Heavy duty
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Lots has changed in the industry since Jim Macauley became MD of Cadzow Heavy Haulage in the 1970s, but his eye for detail. remains
Words: Roger Brown / images: Andy Forman
ABOUT FIVE MINUTES into our interview with Jim Macauley. MD of Cadzow Heavy Haulage, the phone rings. Its one of his drivers asking for guidance about a particularly complex lifting job.
The boss apologises to CM for the interruption, and then provides his man with the necessary detailed technical information.
It is clear from the call that Macauley enjoys passing on knowledge gained from a lifetime of experience working in this highly specialised area of road transport.
"We know right away what we can and can't do in this industry, but it is important to us that new drivers get trained up properly and receive help from the experienced people in the business," he says. "My attitude is that drivers and mechanics can always phone me if they need advice. We ask drivers to apply their experience, as well as common sense principles on any job."
Cadzow was founded in 1957 by Macauley's father. James Senior, with the firm initially running a 2-tonne Morris truck.
Following the death of his dad and brother Robert in the mid-seventies, James Junior took over the running of the business, with his wife becoming company secretary. Daughter Elizabeth works as a transport manager alongside Jim Ritchie who has been with the firm since 1984.
Red tape
Over the past 30 years or so, Macauley says a lot of the directives and regula tions that have emanated from the European Parliament have strangled the ability of British hauliers to carry out their jobs.
Staff at Cadzow arc required to carry out detailed site inspections, route surveys and feasibility studies as a matter of routine for each abnormal load.
Macauley says: "Today there is so much red tape, someone has to get a ticket or fill in this form or that form just to move something in the yard like an overhead crane.
-Whole jobs can grind to a standstill if you are not careful. As a consequence. margins are terrible, and no-one is getting what they deserve to get.
"Nowadays, no-one in their right mind would set up a haulage business," he insists "You get the feeling sometimes that eventually the EU is going to ask the driver to wear a harness, hard hat and goggles just to go up the steps to sit in his cab."
Macauley also believes the UK is no longer able to properly make its own laws governing road transport.
"Governments down the years have sold out to Brussels and we get laws coming from there that the country doesn't need and we can do without," he adds.
"The Working 'lime Directive should be voluntary and needs to be looked at, but our government can't do anything about it because we have to do what the EU tells u.s."
Customer base
Over the years, the west of Scotland has lost much of its manufacturing and heavy industry, including many engineering companies in Glasgow, shipbuilding businesses on the Clyde and the steelworks at Ravenscraig in Lanarkshire.
However, Cadzow has retained a solid base of loyal customers in the mining, petrochemical, oil, construction, quarrying and engineering industries.
Macauley says: "Over the years we have done all types of jobs We've trans ported plant and machinery, new bridge sections, wave-generating machines, plane parts, sections for the Channel Tunnel and parts for North Sea oil rigs" For the past 15 years, Cadzow has had an agreement to transport dumper trucks constructed at the Terex plant in Motherwell.
Convoys of Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, DAF and Scania trucks operated by Cadzow are a regular sight on the motorways of Britain, carrying the Terex machines to UK ports, ready to be shipped overseas, One of the firm's other key pieces of business is transporting heavy equipment for Caterpillar dealer Finning (UK). which has several sites in Scotland.
Macauley says: "Oyer the years we have never let our customers down and because of this they have remained with us. We are continuing to pick up orders because people know what a good service we provide."
Wind power
In recent years. Cadzow has dabbled with jobs related to the growing wind power industry and transported turbine parts to facilities at Ardrossan and Dunoon in Scotland. as well as two sites in Ireland.
However, Macauley says the sector presents haulage firms with a "lot of challenges" and is keen not to put all his eggs in this particular basket.
He adds: "It can be a nightmare: often you are taking the equipment up steep hills with had roads, with not much else around.
"There are all sorts of rules and regulations, as well as specialist clamping equipment and bogies required."
And just before CM leaves the Cadzow offices, Macauley gives us a comprehensive technical breakdown excuse the pun of the problems he has experienced with the gearbox of his latest car.
The impressive grasp of mechanical matters displayed by Macauley prove an attention to detail and show why Cadzow has remained at the forefront of the heavy haulage game for so many years. •