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 
I otal vehicle accountability is something many hauliers can only dream
Page 53
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
of. But Geoff Cecil, managing director of BH Cecil and Sons, based in Blakeney, Glos, has the luxury of full loads—and usually full backds. When we visit his depot, which is ated between the Forest of Dean and the tern, the view is unconventional: the sheds itain iron railings and gates, and an abunice of other metal work. Cecil's business is i-tiered. He is a metal worker and haulier.
• he company was founded in 1921 by )ff's grandfather, Bertram Cecil. Back then -k was dominated by coal , which used to picked up and delivered locally. Cecil vehi3 also transported miners around the local a. There is no intensive coal industry in the rict today but, Cecil tells us, an ancient law :s allow local folk to extract coal from the irby Forest of Dean.
he metal work is delivered to customers in ucestershire and Wales, and as far south Hampshire. It is steady enough business, Cecil's 10-truck fleet is chiefly assigned to 'sporting parts for cars and buses. "We ( up car parts from five collection points in ith Wales," says Cecil. "Then we take the Js to Germany."
or this long-haul work Cecil fields four ro FH12 Globetrotters, all running at 41 nes—and he does not have to fret about ;ons returning empty. "We get a set rate,
CONTACT Geoff Cecil, inanaging directo-.
and the trucks always come back loaded," he reports. On their return the trucks haul spare parts for the manufacturer which are then delivered to depots in Wales. From there, other operators transport them to dealerships around the UK. Six of the company's trucks, including the four Volvos, are run on a strict cost-and-profit basis. In effect, when the firm invoices the customer the overheads of running a particular truck are taken into account. Then Cecil adds his profit margin.
"I don't have to worry because the vehicle is covered," he says. "The trucks are guaranteed to make a profit, and the customer can see exactly what he is getting as well."
Even when trucks do not operate under the cost-profit agreement, Cecil ensures the price is right. He is philosophical about the haulage industry.
Rather than bemoaning the factors which make life difficult for hauliers, he states the obvious: at the end of the day operators aren't forced to run HGVs. He says: "If the rate is not satisfactory we do not do the work—some work we get, some we don't.
"You don't have to run a lorry, it is your choice. It is up to the individual to negotiate rates, and I think there are a lot of hauliers who do not know their true costs."
TURNOVER £1.2m.
FLEET
To make his money, Cecil knows that every vehicle must earn its keep. The ever-changing fleet seems to confirm this. In 1992/93 the company fielded 27 trucks; last year the fleet was down to six trucks, and today it's back up to 11. It is a fluctuating fleet, and with good reason. "We change it to suit the circumstances," Cecil explains.
BH Cecil and Sons has stayed in business through strict vehicle utilisation. Cecil's two daughters are studying to become barristers, and won't be taking the company reins. But 17year-old Paul, Geoff Cecil's son, is as keen as mustard to continue the family business: "I hope to be in the driving seat one day," he enthuses.