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CM meets the man in charge of family firm S&R Smith & Son to get an insight into how it stays on the right side of the law
Words: Roger Brown / Images: Tom Lee Family-owned haulage firm S&R Smith & Son was established in Stratford, London in 1949 by the late Samuel Smith, his wife Rose and their son Raymond.
Starting out with just two vehicles, they worked for companies in the East End, shipping various goods from the docks and warehouses.
Now based in West Thurrock, Essex, and employing 90 staff, Raymond Smith believes that the way for haulage firms to prosper and improve these days is to collaborate with each other.
S&R Smith recently became a member of the Transport Association (TA), which MD Lee Smith describes as an excellent organisation made up of decent companies and people.
He tells CM: “One of the benefits is being able to offer help and advice to other members on hazards in local areas, like a low bridge or a poorly maintained road.
“In Thurrock one of the problems is when there is traffic at the Dartford Bridge, or around the Bluewater shopping centre, the whole area gridlocks.” According to Smith, the TA is also a very good source of information for updates on the latest legislation changes and developments.
Working together
He adds: “Everyone works together and the directors meet up every eight to 10 weeks. For example, member companies have recently been discussing whether to adopt a common standard with regards to fitting forwardand side-facing cameras to vehicles.” The company is also a member of the Jigsaw operator consortium, which manages national contracts for customers by using the 30 depots of its network of eight partner companies across the UK.
Companies involved include CM Downton and Widdowson.
Smith says: “Jigsaw is an excellent example of partnership at work, all good companies who can share best practice, and apply quality standards across the network.
“We look after deliveries in the South East and, although there are different hauliers involved, the operational administration is under the control of a single central department.” S&R Smith’s main source of work is in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, which involves shifting anything from beer, cosmetics and soap powder to batteries, shampoo and toothpaste.
Another key source of work is delivering reels of paper, palletised paper, and timber for a large paper company from Tilbury docks to large printing sites and regional distribution centres.
Smith says: “We don’t usually travel further than a 100-mile radius from West Thurrock and key performance indicators [KPIs] are produced for every job.
“Projecting the right image is important to us, and we pride ourselves on having a clean depot and trucks that are well-maintained and smart.
“There is a truck wash on site and the drivers are smart and wear uniforms – all this can help foster an attitude where good maintenance standards are valued.” All the company’s 50 vehicles are fitted with digital tachographs, and the transport office checks all download cards at the end of each week.They are then analysed by a local company, that checks them again.
Smith says: “We are fastidious about keeping paperwork in order and making sure everything is checked as much as possible. It’s the only way a company can operate.” S&R Smith uses a nearby training company to provide Driver CPC learning for its 74 full-time drivers.The training is carried out at the depot, 10 drivers at a time. Smith says: “We’ll send new drivers out with the driver-trainer and more experienced drivers first. It’s also important to listen to all drivers and get their feedback on any potential issues or training needs.” The firm uses a driver agency, but only when holiday or sickness cover is required. It also employs semi-retired, long-standing employees to carry out casual jobs at weekends Smith says: “We tend to give the agency drivers the easiest jobs.We’ve got 68-year-olds who do two days a week, on Saturdays and Sundays, who will work on short shifts; experienced people whom we trust and can rely on.” A bank of cameras inside the office is able to monitor the yard and check for any potential problems such as a truck reversing into something it shouldn’t. The company now fits cycle sensors to all its new trucks.
Smith adds: “It’s my view that if you ride a bike, you should have personal insurance.There should be more legislation of bicycles – at the moment they are not insured, so if a bike goes into the side of your vehicle, you won’t get paid.”
Speaking from experience
Although Smith, 47, is very much his own man, he does welcome the input of dad Raymond, who helped Samuel and Rose run the business when it was operating a combination of Thames Traders, Leyland Super Comets and Bedfords.
Smith says: “Dad is 75 now and is always on hand to give advice, using his wealth of knowledge about the industry.Although we have a strong management system in place here, it’s nice to be able to have him around.” Last year, the company moved from the one-acre site in Purfleet it had occupied for 15 years, to its current four-acre facility in West Thurrock.The new yard is on a 20-year lease and includes a warehouse and refuelling area.
S&R Smith owns all its 50 trucks – a combination of mostly Euro-5 Daf CF 65s and XFs.The fleet is made up of 12 rigids, artics and a handful of Ford Transit vans for city jobs.
Smith explains: “One of the attractions for us is the fact the new yard is a two-minute drive from the Daf dealer Harris Daf, which we have used for the past 10 years.
“All the trucks are on repair and maintenance contracts with Harris Daf, and we look to keep them for about five years. There is night servicing to reduce downtime and a delivery and collection service that saves drivers time.” As for trailers, S&R Smith has 90 of them – all SDC with BPW axles – mainly leased from Hireco on threeor five-year servicing and tyre replacement agreements.
According to Smith, the company sources mainly Bridgestone rubber from local family business GS Tyres because they are a quality tyre and suit the business.
He adds: “Although there are many good manufacturers of trucks, trailers and tyres, we like to stick with well-known brands we can trust.
“We believe that having a modern fleet of wellmaintained vehicles and trailers is a very important factor in staying safe and legal.”
The importance of safety
The importance Smith places on safety and good maintenance is perhaps partly related to his background as a mechanic and fitter.
He says: “We have our own fitters on site for running repairs, and have parts like wings and mirrors we can fit straight away. Across the road from the depot is the Spectrum trailer and truck body repair shop, which we can also use.” Currently, the firm uses the Purfleet Vosa test station for its MoT testing, but Harris Daf is due to open its own facility within six months, giving the company another option.
Smith concludes: “Some people run trucks and some people have a passion for trucks – we’re in the second category. Our reputation is everything to us, and key to this is running a well-maintained, clean, modern fleet – touch wood, we have never lost a load or vehicle.
“When customers see our trucks, they see smart, well-presented vehicles and they know they are getting a great service.” ■
KEEPING AN EYE ON THINGS
To help the overall process of safe and compliant running, there’s satellite tracking of every tractor unit, trailer and rigid. S&R Smith tracks every product on every vehicle, and this even extends to stand trailers on site at customers premises.
Added to this are in-cab phones and mobile phones to keep in touch with drivers whether they are in their vehicles or not.
Smith says: “We use the Pinpointers system, which we find is very good, and records harsh braking, over-revving or accelerating, fuel consumption, load security and tachograph figures.
“The driver-trainer assesses each driver’s style of driving and then takes any necessary corrective action.
“Ultimately, we rely on willing drivers who are keen to learn.”
CHANGING FACES
Earlier this year, S&R Smith painted its flagship Daf XF 105 in a special Queen’s Diamond Jubilee livery.
The company, based in West Thurrock, Essex, has previously created cab designs to mark Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, as well as the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Smith says: “We wanted to do something special for the Jubilee year and were delighted with the admiring looks the trucks was getting from people when it drove through Westminster.”
SMITH’S TOP COMPLIANCE TIPS:
• to ensure standards are being maintained, deal with tachograph paperwork punctually;
• use trade associations, CM, MT and Vosa to keep up to date with future legislative changes;
• make sure compliance systems are robust so the business can be promoted to existing and potential customers; • keep trucks clean so defects are visible; • encourage drivers to check their vehicles throughout the day, as well as at the beginning and end of it; • have cameras in the yard to check that all is well; • collaborate: being involved with organisations such as Jigsaw and the TA means best practice can be shared; • listen to drivers about any potential problems.