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S uccess has come at a price for Rob Cooper, owner
Page 38
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of RLC Transport in Cheltenham, Glos, and his right-hand man, manager )avid Saunders. The pair readily Ldmit to having put work before heir families and a social life Lnd both their marriages have ubsequently broken down.
But Saunders, 36, is pragnatic: "If you're looking to go tome at 5pm, you wouldn't get he business. Divorce is a big )rice to pay, but I do enjoy the vork."
Former mechanic Cooper Lidn't look back when his boss at Cheltenham garage decided to ell up and gave him an old hill'illy Spanish Dodge to drive. He tarted getting more and more iork and by his 3oth birthday, in 989, he had bought his first Lew vehicle—a Volvo F12.
Being such a benchmark for le firm, the Fi2 is obviously close to Cooper's .eart and is "still going strong". There's even ie tale of the time he went to Greece in it to ick up a load of watermelons, only to find iree stowaways as he got to the docks, "but iat's another story" he says.
room and bust
: was in the early-9os boom and bust era that aunders, eager to get stuck in, came on the :eine. Cooper explains: "People were starting ) go bust around that time, spending more -Loney than they had. My three vehicles went own to one. It was when I took on David that ungs took off. He was prepared to work hard rid showed everyone how it was done."
But Cooper still laughs when he rememers Saunders' persistence in being taken on. "David had been pestering me for weeks out getting a job. I remember sitting in the ath one night and my ex-wife saying: 'It's tat man again about a job'. I thought 'I can't ye him a job because I haven't got one', but le suggested it was about time I gave him a y."
That was nine years ago and the job offer as paid off for both of them. "It was a lot of hard work in the early days," says Saunders. "We had one lorry to begin with and took it in turns driving, then we started getting too much work for one vehicle and bought another one.
"Rob does all the paperwork and invoicing along with 90% of the servicing and mechanical stuff, while I handle the transport side. I get on well with Rob and have never had an argument with him in all the years," he adds.
RLC specialises in moving heavy machinery, excavators and the like, and Ringway Highway Services—the governing body for council work—is a major customer.
"We've got about 6o-7o customers of different sizes," says Cooper "Most of our business comes from word of mouth as we prove to be reliable."
Asked about competition, Cooper says that, except for some of the big companies that have started to move their own equipment, RLC has probably got the monopoly in the area. "Everyone thinks they can do this job but it's very specialised and you've got to have good road-going equipment," he says.
However, the work is not just a local affair. Although RLC's main bulk of work is in the Gloucestershire area, it's had to travel for new business.
"We now go from Dundee to Eastbourne," says Saunders. "We recently went across to Holland and have been to Italy and Spain. If a customer wants four loads moving the next day, we can do it. You've got to be prepared to go anywhere the business requires and offer a prompt, reliable service."
Customer service and professionalism is paramount for RLC, and that includes being able to offer the best kit.
"We need all types of vehicles and trailers to satisfy the customer on price and keep them happy," says Cooper.
The firm's new Nooteboorn trailer, bought in June for i72,000, is the first of its kind in use in the country, claims Cooper, and it was specially designed for RLC. It came from HSE in Corby and has sophisticated air-assisted outriggers for moving wide machines.
The quality of staff is also key for the company. "Customers like us because our staff turn up in fluorescent jackets, hard hats and all the best chains and have all the straps to secure the machines. The presentation is there and it looks right," says Saunders.
And having good vehicles and equipment helps to keep staff motivated, too.
"Our staff are well looked after. It's not just a driver job any more; all our drivers have their CITB certificates and are regularly assessed. We train them all up and it's a great starting block for all of them," he adds.
Police escorts
Besides the escalating fuel prices, Saunders sees the demise of police escorts as a potential problem for RLC in the future.
"When we transport abnormal loads of a certain width we have to request a police escort, and quite honestly the flashing blue lights really do help. When it becomes privatised either we will have to provide our own escort, or we'll have to pay a company to do it—either way the costs will have to be passed on to the customer which could cause problems."
With three new trailers purchased this year and two FF1i2s last year (one direct from an importer), RLC's success means that Cooper's days of Barreiros Dodge attic driving are well and truly over; even if it did come at a price. But now it's his turn to be pragmatic about the future.
"If David decided to go I think it would be time to draw the curtains." That's teamwork!