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JOHN HARLAND HAULAGE

29th April 1999, Page 51
29th April 1999
Page 51
Page 51, 29th April 1999 — JOHN HARLAND HAULAGE
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• CM catches up with John Harland, owner of John Harland Haulage, just after he has delivered pipes and spools for the Triton roil drilling ship, which is being refitted at the Teesside Offshore base. The interview is conducted just yards from an ocean-going cable vessel which is moored at the port. The scene is impressive. To the south Of the base stand the towering chimneys of a giant chemical works; to the north, just across the Tees, a massive flame spouts from a factory tower. Look west and you see the cranes of an offshore engineering site—the eastern view is dominated by the immense British Steel plant at Redcar. This is heavy engineering at its most concentrated. Teesside may have suffered a legion of job losses over recent years, but it is still a powerhouse.

Hauliers like John Harland ensure that the materials necessary for industry get to their destination. He is a small operator who runs three trucks, and he is happy with that set-up. Since the formation of the firm in 1983 he has developed a solid customer base: the net result is a "decent living", he says. But success has only been made possible through personal sacrifice, which in one way makes that success just that bit sweeter.

Harland has been involved in haulage since he was 17. He started driving furniture vans, and for to years drove for a major haulage firm. "But I wanted to be the master of my own destiny; you don't know unless you try," he says. That led to a dilemma: to buy his first truck he was confronted with the unpalatable prospect of selling his wife's beloved Volkswagen Golf. Fortunately his wife Barbara was quite happy about this, so the car was sold and the money, topped up with a bank loan, was spent on a second-hand Scania iro. Harland and Barbara got about in a Mini.

As well as his own-account work Harland was subcontracted by Middlesbrough-based Econofreight to transport equipment for the offshore oil industry. He cites Econofreight as vital in getting his business off the ground. "There was plenty of work in those days," he says. "Econofreight looked after me well. In 1984 I swapped the old Scania for a brand new Scania 112, and I swapped that in 1986 for a brand new Scania 142."

In 1989 the Scania 142 was joined by a second-hand Scania 142. "We had been picking a lot of work up," says Harland. The third vehicle, a new Scania 144, was bought in 1997. "I have always liked Scania, they have done me proud," he says. "And they have a good residual value."

Today the vast majority of Harland's work is with the offshore oil and gas industry. He also carries occasional loads of steel from plants in the Teesside area to customers across Britain. The firm owns Go trailers, which might seem a somewhat disproportionate number given the three tractive units. But Harland explains that some of the trailers are rented out to other hauliers, and many others are based at his clients' premises.

Most of the work is conducted within the Teesside area; much of the time it could be likened to a shuttle service. One heavy engineering firm might have several separate sites across Teesside; Harland frequently transports a consignment from one local site to another.

What about expansion? "I am quite happy with my business at the moment—it is manageable," says Harland. "Any more vehicles and I would have to employ a transport manager, and this would mean buying three more vehicles to justify his salary. I get a decent living, but there is a lot of work to do."

He points out that haulage always throws up a problem or two; bad weather may hold up a truck, or perhaps a roadblock could prevent a consignment from reaching its destination on time. But he accepts these occupational hazards: "There is always something to grumble about in haulage."

Before his vehicle rumbles away from the ships and cranes of Teesside Offshore Base, Harland tells CM of the benefits of taking one thing at a time: "We have always been steady away—and we are still here."


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