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HELP
Many hauliers turn away abnormal load work because of the complex rules that govern it. Convoi Exceptionnel can help.
• If you are inexperienced in heavy haulage, moving an abnormal load will involve studying a minefield of rules and regulations — unless you employ the services of Convoi Exceptionnel, based in Hamble, Hampshire.
Founder Tony Lovell decided there was a niche for the company after battling with abnormal load regulations for 15 years as an owner-driver.
"I thought at the time it was very difficult to get help with all of the bits of paperwork, let alone everything else, so I set up a company to help other hauliers who must be having the same trouble," he explains, Lovell has since been joined by two other directors. In 1989 Oxford graduate Rosie Steane became a member of the team after a five-year stint as an English teacher. She is in charge of chasing permit applications for international work.
Accountant Richard Arden joined the firm on a part-time basis earlier this year to learn about the day-to-day operation before becoming a full-time director next month. Like Lovell and Steane he speaks fluent French.
Convoi does not plan to buy any trucks of its own: "Trucks are the dangerous part of an operation. They're high in capital and you have to tax them," says Lovell. However, it does have a fleet of five specialised trailers which it hires out to hauliers, and plans to take on another two.
About 75% of Convoi's £250,000 turnover is accounted for by international business.
It arranges everything from applying for permits, to supplying a pilot car, choosing the best route and driver, arranging the ferry service and advising on Customs requirements.
It's vital that hauliers know what they are doing overseas because they will not get away with mistakes lightly, says Steane.
Lovell agrees. On the Continent hauliers face on the spot fines of about £40 if they are caught transporting an abnormal load at night or during the rush hour — some hauliers add up to £1,000 to the price of a Spanish job to compensate for fines, says Steane. Some German authorities impose a full MoT test if the paperwork for a Special Types rig is not in order.
Unlike the UK, where operators only have to wait two clear working days for permission to transport an abnormal load, there is a minimum wait of two weeks on the Continent. During this time permission to move abnormal loads outside the UK may be turned down at any stage "on all sorts of absurd grounds," says Steane.
She has come across cases where permission has been refused because the address on a French quota permit did not tally exactly with the address on the vehicle registration document.
"This is because instead of the pragmatic 'let's get it done quick and keep the paperwork to a minimum' attitude of the British police, the civil servants that handle the work on the Continent have paper orientated responsibilities and slow working methods," she says.
"They don't give a damn about how much a transport delay can cost, unlike our police, who bend over backwards to help operators out."
Convoi handles about 10 abnormal loads a week and has a customer base of 225, including Pickfords Industrial, Rolls Royce and British Aerospace.
Hauliers who are experienced in taking abnormal loads overseas might only use Convoi's pilot drivers for the first four runs of a regular job, says Lovell. Others employ the company to sort out international permit applications.
On the domestic front Convoi will notify the local authorities and police of the load, arrange the best route and advise on which vehicles should have markers and where they should be fitted.
"It's almost impossible for a general haulier to know every detail about transporting abnormal loads," says Lovell. He believes that is why a lot of them are turning away abnormal load work.
Leicester Heavy Haulage, Vanguard International and Hills of Pye Bridge all shied away from taking abnormal loads overseas before going to Convoi, says Lovell.
However, other hauliers who are afraid to turn away any work are taking unnecessary risks, says Lovell "Ignorance is the major problem — unless a haulier has a total overview, he doesn't know what he's doing wrong."
LI by Juliet Parish