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Hauliers suffer as pits close

20th May 1993, Page 12
20th May 1993
Page 12
Page 12, 20th May 1993 — Hauliers suffer as pits close
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by Juliet Parish • Bleak prospects of redundancies, fleet reduction and a pay freeze face north-east coal hauliers as they struggle to survive following the closure this month of two collieries that provided much of their work.

Davidsons of Coundon has slapped a pay freeze on drivers and warned them that out of a fleet of 23 trucks it may have to dump its 15 tippers as a result of pit closures at Easington and Westoe.

British Coal provided Davidsons with up to 1,000 tonnes of haulage every day from each colliery Thomas Brothers of Seaham, which runs nine tippers and six other trucks, says it may have to make three of its 19 drivers redundant if it cannot find alternative work soon to replace the 2,000 tonnes a week it carried for the collieries.

Both firms have been trying

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to diversify Thomas Brothers has been carrying aggregates, fertiliser, cereals and salt, but transport manager Lawrence Thomas fears that many of his competitors are also looking to diversify Thomas says he is stuck with his tippers because of the overcapacity in the general haulage sector.

"If there was a market we'd get rid of the bloody lot," he says. Davidsons' managing director Robert Davidson says three or four years ago the firm ran twice as many tippers. "But as work dwindled we moved into milk and flatbed work" he says.

Another local road haulier keen to spread its portfolio is JSY of Consett, County Durham.

"We are looking at more specialised areas rather than just run of the mill tipper work, so that if we get a job it will be difficult for other operators to take it off us", says transport manager John Suddes.


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