JSR Transport

BIG

AND BEAUTIFUL

Container operator JSR Transport in Widnes has become the proud owner of one of the UK’s first New Generation DAF XG+ 530 FTG 6x2 tractor units. More ‘first customer’ vehicles, including New Generation DAF XF and XG models – all part of the 2022 International Truck of the Year line-up – are at DAF Dealers across the UK and now hitting the roads.

Words: Ronnie Hitchens Photographs: Nigel Waller

The range-topping New DAF Generation XG+ 530 FTG

DAF Driver headed to JSR’s nearby container port in Liverpool where supplying DAF Dealer, North West Trucks in Huyton, handed over the keys to company boss, Jody Rust. “I watched the brilliant online launch of the New Generation DAF last summer and I knew straight away I wanted an XG+,” says Jody, “I got in touch with Mike Hudson at North West Trucks and, on 19th June, placed an order for the top-of-the-range model. “I’ve always been a DAF fan,” smiles 41-year-old Jody, “the two DAF XFs on our fleet have been absolutely fantastic – they never had a day off. So, the new XG+ acquisition was led by my heart and my brain! I just thought, ‘Sod it, let’s have one!’ – actually, now we’ve taken delivery of it, I wish I’d ordered two!”

Never miss a beat The new XG+ joins a predominantly high-powered Scania fleet, while two DAFs have remained an integral part of the business and have both proved to be ultra-reliable. “Our 2017 DAF XF 510 Super Space Cab was the very first new truck on our fleet,” said Jody, “And it’s just never missed a beat. The second XF, a newer uprated and face-lifted 530bhp six-wheeler was ordered in January 2019 and was on the road in April. That motor was equally as impressive. I looked at a similarly specc’d Scania at the time but that was another £20K. We part-exed the ’19-plate DAF XF for the new XG+” With 12 trucks in total, JSR Transport remains a relatively small player in a big industry. Container transport is dominated by major fleet operators such as Maritime and Goldstar, but JSR has carved out a highly successful operation and has forged well-established links directly to some of the world’s major shipping lines and freight-forwarders, with regular bread-and-butter work out of Liverpool and Southampton. “We don’t contract to the big container hauliers,” insists Jody, “we’ve built relationships over the last 15-years directly with some of the biggest names in shipping, including Independent Container Line.

Kerb-clout – JSR’s new XG+ joins a high-spec fleet

Managing Director Jody Rust is a selfconfessed DAF fan – and in the market for a Cummins-powered DAF 95!

New trucks, old trucks Despite supply chain problems concerning the global shortage of semi-conductors, JSR Transport could have put its new DAF acquisition on the road in December, deciding instead to wait until the New Year and a 2022 registration. The new truck coincides with the arrival of a brand-new ‘Flexitrailer’ from Dutch trailer builder, D-Tech. The gooseneck design allows containers to sit lower, thus avoiding low bridges often found on the continent, and with the added benefit of offering better fuel economy and excellent residual values. “Our fleet is almost all Euro-6 now,” Jody adds, “the newer vehicles are on a two-and-a-half year life cycle. We’re really pleased with North West Trucks too,” he says, “They’re just down the road from Widnes which makes it all super convenient. DAFs are popular in this neck of the woods and it’s because of the back-up provided by the DAF Dealer.”

Driver shortage – not here! The New Generation DAF XG+ becomes the responsibility of JSR driver Brian Mills. The lucky 51-year-old has been with the company for three years and is, naturally, bowled over with his new truck, “It’s unbelievable,” he said, “Everything about it is unbelievable! I’ve been a happy DAF driver for ten years and this is just such a radical change from the previous model. It’s a brilliant view from up here, especially with the curved windscreen. I’m enjoying everything about it at the minute,” he said, “it’s a pleasure to drive and the comfort is outstanding. I didn’t want to get out of the bunk this morning. I’m loving it.” With at least one very happy driver in its ranks, DAF Driver was keen to learn more about driver retention at JSR and the wider issue of the shortage of drivers in the UK. Jody Rust says, “Actually, we’ve not been badly affected at all by the driver shortage, and we’ve always had a high rate of driver retention. Covid hasn’t really been an issue for the business and, in fact, volumes have grown over the last couple of years. “I certainly think drivers deserve a decent place to work,” concedes Jody, “And we’ve always gone big on power and spec. The Scanias are undoubtedly a useful draw when it comes to recruitment, and I haven’t met a driver yet who doesn’t like a big Scannie. “But,” he says, “the new DAF XG+ is right up there with the very best. It has certainly set the benchmark for space and comfort, and it just looks stunning. Not sure about real-world productivity yet, of course, but the claimed fuel savings will be very welcome.”

Just the three of us Jody hit the road in 2006, when he started life as an owner-driver aboard his ERF ECX on general haulage duties for Hunt Brothers in Warrington, and then with an ERF EC11 on container work thereafter. He moved onto MANs and then to Scania before building the fleet based around the Swedish marque. Trucking, and the DAF brand in particular, have always been in Jody’s blood with his father having driven a DAF 2800 and DAF 3300 in the 1980s and ‘90s. “I remember going to the DAF Museum in Eindhoven in 2006,” said Jody, “And with my dad’s affiliation with the brand, I’ve been a big DAF fan ever since. I always wanted a DAF 95 with 500bhp Cummins engine and a Super Space Cab – still do actually!” Jody’s father Roy, 73, is still part of the business, and so is Jody’s older brother, Theo, 42. As is commonplace in the transport industry, family businesses seem to thrive, with multi-generation families proving that UK haulage remains very much a vocational business and forms the backbone of the transport sector. The family ethic certainly seems to be working in north Cheshire, as Jody says, “Despite our relatively young age as a business, we’re getting established in the container sector. Our location is important, sure, but we’re getting noticed and it’s taken hard-work and a dedication to high quality service that’s seeing us head in the right direction.”

“…THE NEW XG+ ACQUISITION WAS LED BY MY HEART AND MY BRAIN!”

MANAGING DIRECTOR, JODY RUST

Rules of containment – JSR Transport is a small business with global reach