TERRY SHEPHERD
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CONTINENTAL REEFER WORK RETFORD, NOTTS If you think haulage is tough, try working as a steel fixer, suggests Terry Shepherd. Steel fixers put the necessary reinforcing into concrete structures. It's a job Terry has tackled periodically over the years when he's not been working as an owner-driver.
"But I'm going to stick to transport from now on," he says. "I'm 47, not as young as I used to be, and my hands aren't as strong as they were. You get broken fingers, and one contract involved wading around in water every day for months on end. That's not terribly good for you." After that sort of lifestyle, one might imagine that Terry would be quite happy sitting in a nice warm cob for several hours, waiting to be tipped. But he isn't. In fact it annoys the hell out of him.
"Recently, on one job, I arrived at 10am as requested, only to be told that I'd have to sit there until 3.30pm," he reports. Based in Retford, Terry drives a 1989 G-registered Renault R340 4x2 tractor unit under the Terry Shepherd Transport banner, offering traction only. He bought it second-hand for £7,000, and he's owned it for just five weeks. Before that he ran a Renault R310. "I like Renaults because they're cheap," he laughs. So far he's had one or two niggling problems with the R340's electrics, including an electric window which insists on stopping an inch from the top. Maintenance is handled by an independent fitter who has a workshop in the yard where Terry is based. He's running at maximum weight most of the time, with fuel consumption averaging 6.5mpg to 7.5mpg. An owner-operator for six years, Terry was influenced into transport by his family background. An uncle had a haulage company, while his ex-father-in-law ran heavy-duty breakdown trucks. "Back in my 'twenties, I built swimming pools for a living, and drove tippers and JCBs. So I suppose you could say I've been in and out of transport for quite a bit of my working life," he says. At present he works for Norfolk Line subsidiary, Continental Freeze, hauling refrigerated trailers full of frozen food to and from mainland Europe. The rate he's paid isn't sky-high — but it's not rock-bottom either. At least he knows he's working for a reputable organisation. "Many owner-operators spend half their time wondering if they're going to get paid. I've had several firms go broke on me in the past," he says.
Does it worry him that he's so dependent on one customer? "There's no way I could work for anybody else because Continental Freeze give me that much to do," he replies. "But obviously I would have to look for other work if they stopped using me." It infuriates him that he has to pay motorway tolls in one form or another when he goes over to the Continent, but European hauliers can use our roads without charge. And in many cases, he points out, they receive a toll-related rebate on their vehicle excise duty; something British operators do not enjoy. What does he do if he wants to take a holiday? Does he employ a driver? He has in the past, and one in particular was quite good. But less competent workers — one of whom landed him with a £540 fine for overloading — have put him off hiring temporary employees. "In any event nobody looks after your motor the way you do," he observes. Administration can be a burden, he says. "You have to knuckle down to it at weekends, but you can sometimes do one or two little jobs while you're waiting around at somebody's depot," he comments. He has one final plea, and it's directed towards the manufacturers of refrigeration units, and the people who maintain them. "Many fridge units could do with being a little bit quieter," he states. "Some of them can be very noisy, and it can be difficult for the driver in the sleeper cab to get a decent night's sleep." -_1 by Steve Banner