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ROD HAWKINS APPOINTED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT NICHOLL OILS Rod Hawkins has clearly hit the ground running, returning after 17 years to Nicholl Oils as its new Business Development Manager for Northern Ireland, having spent several years at NI Trucks. There, he had the dual role of Heavy Truck Business Development Manager, representing both NI Trucks in Northern Ireland and their sister company, Emerald Truck & Van, the Iveco distributor for Ireland. The Carrickfergus man, who prior to his NI Trucks appointment worked at Scania dealers Road Trucks where he spent six years, has been in the industry since 1984 and that wealth of experience is already
being put to good use in his new role which he took up at the beginning of the year. The timing of his appointment couldn’t have been any more appropriate, with two major issues facing the transport, quarry and construction sectors: the imminent removal of rebates for red diesel and the emergence of a more environmentally friendly fuel alternative HVO. Nicholl Oils are well placed to help customers meet those issues; with its Head Office located in Greysteel and depots in; Belfast, Omagh, Coleraine, Dromore, Strabane, Newtownards, Ballymena, Mallusk, Cookstown, Dungannon and Enniskillen, all strategically positioned to
ensure a provincewide delivery service. The company has grown over the 60 years to become Northern Ireland's largest independent oil distributor. While promoting Nicholl Oils core products - Derv, Gas Oil, Petrol and Kerosene - to the haulage, quarry and fuel reseller markets, Rod will also be focused on introducing customers to HVO, hailed as a perfect replacement for diesel. From April this year, red diesel will no longer be available at a rebated rate for many commercial applications, and most current users of red diesel will have to switch to white diesel which will attract the full rate of tax. Industry users of heavy plant, machinery and equipment such as excavators, dumpers, loading shovels and screening plants will no longer be able to run them on red diesel and the permission to use red diesel for commercial heating and power generation will also be affected. Not surprisingly, some of our leading contractors in the construction industry are already switching to HVO and comments Rod: “We are expecting a surge of new customers in the months ahead, so we are fully stocked to meet that demand.”
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PLANT & CIVIL ENGINEER
