would like to develop our European market," says Steven, "but at the moment we do not have sufficient quantities for a daily service." So what are the principal difficulties of the job? Bad weather and delayed ships are an occupational hazard, says Steven."It's difficult if you don't know when they are going to land." Then there is the catch itself: "The ship might say you need one lorry when you need one and a quarter—so we need to put another truck on." Fortunately, satellite links enable swift communication, unlik of Steven's father Alex who cam with the Captain on an old V Getting trucks to their destinatio from such a northerly position req ful planning. Three-quarters of work is fish distribution, but it with other goods and at Christma Safeway collecting returned g• stores in Wick and Thurso. Other include oil firms, glass manufactu producers and agricultural suppli its simplest: "Everything that 9.: fish, everything that comes north i says Steven.
The business was founded i 1920 by Steven's grandfather a sake, David, hauling fish by hors. during the herring boom. His joined the firm at 14 and the pre. came on board at the age of David Steven runs the compan brother Christopher, who is in cha fic. The business has expanded to units but it can be a lonely life som David Steven says goodbye to II freezing harbour dock he remin, the company has a considerabh "We are 200 miles from anywher FACTFILE: D STEVEN BASED: Scrabster, near Thurso. Depots at Glasgow, Wick, and Aberdeen. FOUNDED. 1920 by Alex Steven hauling herring and general haulage. CONTAC Director, David Steven. FLEE1 Mainly Scenic' including 34 tractor units, two 7.5-tanners, one 16 tonne rigid. Fleet includes one Daf 95XF demo, two 2250 Mercedes. 60 trailers including 48 reefers. Buys new. Most recent purchase: two Del 95XF Superspace cabs and two
Scania Topliners joining the fleet January 1999. \CT: Fish distribution.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAGINE a snugger harbour than Kinlochbervie, tucked away at the bottom of a steep hill on Scotland's north-west coast. In the centre of the little town the Fishermen's Mission serves up homely lunches of pie and chips while the young mums gather with their children. It's only when you look at the plaques on the wall listing the names of fishermen who have lost their lives off this wild coast that you realise landing fish is a risky business. This is made more poignant by the fact that Kinlochbervie has only been a fishing town for about 50 years. "Traditionally this area was a crofting township," says Donald Morrison, boss of wholesaler Norscot Seafoods. "-The fishing started when boats began coming from the east coast to land their catch—most of the fleet are east-coast boats; there are only three local boats."
Morrison, who was born and bred in Kinlochbervie, founded the firm in 1972. He's built up .£6m of sales a year buying and selling fish to companies ranging from the small to the multi-national Four trucks are kept busy hauling fish to processors on the east coast of Scotland; and to Hull, Grimsby and Fleetwood south of the border. A few consignments go to the Continent. He backloads with fruit, frozen food, meat and poultry.
Morrison runs Scania Topliners, the vehicle he feels is best suited to local conditions: "We need big-engined vehicles to get us from A to B-100 miles up here is not the same as in London," he says. 'Customers won't accept any excuse for the trucks being late."
Then there's the matter of fuel consumption, which local hills can slash to 3mpg. This rises to 8mpg on return Fourneys when the trucks are only a quarter full The transport itself is tough enough but Morrison's other skill is purchasing, and this entails a certain amount of risk: "Get it right and you make money," he says. "The customer will tell us what kind of fish they want and how much they will pay. They may say 'we will pay £60 a box of haddock—if it costs more we'll take less and if it costs less we will take more.'
"A shortage of fish has pushed prices up," he adds. "Countries such as Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Faroe are keeping more of their product in the country to retain employment in their processing industries." At Christmas there is increased demand for fish such as turbot and monkfish leading to a ratcheting of the wholesale price to double the norm during December. "The price starts rising by mid-December but its all over by the 21st," says Morrison, "Then, with the exception of a few big boats, the fleet ties up for Christmas and the New Year" It seems the fish get a brief holiday too.
FACTFILE: NORSCOT SEAFOODS BASED: Kinlochbervie, north-west Highlands. FOUNDED: 1972 by Donald Morrison. CONTACT: Donald Morrison, director. FLEET Four Scania 6x2 Topliners. Buys new. Most recent purchase: Scania Topliner twin steer, June 1998. SPECIALITY CONTRACT: Fish wholesaling and distribution. TURNOVER: £6m.
RUNNING AN ISLAND HAULAGE BUSINESS requires resourceful thinking, and few are more resourceful than Colin Macaskill for whom the term jack-of-all trades might have been coined.
"I find it impossible to survive on haulage only," Macaskill explains as he leads CM on a tour of the mini-empire he has built up in Stornoway, capital of the Isle of Lewis in the Western Hebrides So leaving aside haulage for a moment— for Macaskill is certainly a significant haulier running 33 units—we take a tour of the veiltible Aladdin's cave that leads from the back Of the maintenance workshop, fronted by Macaskill's fruit & veg shop, and into a yard housing stock for the domestic coal distribution business run by Macaskill's son John. While admiring these black piles, Macaskill tells CM he is also a cattle feed and potato merchant, and an agent for household liquid gas. The tour continues through the garden centre ("you don't always have a load coming back to the island so we bring in stuff for our garden centre"), past the garden gnomes, plant pots and swing seats, and up a set of stairs into another building. Here the ground floor retails carpets, wallpaper and paint while the first floor offers a classy display of pine furniture, kitchen units and bedroom furniture.
Back in the yard we take in a workshop preparing logs, a cardboard recycling machine and an area constructing pallets for the island's salmon industry. Macaskill spreads his arms triumphantly: "The whole business is under one roof." Not quite, but we see what he means.
Pausing to catch our breath we turn our attention to Macaskill's haulage operation which he started 27 years ago, running a single truck transporting fish. Now, he says: 'We haul all the farmed salmon off the island. Four to six loads a day to Glasgow and occasional loads to Belgium and France." Backloads include regular consignments for Safeway which has a large store in Stornoway.
Salmon farming was only introduced to the island about 15 years ago, but it has become the main industry. Locals are hold
ing their breath that the so-far hea will not become affected by the viru threatened the industry in other Scotland.
Ironically, the growinc populori that was once regardec as a rar has been helped by the perceptio healthier than red meat.
"The season is all year round n George Steel, transport man Macaskill, "and salmon is now ch herring or mackerel." It may not by the time you pick up your p portion in the supermarket, o Macaskill says the most difficult th the job these days is "oppositi operators trying to cut rates and ri But at least the job is less r Macaskill's profession as a youngs a clam diver for six years," he say ing around all these islands." Ma there, in the wonderland that is th that he gained his love of the vane become the cornerstone of his hau thing-else-you-care-to-think of operation..
FACTFILE: MACASKIL HAULAGE BASED: Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. FOUNDE: 1971 by Cohn Mocas CONTACT Proprietor, Colin Mac FLEET: 22 Volvo artics, 11 rigids including Volvos and Roadrunne Buys new. Most recent purchase: FH12, November 1998. CONTRACT: Salmon distribution. FACTFILE: HEBRIDES HAULAGE BASED: Stornoway, Isle of Lewis with a depot in Glasgow FOUt1/410F13:497‘647*-1:316.1----____ MacDonald. CONTACT: Directors Hector, Ian and Murdo MacDonald. FLEET: 17-7---,--HGVsrincluding six 38-tonne drawbar outfits comprising five Volvos and one Leyland Daf, plus one Leyland Daf Roadrunner and three Ford Transits. Buys new. Most recent purchase: Leyland Daf 75 18-tonne curtainsider, May 1998. Jr,..,...IALITY CONTRACT: General haulage to the north-west and Hebridean islands. TURNOVER: 000,000.
WITH A BRIEF THAT COVERS DEUVERING GOODS TO LEWIS and all the north-west islands, Hebrides Haulage has adapted a simple motto: 'We carry anything as long as it doesn't breathe." Proprietor Hector MacDonald explains that this distaste for transporting livestock goes back to an incident involving a single pooch. "Many islanders have relatives in Glasgow and my father was asked to deliver a puppy," he explains. "Unfortunately, the person who was due to meet him never turned up." The business was founded by Hector's father, John, 22 years ago; it's now principally run by Hector and his brothers Ian and Murdo, who is in charge of the Glasgow depot.
livestock stories abound during CM's visit. A tale has been circulating that ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has been offering a concession to customers carrying livestock. This has apparently led to motorists taking sheep as passengers in a bid to get a cheaper crossing.
SHEEP
MacDonald assures us the yarn isn't true, but it seems a local newspaper set up a shot with a car and sheep coming off the ferry. To get the sheep to sit up in the passenger seat for a photograph the driver tried to wedge its head in the open window. At this the sheep jumped out of the window and raced down the pier with the local newspaper photographer in hot pursuit. Livestock tales aside, MacDonald tells us why his operation is so busy at Christmas: "A lot of Christmas hampers are delivered because you can't get fancy goods. There's no Marks & Spencer in Ullapool on the mainland."
The firm offers a service to all the islands off the north-west coast of Scotland, subbing to other operators for the smaller islands. The company's Glasgow depot provides a trans-shipment centre. For Lewis-based Harris Tweed, MacDonald carries the same product three times: "We take wool to the mainland, we bring the refined wool back and we deliver the finished product to Glasgow where it is exported to Japan, Korea and America." Unfortunately, the strong pound has been causing problems for Harris, in common with other UK-based textile producers. A born and bred islander, MacDonald speaks Gaelic as a first language, as do his children and his office staff (he had to learn English at school). In a Gaelic-speaking community this offers a distinct advantage. "People relate to you better in the islands when you are delivering if you speak their language," he says. "If someone rings with an inquiry and the girls answer in Gaelic it does a lot more for us than the internet."
Before CM leaves the topic of conversation returns, irresistibly, to livestock. MacDonald admits his idea of relaxation is not travelling over to Ullapool for a night on the town but returning to his croft and tending to his 300 sheep and six head of cattle. "It's a release to go home and feed them," he says. Does he keep horses? CM innocently asks. He leans back and laughs: "You can't get grants for horses!" THE IMPRESSIVE BLUE AND WHITE MOCK-GEORGIAN PORTICO that forms the entrance to DR Macleod's premises in Stornoway lies within a wheelnut's throw of neighbouring hauliers Macaskill and Hebrides Haulage, making CM's job of visiting all three in a morning relatively plain sailing.
Macleod's base is the most modern of the three, having been built as recently as March 1997, The interior, with its modern furnishings, open staircase and muted colours, could have been transported from a Soho advertising agency; the company has another office very like it at its mainland depot at Inverness, where half the Reef is now based, poised to expand if the need arises. Founder Donald Macleod—DR as he prefers to be known—has come a long way since he gave up driving buses in 1981, bought himself a second-hand Leyland Reiver and took up general haulage. He is a born and bred islander but is clearly willing to strike out in new directions. Just recently the company has joined the British Association of Removers (BAR) to add credibility to its growing removals business. It is heavily involved in the myriad of services needed by an island community, bringing in goods for John Menzies and Boots and mail For Parcelforce.
It also works for the North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board carrying "all the milk that comes onto the island", according to Macleod. Other loads include steel for the construction industry and palletised fish food for the salmon industry The goods carried into Lewis represent the main loads; goods carried away are the backloads. So what goes to the mainland? 'We carry prawns, seafood, hired equipment that needs returning, the occasional consignment for Harris Tweed, which manufactures on the island," says Macleod. It is a fragile economy with the produ once best-selling Harris Tweed foci / and the salmon industry praying it hit by the dreaded virus. Macleod explains how he makes ation pay: "Anything you trans should be of high value and lo I value/high-volume make it uneco because the transport costs The three-hour ferry crossing is an for that island hauliers have to "There are problems—we try to them," he says_ "Our vehicles can across when the ferry comes acros Fortunately, when CM visited ti two daily Caledonian MacBrayn and praise from drivers we met on the improved facilities on the n Every freight place was taken. As says: "Like everywhere else the I are getting busy for Christmas," before the lull, so to speak.
FACTFILE: DR MACLEOD BASED: Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. FOUNDED: 1981 by IR Macleod. CONTACT Director, DR Macleod. FLEET: 6 tractive units including 12 Volvos, three Scanias Id one Leyland Daf; Iwo rigids, a Scania and an
• co Ford; plus 40 trailers and some vans for local -k. Usually buys new. Most recent purchase: Volv ;lobetroiter, August 1998. SPECIALITY CONTRA Hal haulage.