OPUS ONE LOGISTICS
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avid McClelland, partner of Opus One Logistics based in Glenrothes, Fife, only embarked on the journey into haulage in January 1998. His background could not have been more different: he is a trained opera singer and made his living by teaching singing. On the day that CM arrives at the Opus One Logistics base we learn that David is in Austria, but involved in tasks a million miles from classical singing.
Jack McClelland, David's father, explains: "He is delivering petrol pumps to Vienna. He didn't fancy the idea of teaching all his life, so he got into haulage." As he tells of David's whereabouts, CM cannot help noticing the burntout hulk of an HGV standing forlornly at the back of the firm's parking lot.
"That truck was our first vehicle—a 17-tonne ERF rigid curtainsider. We bought it brand new," says Jack. He explains that the truck proved an invaluable tool in delivering locally made electronic equipment across the UK. What happened to the vehicle? "Vandals burnt it out: it was a real setback," he says. To make matters worse, the insurance company quibbled over payment. The claim has now been settled, but Opus One Logistics recouped less than half the original cost of the vehicle.
At the time of the attack on the ERF, Opus One Logistics was running a secondhand ERF EC14 tractive unit, complete with a tipping trailer for transporting scrap steel. Jack says: "We picked up steel from local depots, and then took it to ports such as Birkenhead, and also across Scotland, for shipment abroad." But the destruction of the ERF curtainsider effectively took away 50% of the firm's work. Jack explains that, given the big investment, the father-son partnership had no choice: "We had to battle on."
The second-hand ERF EC14 "kept the wolf from the door," he says. "We also went through a real learning curve. We realised that we should have started off with artics because there is more work there." For Opus One Logistics, rigids have their limitations, chiefly those of load size and weight. Artics provide big-load capability while enabling the transportation of smaller loads if necessary—and then there is the flexibility of being able to hitch up to different trailers.
The firm bought a second-hand ERF F10 tractive unit to replace the ERF curtainsider, and the tipper trailer was replaced by a 45ft step-frame curtainsider. In this way Opus One Logistics has a curtainsider, along with the high degree of flexibility offered by a tractive unit. The company also rents a 45ft Hi-liner curtainsider.
Its business is general haulage. The firm will handle just about anything, but perishable goods are not carried as it doesn't operate reefers. Jack says: "We work across the UK and Europe, and we find that we have got to carry bacIdoads. For example, after David has delivered to Vienna he will pick up machinery from Germany and then take it to Hemel Hempstead."
One thing is certain: David will fill up with cheap Continental fuel just before he returns to Britain's extor
tionate fuel climes. This is just one battle being waged in the war against the overheads. "At present we are trying to keep our heads above water," says Jack. Like any other haulier, he cites high road tax and fuel duty as the biggest threats to the industry.
With such high overheads an occupational hazard in the haulage industry, Opus One Logistics has not even considered servicing its own vehicles. Says Jack: "This is carried out by a contractor. We've got enough on our plate without setting up a garage." And although the firm will negotiate rates with customers, there is a figure that Opus One Logistics will not go below. In short, if the rate is too low, the artics will not hit the road.
In the 18-month life of Opus One Logistics, the fatherson partnership has had more than its fair share of problems, It's probably fair to say that many small hauliers would pack up after losing a vital piece of kit like the ERF curtainsider to vandals at so early and precarious a stage in the business. But Opus One Logistics rose from the ashes of that burnt-out vehicle.
Despite the demands of the job, David makes an annual charity run in one of the ERFs to Belarus to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. This takes up 12 days—and that means business lost. In this way, HGVs can generate money, and not just for hauliers like David. The Opus One Logistics partner is, of course, intent on making a profit, but he is also willing to put his assets to more charitable uses.
Jack says that David is due to be taking his first holiday in 18 months. For the classically trained singer turned haulier, a spell in France should be a nice break. He surely deserves it.