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LOCATION: Elphin, Co Roscommon FOUNDED: 1977 CONTACT: Harman Taylor FLEET
Page 53
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SIZE: One (M-B Actros 185,3) CONTRACT: Quarry and grain haulage Harman Taylor's first piece of machinery was a digger. Then he found he needed a truck to deliver stone and construction material; that was 28 years ago. "I still do a lot of quarry work for Hanley Brothers," he says. "For the past while I've also been drawing bulk cement for Frank Harrington in Kilkelly.
Taylor's digger is now driven by his son, 23year-old James. But James won't be allowed near the truck until he reaches 25 when the insurance companies consider a young man has become reliable enough to cut the premiums.
The digger spends its days in the forest: "I do contract work for Coillte, making roads into forests."
Taylor once had three trucks: "The quarry I was working for at the time got into trucks so I scaled down to one. I used louse tippers, but now I've an artio. It's more versatile and I can draw grain when building gets quiet in the winter. l deliver it to Stewart's Mill, Boyle, from the grain stores on the East Coast."
Mercedes is Casey's chosen marque and Kinahan Commercials in Moate is his chosen dealer. Neither Mercedes nor Kinahan have let him down: a major consideration in keeping clients.
For the same reason reliability he changes his truck every three to four years: "Good, wellserviced equipment is cheapest in the long run."
During the diesel protest in September 2000 Taylor's truck was assigned to Lanesborough to prevent any vehicle crossing the Shannon.
"We could do with protesting again," he reckons. 'A lot of people are talking about getting out of the business."
That is certainly not his plan. His second son Darren, 22, is all set to join him, James and his wife Phil (transport manager) in the business. "I'd possibly increase if he joined," Taylor concludes.