uite a few hauliers have interests outside road transport. But
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not many own a herd of prizewinning Limousin cattle. The 170 pedigree Limousins live on Les Wilson's 250-acre farm at Westwood, Notts. They have a worldwide reputation and have won just about every major award in their field. "They're all for breeding with other herds and they're mainly bulls," he explains. "It's more or less a stud farm."
Wilson is understandably proud of the herd but he stresses that breeding cattle is just as much of a commercial venture as Les Wilson (Haulage). Founded 20 years ago by Wilson and his wife Ann, the company is based at Heanor in Derbyshire, a few miles away from the farm. Wilson divides his time between the two sites: transport manager Kelvin Hardwick looks after the day-to-day running of the fleet in his absence.
In the best traditions of the industry Wilson started out with a single truck; in this case a tipper, hauling coal between the many pits that used to dot the county. "It was a sixwheeler AEC that I drove myself, and that was followed by an Atkinson Borderer," he recalls.
Always on the look-out for fresh opportunities, Wilson spotted the potential of curtain-sided bodies in the early seventies when they were nowhere near as common as they are today.
"I saw my first curtainsiders about 15 months after I had my first tipper," he says. "I felt they were the thing of the future, although not everyone agreed with me. In fact when I bought my first tractor unit and Tautliner trailer, everybody smiled and said that people wouldn't want to use it. But they did, and we've never looked back."
He gradually moved away from tipper work and, although he has a small number of flats, the fleet is now dominated by curtainsiders. They carry loads which include plastics and foodstuffs all over the UK, and Wilson offers a warehousing and distribution service. Despite the Limousins, he has no plans to go into livestock haulage.
Some of his trucks operate in customers' colours. "We lay great stress on service, and all our customers have been with us for a long time," he says. "Yes, transport is competitive, but if you do the job professionally you'll always get work. In fact business is increasing at present, and we're looking to buy a lot more vehicles."
Wilson has had experience of Volvo and Scania tractors and rigids, but most of his vehicles are Iveco Fords. Early last year he took delivery of the first EuroTech 400E38 to go on the road with a centre-lift pusher axle; the fleet now includes seven of them.
Wilson's first EuroTech was a twin-steer although he's never been too keen on this configuration. He only took it because a centre-lift axle wasn't available at the time and he kept nagging local Iveco Ford dealer Sherwoods until a centre-lift was introduced for the British market. "I was the main instigator of it," he smiles.
The centre-lift conversion is carried out in the UK by Iveco Ford dealer North East Truck & Van of Billingham, Cleveland, which has an extensive specialist engineering operation. It uses a pusher axle designed by Phoenix Truck & Trailer Equipment.
The aim is to reduce tyre wear on the mid-axle (a common problem with twin-steers) and it works splendidly, says Wilson. "Fuel consumption averages 8.5mpg to 9.3mpg, which is excellent for the routes we operate on, and better than the other tractors we run," he reports.
The EuroTechs almost always run at 38 tonnes and average 80-90,000 miles a year. "Even with the extra axle the EuroTech is still lighter than any comparable truck we've operated," he says. "Apart from the odd teething problems which you get with any trucks our EuroTechs have been no trouble whatsoever."
The company is also taking delivery of half-a-dozen 420hp EuroStars—the first has already arrived—as well as a drawbar combination. "It'll be the first EuroStarbased drawbar in the UK, and it's being built at present," says Wilson. "Both the unit and the trailer are being fitted with Lawrence David bodies—they build virtually all of our bodies these days—and we'll be running it at 38 tonnes."
Drawbars appeal to him because of their flexibility as well as their carrying capacity: "If you don't have enough work for the trailer you can drop it off and keep working with the unit."
He's also acquired a 12-tonne 120E18 Iveco Ford Cargo, with a sleeper cab, and a 7.5-tonne 75E15S Cargo bodied by Ferns of Rotherham. The fleet includes a couple of old-model (pre-L2000) MAN 7.5-tonners too. The company also runs a Volvo FH and used to run Scania 113s and 142s but cost has prompted the swing away from the big Swedes. In Wilson's experience the Swedish manufacturers charge heavily for extra items that come as standards on Iveco Fords.
Efficient aftersales support is important to any haulier and Wilson is impressed by the service provided by Sherwood Commercial Vehicles, which has depots in Sheffield, Nottingham, and Alfreton, Derbys. "We've got a good relationship with them and they provide a 24 hour service," he says.
All maintenance is handled in-house with great stress laid on preventative maintenance. "I keep them for three to four years, although I hung on to them a bit longer during the recession," he says. Vehicles are sold directly to other transport companies rather than through the trade or at auction.
The whole fleet is equipped with Band 3 radios. Wilson experimented with cellular radio, but felt it was too expensive and the costs were unpredictable. "With Band 3 there's a set rate per month and you can cost it out through the year," he says. "The driver can use it once or 50 times a day and it won't cost any more. What's more, it covers 95% of the UK."
When it comes to tyres he's had a long-standing relationship with Goodyear and is more than satisfied with their products. "We're one of the oldest customers in the UK running 100% Goodyears," he says. "Although it varies between steer and drive axles we're getting an average 120,000 miles out of them." The tyres are sourced through Tyreservices.
Speed limiters aid tyre life, and Wilson is all in favour of making them compulsory. "They're good for fuel economy and engine wear too," he says. "In fact before the restrictors came in we never allowed our drivers to do more than 60mph anyway." He's also in favour of a tough line against cowboy operators and would like to see the authorities impounding their trucks.
"We've been in business for 20 years, and we've only ever had two GV9s," he says. "We're trying to do the job properly yet there are cowboys on the road trying to undercut us. They want stopping, they really do."
All Wilson's tractors and trailers are being specced ready for 44 tonnes. He's convinced that it will come. 'And when it does," we'll be able to change overnight," he says.
1=1 by Steve Banner