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:PARKER TRANSPORT 7 I n the stressful world of road haulage,

17th May 2001, Page 39
17th May 2001
Page 39
Page 39, 17th May 2001 — :PARKER TRANSPORT 7 I n the stressful world of road haulage,
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it's refreshing to meet an operator who takes a rather relaxed approach to his work. Kelvin Parker, partner in Chilcompton, Bath-based Parker Transport, is such a man. "I don't worry about much," he tells CMfrankly.

Parker has had a few setbacks along the way, but now he has found his place in the industry: transporting paper and food. He started driving trucks in the early 1970s. "I bought an old Bedford flatbed for 1250 which I used to deliver greenhouses," he says.

General haulage was Parker's staple business in the 1980s, but in the 1990s he learnt that business could be with you one day then taken from you the next. He explains: "In 1995 I was working for a packaging firm, but then a larger haulier came in and took the work from me. So I canvassed around and found a few other bits and pieces.

"In the mid-1990s I was sat in the office one day, and Bowaters rang me up and said they liked our livery" he adds, "So we started working for them."

Paper plant

Parker has worked for the papermaker ever since: the work involves transporting writing paper. For this job Parker stations vehicles at the Chilcompton depot, which is a few miles from the paper plant.

He has another depot in Weston-super-Mare. The vehicles operating from this base have their own specific task, as Buxton explains: "These trucks take goods from an RDC to supermarkets across southwest England, and they basically work 24 hours a day.

"There are 27 drivers at our Weston-super-Mare depot operating nine trucks—there are three shifts a day, operating seven days a week."

He runs mainly 38-tonners, but has some heavier vehicles: "We have six trucks at 41 tonnes. Our main customers don't require this weight; rather, we run them to backload, especially supermarket goods. We will not be operating at 44 tonnes unless our customers require it. Yes, the VED is cheaper, but you have to bear in mind higher tyre and fuel costs."

Tail-lifts feature prominently in the fleet, says Parker: "We operate 45ft curtainsiders, and most of them are equipped with tail

lifts. Most of the paper we deliver needs a tail-lift, especially for inner city drops."

We pause for a couple of minutes to eat a hotdog, kindly bought by Parker. Next thing the office door opens and in walks Parker's wife, Caroline. "She deals with things like the wages and drivers' uniforms," he says. "Yes, I'm the general dogsbody," she jokes. Naturally, it's all in good humour. Haulage firms across the country owe their success to family members taking on their particular tasks.

Crucial role

Drivers also play a crucial role, and Parker makes a lot of effort to keep them content. He spares no cash when buying his vehicles because he believes his drivers deserve the creature comforts that the latest trucks offer. Parker provides the units, but finds that his drivers go the extra mile with the trucks.

Personalizing the vehicles is the norm at Parker Transport, he reports: "Every weekend some of our drivers are up at Haydon Autospray, near Radstock, getting their vehicles customised. Chris Gilson at Autospray has done our spray jobs for 10 years now. The drivers are keen to get their trucks customised—drivers even take their trucks to Haydon Autospray in their holidays.

"The only way to get good service is to look after the drivers," Parker asserts. "A lot of the lads have been here for years—we don't have a high turnover of drivers here."

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Locations: Bath

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