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T he day CM called at Torbay Freight Services was typical:

29th May 1997, Page 39
29th May 1997
Page 39
Page 39, 29th May 1997 — T he day CM called at Torbay Freight Services was typical:
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when proprietor Kit Marquand arrived in the office just 11 pallets were booked to fill five trucks; by the end of the morning they were all loaded: "You fly by the seat of your pants in this job," chuckles Kit.

The firm specialises in a trunking service from the West Country to London and the South-East: what is unusual about the operation is that its prime loads are the fresh produce it brings back into Devon and Cornwall; its "back-loads" are the deliveries it trunks up country.

The work has a seasonal quality to it: Kent apples in winter, strawberries in summer, lemonade for the tourist trade. Imports throughout the year of lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers and oranges means that there are always loads, but what do the lorries take up to London? "Both part-loads and full loads,"

says Kit. "UHT milk to supermarkets, juice, flavoured water from Dartmoor, wastepaper, a bit of china clay. Our major customer down here is Northern Dairies—they took over Scottish Dairies and have asked us to do runs to Scotland which we will if the money is right."

Kit is helped in the business by son Darren—transport manager and record keeper—and wife Lynda, who looks after the money. Fresh produce accounts for about 40% of revenue. It's a specialisation with a family history going back to Kit's grandfather who was in the fruit trade. Kit became involved at 14 and later ran his own wholesale business until selling it in 1980 and concentrating on transport. The fragile nature of fruit means that drivers have to be well trained to make sure the load is secured. The work involves multi-drops so the danger of damaged stock increases as the truck empties: "If you tip a pallet of peaches across a lorry it's not just the cost but cleaning it up," explains Kit.

A careful programme has been developed to maximise vehicle utilisation and keep the hours legal. A driver leaving Devon at 16:00hrs will arrive in London at 22:00hrs. He delivers his load and parks up. In the morning he makes up to 10 col

lections. If he's carrying fruit he swaps trailers with a second driver at Reading. The second driver takes the fruit back to Devon while the first driver delivers his fresh load after a suitable break. There will be another pick up before returning home; a typical week will begin Sunday and end Thursday or Friday.

Darren will take on more responsibility next year when Kit retires—a health scare last year led him to decide that he should spend more time with his family, particularly Lynda, who he plainly cherishes: "She's a unique person...she's got to be to stick with me for 32 years." He shakes his head, "Thirty-two years in the fruit and haulage industries—that's a life sentence!"

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Locations: Reading, London

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