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
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224 
GEORGE ALLINSON TRANSPORT
Page 67
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
We reach Darlington-based George Allinson Transport on a Friday afternoon. The crisp February air is dominated by the sound of a mammoth machine. It's not an HGV—the sound is simply too bassy. We move towards the rear of the company's 14-acre site, and are confronted with the awe-inspiring sight of a Fantuzzi container stacker just as its gigantic hydraulic arm effortlessly hoists a container high into the air.
Director George Allinson explains that this machine cost £250,000. The unit weighs 75 tonnes, and can lift 45tonne containers. The colossal 120-tonne gross weight necessitated a £400,000 ground-strengthening project— without it the Fantuzzi would literally sink into the ground.
Aside from new buildings (George Allinson Transport moved into new purpose-built offices in April 2000), you rarely see capital expenditure on this scale. The Fantuzzi is the sort of instrument you see at major docks, not a typical sight at a haulage depot.
Saying that, this is a large family firm with more than 100 trucks and a ElOrn annual turnover. The firm was started by George Allinson Sr, the current director's father, in 1955. He began as an owner-driver, and worked as a subbie for larger operators. Gradual expansion followed. George Allinson Sr passed away in 1982.
In 2003, the company dispatches a lot of its trucks to Britain's major ports. "We transport various engine components and general haulage to and from the ports," says David Allinson, managing director and George Jr's brother. "One of the main problems is that there are too many HGVs coming into ports at the same time," he adds.
The flexibility afforded by a large fleet can be a useful tool in the ports sector (for an in-depth look at ports and container traffic, see CM 3-9 April 2002). An owner-dri ver or small operator may have to put up with long waits—such downtime isn't a major problem to a bigger player.
Storage is taken seriously at George Allinson Transport. Customers' goods are either stored in containers on the firm's premises, or in one of the four warehouses. There is 113,900m2 of warehousing space on the site. Many of the containers are destined for export; these are either dispatched to ports with full loads, or sent empty to be filled overseas.
David continues: 'We also run ten powder tankers, which transport uPVC resins and compounds. These are picked up locally and taken to window and shoe manufacturers, and factories which produce cabling, insulation and coat hangers."
These vehicles are dedicated to this work, and the consignments are not classified as hazchem loads so there's no requirement for Dangerous Good Safety Advisor cover.
The company projects its influence far and wide. Its HGVs run the length and breadth of the country from the Darlington headquarters, and it also has a totally separate eight-strong truck fleet, all equipped with mounted cranes, which operate from Gloucestershire. "This fleet is contracted= to a concrete floor manufacturer; we supply drivers and the vehicles are painted in the customer's livery," explains David.
Eight more trucks, also equipped with cranes, operate out of Darlington and haul plastic pipes. These, too, are painted in the customer's livery.
Allinsons also employs three off-site warehousing experts who oversee customers' inhouse operations; two are based locally, the third works in southern England.
As is often the case with large family hauliers, facilities are impressive. David says: "This is a purpose-built modern depot; we have our own drive
through vehicle wash wh cleans trucks twenty-f hours, seven days a week. have fifteen full-time fitters. convenient to have them wr ing on the trucks and we kr what we are getting for money; it helps us to keep operating costs to a minim
There is also a weighbrii which can gauge the weight each individual axle.
The firm embraced introduction of 44-tonners to British roads. Here, guiding philosophy is one standardisation. Allins( wouldn't want to dispatch 38-tonner, say, only to ser have to turn down a backla ing opportunity because didn't have the necessary p load of a 44-tonner.
"It also makes it m( straightforward to tax I trucks," he adds.
A new generation steadily rising through I ranks. Twenty-three-year-, Philip, George's son, is on tr fic management; his oth son, Robert, is getting to gr with life in the workshop, I daughter Katherine, 17, hi dies reception work. Davi
son Michael is transport mi ager and his second son, also called David, works on I traffic desk.
George and David are happy that their children carrying on in haulage. George accepts that t crippling overheads which batter operators' profits— has all been said before!"—come with the territory.
"It is continuous hard work and thejob needs contir ous investment," adds David. Vehicle tracking and traf management systems feature prominently, and more packages like these are due to be implemented in t future. The firm took a gamble with the Fantuzzi and t ground-strengthening project, but the brothers agr that it was a calculated risk that paid off. "We try to lo at most things in transport; if there are a few shillings be made, we will have a go at it," David concludes.