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156 
READ TRANSPORT
Page 50
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quick glance at the headquarters of Richard Read Transport and you know that you're looking at a thriving, diverse operation. All the hallmarks are there: the capacious yard, the artics toing and froing, the warehouses. Take a longer look and you see a line-up of ERF tractive units, a paintshop, a weighbridge, and some crashdamaged trucks.
No, it doesn't mean the firm's vehicles have been in accidents: Read, based in the leafy village of Longhope, Glos, simply has several strings to its bow. It is a haulier, an ERE dealership (Richard Read Commercials}—and an HGV recovery and repair firm.
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Richard Read Transport was
founded in 1947, and 54 years later Richard Read is still managing director. He is 76 years old, but still works a r2-hour day, six days a week.
Read shows us around, and his pride in his empire is evident. First port of call is a 4,50=2 warehouse, which is packed to the gunnels with pallets of Lucozade. Some 75% of the haulage turnover is derived from transporting the glucose liquid, which is picked up from a local plant. Read's fleet of 45 tractive units then hauls the drinks to supermarkets and RD Cs the length and breadth of Britain.
The firm also runs a rigid to help with the workload; eight more ERF 6x4 rigids are rented out to Sun Valley Foods. The remaining 30% of the transport operation is taken up carrying milk powder.
GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Lucozade, wants the entire warehouse/distribution package, and Read is only too pleased to come up with the goods. "I have been with them for many years," he says. "I give them a service and so they stay with me."
His employees tend to stay with him, too. One of them is driver John Cox, who has been with the firm for 47 years. Brenda, Read's daughter, is a director, and deals with office administration;
his son Richard is also a director and concentrates on HGV recovery.
Read is committed to his staff On the day we visit, we watch a curtainsider artic reversing in the yard. The driver, he tells us, is newly qualified—and Richard Read Transport has footed the training costs itself. Read also cherishes his customers, and this fact is crystal clear: some of his ERF units are adorned with the colourful Lucozade logo. This job is done in the firm's own paintshop.
Read believes that warehousing is a critical part of the operation: "Transport without a warehouse is like having a cafe without cups. There is no doubt that without warehouse facilities our fleet would be dramatically reduced.
"The customers now realise that it costs them money to have their own warehouse facilities on site, and they don't want to stockpile goods."
Read drives us to his new stateof-the-art 9,2oom2 warehouse in
Cinderford, which stands a couple of hundred metres from the Forest of Dean. It cost L3.6m to build, he tells us. Again, pallets of Lucozade are abundant. "In addition to looking after UK stock, we also look after a major proportion of the export stock," Read explains.
Other hauliers take the drinks to UK ports for export to countries such as Spain and the United States.
Deal directly
GlaxoSmithKline need not worry about a thing. Read's trucks pick up the drinks from the plant, then deliver it to the warehouse. Here the consignments are palletised, and then placed in other firm's trucks. Read says: "We deal directly with the customer; we get the stock, contain it, seal the trailer and away it goes," The transport side of things is buoyant—there can be So truck movements per day at the Cinderford depot alone. HGV recovery work is also busy. On the day we visit, Richard Read junior, Read's son, has had to go out to deal with an HGV which has been in an accident.
Police forces
We have a contract with West Mercia Police and Gloucestershire Police forces to retrieve smashedup trucks," reports Read senior. Eight to io HGVs are recovered each week. As with the warehousing and distribution business, the firm goes the extra mile with the recovery work. It fields no less than five specialist recovery trucks; the latest arrival being an awesome ERF ECT4 525.
What is it that attracts Rea( this marque, and how does he the recent news about the fit "ERF runs right through me Brighton rock," he says. "As fa I am concerned, as long as E continues I myself will contii dealing and running their hope that they will continue ring the Cummins Mir engin ERF have assured me they w There is a lot going on Richard Read Transport but firm's philosophy is simple: things well and things she look after themselves. "We h been quite successful in find work," says Read. "When gain trust in this business can get anything."