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Drawbars to Ireland
Page 103
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by Gordon Murray
WHEN the Carpenter brothers Hughie and Ivor needed. vehicles quickly, the only chassis suitable for drawbar work were Scanias. And that is quite simply why Carpenter and Co Ltd, Lancashire's Leigh-based haulier, "went foreign."
The brothers took over the coal merchant's business left them by their late grandfather only 11 years ago; they soon extended into driver accompanied services to Northern ' and Southern Ireland and this is now their speciality.
They have six sleeper-cab Sarnia flee with six trailers; they are running between 60,000-70,000 miles average each year. With a 137cm (4ft Gin) "A "-frame the units are about 17.3m (57ft) long—well under the permitted length— yet provide up to 2.4m (8ft) more usable space and about 1016kg (one ton) more payload than a 12.1m (40ft) artic unit.
With the exception of one tilt, all the units are flats—for maximum adaptability a must With a small fleet: By using containers they are easily converted into boxvans, and all trailers are fitted with approved tWistiocks for safe mounting.
Expert drivers
The vehicles are to standard spec and fitted with front air line connections and coupling pin for manoeuvring in confined spaces, but so expert have their drivers become they are seldom used. There is less trailer tyre wear particularly when working in confined spates; the biggest problem is front-wheel scrub—the powersteering allows the driver to turn the front wheels with the vehicle standing still.
Ivor, who looks after the servicing of the vehicle, reports that the Scania after-sales service is not so good as British Leyland and attributes this to the local dealer set-up. However, even taking into account certain problems with brake drums and an irritating attitude on the part of the vehicle manufacturers that nothing can go wrong with their trucks, he is satisfied with the vehicles' performance. He says maintenance casts have so far been acceptable but admits cautiously that as the oldest is only four years old and he is working on a seven-year replacement schedule he would not have expeeted anything else from a premium price truck.
When the brothers first came to Leigh they were looking for a buyer for the business. Ivor, straight from university with a degree, was looking forward to a career in agriculture, and brother Hughie had his sights set on becoming a professional footballer. An unlikely combination to be running a haulage business, but run it they did and with some success— for they decided not to sell.
Feeling the pinch
Quite a success story—or at least it was until last year; now like many others in road haulage they freely admit to feeling the pineal. Hughie told me: "We sold our service on quality and two years ago had all the traffic we could handle and more ; " now owing to the Palling demand orders for two new Scanias have been put back. "It's possible we might need them if business makes a sharp upturn," said Ivor, but indications were that recovery from the present industrial slump would be slow.
Only recently the company lost five jobs to rate-cutting operators; it has also been asked to accept a rate of fi for three loads and thr drops "and to be honest," sa 'Hughie, "we thought twi before saying no."
Another sign of the times the company's increasing r fiance on outside agents f loads—the brothers saki th until a year ago 95 per cent their traffic was self-generatt The present sphere of leper ton is pretty wide: the coi pany picks up and delivt anywhere in the UK, With t majority of work still Omni from Lancashire and Yor Shire, and also has considf able trade down in the Sou West.
The company has built I good connections in Irela over the years, but t brothers say the work site tion over there is worse th in England. Even before t present recession there was imbalance of trade with ma more loads moving in Ireland from England than t reverse. In the present eitt tion it was more importa than ever to find return Ion and they now had close lin with an Irish operator W helps find traffic.
At present the brothers ha 28 entry permits per year in the Republic of Ireland, b these are limited to certs goods. On the other har Southern Irish operators role ing up through Northe Ireland have free access England, and using the Stre raer ferry are none too wx ried about overloading drivers' hours..