PROFILE
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BARRY PITTS
• Barry Pitts carries the sort of traffic which many owner-drivers would give their eye teeth for in the current economic climate — secure, regular, and paying an acceptable rate. That's why he has been able to afford a new Steyr.
Pitts trunks for Retail Consolidated Services, a Tibbett & Britten company which runs a common-user warehouse and transport service in Whitwood, West Yorks, specialising in toiletries. He is paid according to destination, rather than mileage: return loads are two thirds the outward rate.
In addition, he has a handful of customers who are happy to give him backloads if he's in the area. "When RCS was particularly busy I once slipped into the habit of relying on them for backloads work — just for a month," says Pitts. "Never again. You just can't sit back on the job."
RCS uses mainly big fleet hauliers, but Pitts, trading as BPA Pitts Transport of Leeds, has been assured that his position, while not guaranteed, is secure. A good owner-driver is more flexible and can be used as a trouble-shooter; for example, where the receiving or loading warehouse is short-staffed.
Pitts knows the job inside out, having worked for many years for the Whitwood depot's biggest customer, toiletries giant Elida Gibbs. He was driving for Al Transport on the Gibbs contract when the 1979 haulage strike caused the customer to rethink its policy.
It sacked most of its hauliers and set Pitts up as an owner-driver. The rate was an attractive £2,142 a month to cover standing charges plus 50p a mile. Trouble-shooting in those days had more to do with going through picket lines, although happily it never came to that, says Pitts.
The good times ended dramatically in 1983, however. A new manager at Elida Gibbs slashed rates by 20%. "He told the owner-drivers he'd allow them £6,000 a year in wages," Pitts recalls.
In time that manager left and Elida Gibbs contracted the work to RCS. Since then the business has become more secure. RCS has won new contracts, which means that there are fewer peaks and troughs in traffic. There is more mixed load work and although the rate for a near second drop isn't great, the company's overall success gives Pitts greater confidence in the future.
Hence the new truck. Looking around for a replacement for his Renault G290 Pitts spotted a clean, repossessed R365 in Glasgow. But he was put off when his local dealer bought the truck and started asking a price much higher than was being asked in Scotland.
Pitts was considering a used Steyr when he heard of the unregistered models at Premier Commercials in Ossett. At £25,000 with heater, double bunk, air drier and sliding fifth wheel, plus £3,500 trade-in on the G290, it was an offer too good to refuse, even though he was surprised to find mainstream truck dealers also quoting chassis prices under £30,000.
"Before I bought the Steyr I made a point of telling the distribution manager at RCS that he shouldn't think I'm made of money, just because I've got a new vehicle," he says. "If you buy a new vehicle, I think a lot of customers take it the wrong way.
"I'd love something like the new Renault AE, they're great trucks. But apart from the cost, if a guy buys one of them in this country, he'd stand a fair chance of being penalised. A lot of customers like to see someone who's really struggling."
With 15,000km on the clock, Pitts is pleased with the Steyr. "I've had 10.1mpg (27.91it/100km) but mostly I'm getting around 8.4mpg (33.61it/100Iun). That's slightly better than I had from the Renault, and it would probably be better still if I didn't have such a big gap between the truck and the trailer, even with the sliding fifth wheel right forward.
"A big plus is the 550-litre fuel tank, which saves me about an hour a week, the way my schedule works out. I usually fill up at Darrington, just off the Al, because diesel's cheapest there."
The G290 was a great performer although Pitts admits it was hardly the last word in luxury. But he had it for five years and except for irritating electric problems — he went through 13 headlights — it gave him no problems. When he sold it the vehicle had its original clutch and brake linings.
Pitts makes sure he operates and buys carefully. This summer he planned to buy a curtainsided trailer on condition that it passed a thorough mechanical inspection. It was repossessed stock from a bankrupt trailer builder.
"It looked new, but I was suspicious because two of the wheel studs on the back axle were short," he says. "We found out that the axles were ancient. The balance beams and brake drums were in an awful state and it would have cost more than £1,000 just to get the trailer through an MoT."
While Pitts drives the truck he leaves others to do what they're best at. His wife is responsible for the invoicing, and from the beginning he's had an accountant to sort out the books for him. "I hear of people paying £.300 or £400 just to have the books audited and I only pay a few hundred more than that," he says.
Pitts does most of the basic maintenance work himself, but leaves the rest to JW Maeer & Sons of Knottingley. a garage which is run by two brothers and, he says, gives "a superb service".
Working a good 60 hours a week and taking few holidays, life is no picnic, but Pitts is not complaining with round trip earnings working out at between 80 and 88p a mile. "The rates are not too bad," he says. "They're a lot better than some of the lads I know, who are really scraping the bottom of the barrel on 70p a mile for 38-tonne container work." 0 by Jack Semple