IN SAFE HANDS
Page 27
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Eddie Brzozowski runs his own haulage company which won this year's Commercial Motor Award for Small Fleets in Bandag Drive for Safety competition — a credit to him and his loyal band of drivers.
Not speaking a word of English meant hat, although he got a job with S & G itores, he could not drive on British oads right away because he could not ake a driving lesson.
Eddie had been a tractor driver in iiberia, so he got to work on his English t night school to be able to drive again. With his driving test out of the way, :ddie moved to LSD Transport where he pent 15 years as a driver. Then the ompany made a decision to leave the ransport business.
;MEN A CHANCE
'acing redundancy Eddie was given a hance to break out on his own and LSD ffered him a truck and a year's work to et him on his feet.
He joined the Owner Drivers Associaon — a move which has helped :emendously over the years. Eddie and loris worked hard to establish the busiess, with Doris also bringing up their aree young children.
On the road as much as possible he did ; much maintenance work as he could, irking his truck in his mother-in-law's ack yard.
At the end of his first year he bought iother truck, took on Mick Waller — his ght-hand-man for the past 11 years — id started undertaking more work for :her companies.
One of those was an American firm hich had spare land at the back of its unthorpe yard. The land was covered ith thousands of tons of rubbish and ddie persuaded the owner to sell at a wer price provided he cleared the land mself. Employing friends in the Owner rivers Association who owned forklifts to Ap, Eddie said at the end of the day, ey refused any payment, working rough many weekends.
A lunch and a beer with another mate a Eddie his next major break — a intact with Frodingham Cement. Now )% of his work is for them. He also does ork is for Plibrico and other local firms. Having one major contract, Eddie exains, does help them to concentrate other aspects of the business, such safety, because less time is needed looking for additional work.
In addition to five Scania tankers, which the firm uses for transporting cement, lime, cemsave, salt and sand, there are 25-tonne flat trailers which are subcontracted out. Also in the fleet are 24tonne bulkers for potato and sugar beet transport, again hired out during harvest, plus a tipping trailer, For next year Eddie is planning another major expansion into a new field — fashion. He aims to build a storage warehouse of between 1,000m2 and 1,400m3 at the back of his yard.
Each vehicle has a daily check by its driver, together with a weekly check for tyre pressures, oil and brakes; and every four weeks each vehicle in the fleet has a complete service.
All the tankers are fitted with tachographs with a speed limiter set at 90km/h (60mph). When any infringements are recorded, the driver has to sign the computer print out. If they continue the driver would get a written warning and finally his marching orders.
In 12 years in business, however, Eddie has only had to issue one or two such letters and has never fired anyone.
As an added incentive drivers get a £50 bonus at the end of each accident-free year. This year the bonus will be upped to 2100 and the prize money from the Bandag award will be split between all of the firm's workforce.
The drivers also receive a £150 Christmas bonus and Eddie and Doris take all their staff and their partners out to dinner several times a year.
Taking care of his staff has its rewards for the boss too. He says he feels confident going on holiday that the business is in safe hands.
This confidence was borne out several years ago when one of his drivers turned up for work at 4am. Spotting a suspiciouslooking van in the yard, the driver blocked the entrance with his truck before calling the police. Three men ran out and the driver managed to catch one before the police arrived to arrest all three.
For his part Eddie always urges his drivers to take care, especially in icy or foggy weather, telling them it is better to arrive late than not at all. While this reflects his genuine care for his staff he also maintains it makes good business sense: "After all," he says, "our fate lies with the drivers."
CI by Elizabeth Booth