1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202 
FIRM BUT FAIR
Page 65
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
One of the most recent Saturday auctions was the disposal of Rueben Fielding's fleet on a hot sweltering Saturday in June, with buyers and sellers alike seeking shade at every opportunity. Fielding, when not busy explaining his predicament, was impressed by the professional nature and prices fetched from the end-users and handful of trade at the sale.
Freelance auctioneer John Harris has presided over every MH auction with Harrison at his right shoulder, and made light work of proceedings during which 200 tractors and trailers passed into new hands in just three hours.
This was a good example of the type of sales Harrison carries out. He takes pride in handling some of the most difficult situations hauliers can be placed in; his clients include companies that have had their last rites read by the Traffic Commissioners and bosses who have simply had enough and are leaving the industry.
The Saturday auction is a swift process, allowing operators to offload their fleet in one go without any hassle rather than disposing of vehicles individually or through CM'sclassified adverts. Whether the proceeds go to creditors or wind up paying off employees and loading up the bosses' pension fund it can be a traumatic experience.
It's a situation that needs subtlety and care without deviating from the end goal: selling off the vans, trucks, trailers, plant or ancillary equipment to the highest bidder. A file of letters thanking Harrison and his team for their work is testament that they consistently achieve this balance. "We have our way of doing it and we stick to that," says Harrison. "Once the operator has made the decision to let us auction the vehicles there is no outside interference."
This firm but fair attitude is appreciated by operators. "Customer care is the name of the game," he concludes. These are lessons learnt from his early days as an operator; they hold him in good stead today.