Bristol and Bath are known for the beauty but, as
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with all cities, there is hive of activity behind the scene; These two locations are no exceptioi the six hauliers Tim Maughan and Pal
spoke to had only positiv things to say about their operation; From pallets to paper, the six firm; trucks are on the go and makin money for their owners. All in all, makes for inspirational reading.
Trolleys. Big ones, small ones, long on. short ones. Some for carrying groceril others used for shifting airport luggage or coffins. The trolley is something , take for granted, and in the case of the I. the vast majority come from just two fi tories, one of them in Wells, 15 mil south of Bath. So there is a healthy chance that the tr ley you trundle round your favourite supermarl. started life in the Wells factory. That being the case th were delivered by one of the ii trucks in the livery DJ B Haulage, based in Chilcompton, Bath, whi hauls new trolleys from the factory to supermark( and airports the length and breadth of the land.
The firm's identity is very much that of a troll transporter, but this was only made possible aft director David Buxton did a spot of direct advertisir "I started the business in 1992; I bought a Daf 2IC four-wheeler which I used for general haulage," : says. "In 1994 I started knocking on people's don: and I came across the trolley factory." Buxton wl some business with the trolley manufacturer, t: loads kept coming, and two years later he decided invest in larger vehicles: "In 1996 I bought two Fod. artics. I was nervous about getting into artics becaus. was not sure about their earning capacity, wherea: knew exactly how the rigid market worked."
Important factors
Buxton cites higher vehicle excise duty, insuran premiums and wages as being the most importa factors to bear in mind when getting into larg trucks. But this policy came good, and now the flc comprises eight artics, three rigids and three var "Some of the trucks have been downplated from tonnes to 32 tonnes," he reports.
But don't get the idea that Buxton is happier wi smaller vehicles—DJ B Haulage also operat 44-tonners, used primarily for hauling pulp fro Sunderland down to Bath. Buxton welcomes the lo: capacity, but warns that for some hauliers 44-tonne could be a mixed blessing. He says: "The problem that you may carry extra goods, but for the same rai ie customer is always going to win, but I am not re about the haulier." (For a review of the equipent available to help boost 44-tonne productivity e Product Roundup, CM ro-r6 May.)
In general Buxton seems happy with his busi.ss. Although his fleet is based in Chilcompton, he ends his work time ensconced in a portable cabin cked inside the trolley factory. He is just yards ray from the loading bay hubbub and has a bird's e view of his trucks as they load the trolleys. "I can onitor exactly what is going on," he explains. "1 a right on top of it here."
:tinny handling
is a hive of activity and canny handling is imporat, as Buxton explains: "British Airways trolleys e made here. We load them up and then take em to airports across the UK—we can fit 50g0 itish Airways trolleys in a 45ft cuitainsider," ixton reports. "But you have to do it properly. It's )t like putting in 26 pallets and 'off you go.–
The Wells factory is just part of the operation. olleys are refurbished in Newport, Nottingham, luthampton and Liverpool, and consignments are en hauled by DJB Haulage trucks for re-use in .permarkets. Buxton has recently based one driver the Newport depot.
But Wells remains the operational nucleus. CM is
shown literally thousands of trolleys, being readied for dispatch. "We can take three loads a day or it can be as many as thirty loads a day," says Buxton. The work is pretty consistent, but weekends mean extra business for Buxton. He says: "There is a problem every weekend after people have been drinking, especially in areas where there are a lot of students. For some reason students tend to take off with supermarket trolleys."
A dedicated workforce means that DJB Haulage can distribute new trolleys pronto, so no supermarket need be caught out. Buxton salutes his team: The drivers and office staff have been behind me all the way, and have helped bring about the expansion of the firm. I am proud of them," he says.
His staff are kept busy: "There are a lot of supermarket and airport trolleys which need to be moved, so there is plenty of work at the moment," explains Buxton.
The future of the metal trolley is bright, he believes, and that means business for DJB Haulage. True, there have been experiments with other varieties of trolley. "They have brought in plastic trolleys, but I don't think they will take off," he predicts.