Irish Trucker April 2013

New Front Cover_Layout 1 15/04/2013 16:41 Page 1

IRISH

& LIGHT COMMERCIALS

AES

KEVIN BURKE TYRES

EUREKA SOFTWARE Helping to increase Transport Margins

MD WORKMAN LIMITED

APRIL 2013

Vol. 16 No. 3

EURO 2.95 stg.£2.50

ALL INSURANCE QUOTED

• Motor Fleet For Hauliers • Worldwide Transit Risks • Single Vehicle Haulage • Carriers Liability • Warehouse Risks • Employers Liability • Public Liability

MIKE MURPHY INSURANCE GROUP an Aon company

LIGHTENING THE LOAD With over 35 years of experience insuring single vehicles, fleets and haulage risks, we specialise in finding the right product to meet your business needs at the most competitive price

The Insurance Centre, Sandyford Business Centre, Sandyford, Dublin 18 Tel: +353 1 293 2350 Fax: +353 1 293 2360 Email: info@mikemurphyinsurance.ie

MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd. t/a Aon MacDonagh Boland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

www.irishtrucker.com

contents designed_contents designed 15/04/2013 14:49 Page 1

CONTENTS

Irish Trucker is published by DG Press Kells Business Park, Kells, Co. Meath

2

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fax: (046) 9241926

24 28

QUARRY PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION Voice of the quarry industry in Northern Ireland

Telephone: (046) 9241923

ISDN: 046-9248197

22

e mail:

30

ISSN 0791-993X

33

contact@lynngroupmedia.com

38 40 44 48 50

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be published or reproduced in any way without the written permission of the author or Lynn Group Media © Copyright Lynn Group Media 2013

The opinions expressed in Irish Trucker do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers, their agents or Irish Trucker.

While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors that may appear.

53 56 62 67 72 77

TRADAREE TRANSPORT LTD. Managing Director Cyril Cusack

PORTADOWN RECYCLING & SKIP HIRE LTD A province wide presence

QPA P24

AAA MOBILE WINDSCREENS Largest independently owned windscreen fitting company in Ireland RENAULT BELGARD One of the new Renault PRO+ centres in Ireland

EUREKA SOFTWARE LTD. Don’t gamble with your business

AAA Mobile Windscreens P30

ADVANCED ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS (AES) One of Ireland’s largest waste management & recycling companies

BEATTIES DISTRIBUTION SERVICES Providing an unrivalled delivery service TOM BYRNE ENGINEERING LTD. Evolved to provide a wide range of services

Renault Belgard P33

BURNSIDE GARAGE LTD. Northern Ireland’s only Bosch Car Service Centre BEATTY FUELS Customer orientated company

MD WORKMAN LTD. Import & export service - specialising in pedigree stock

FEDERATION OF PASSENGER TRANSPORT N.I LTD. Voice at the industry in Northern Ireland

Beatties Distribution Services P44

DANGEROUS GOODS SAFETY ADVISORS ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND (DGSAAI) Celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year

KEVIN BURKE TYRES (KBT) Supplying the public and the motor trade for over 17 years CLASSIFIEDS

DGSAAI P67

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:24 Page 1

NSAI Introduces New Vehicle to Inspect Weighbridges and Protect Irish Businesses and Consumers

The NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) Legal Metrology Service has introduced a new MAN TGX 26.480 truck and trailer to its inspection service. The new truck, supplied by Fitzgerald’s Vehicle Body Builders in Mallow, will transport high capacity calibrated weights to inspect weighbridges around the country, in companies such as quarries, livestock marts and meat plants.

These measuring instruments protect consumers and companies that rely on correct measurements to efficiently run their businesses.

“The new NSAI truck will ensure accurate weighing of bulk materials across key sectors such as farming, agri-food and haulage,” says Paul Turner, Manager of NSAI Legal Metrology Service. “Standards and measurements affect every aspect of our lives - whether it’s the amount of fuel in the plane you’re flying on, the concrete used in the building of your home or the weighing of household waste. We especially rely on correct measurement when buying or selling goods. Legal metrology is just one example of the vital role that NSAI plays in ensuring the efficiency of Irish businesses.”

A weighbridge is a large weighing scale system that can be used to weigh entire vehicles and their contents.

Weighbridges are used daily for measuring products in bulk, usually between 10 and 60 tonnes. The new NSAI truck, loaded with weights, will inspect weighbridges to make sure they are measuring quantities correctly. Individuals and businesses, such as farmers, the agri-food industry and hauliers who transport a wide range of goods, from food to cement and quarry stone, rely on the accuracy of weighbridge measurements for their business.

The NSAI Legal Metrology Service introduced a new truck and trailer to its inspection service

NSAI regularly inspect weighbridges in throughout the country across a broad spectrum of companies including: * * * * * * * *

Pharmaceutical plants Commercial waste/refuse and recycling companies Haulage companies Fish processors and meat plants Construction sites and quarries Public service companies, such as water treatment plants County Councils (waste management, marine, energy and transport) Local Authority weighbridges used to check for over laden trucks on public roads.

* * * *

Maintaining a uniform system of units of measurement.

Ensuring the accuracy of measuring instruments used in trade.

Maintaining confidence in the measurement of quantities of goods on sale to consumers.

Representing Irish business and consumers on matters of legal metrology at national and international level.

“If you own a company that uses weighbridges, or similar measurement devices then you should be talking to NSAI about what we can do for you. We will work with you to aid the efficient running of your business,” says Paul Turner.

NSAI Legal Metrology Service (LMS) is the statutory body responsible for regulating and supervising weights and measures in the Republic of Ireland. As well as a national head office in Dublin, LMS has seven regional centres around the country. The Service is responsible for:

2

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:24 Page 2

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

3

BIT’S ‘N’ BOB’S

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:24 Page 3

TRUCK NEWS ation i c o s s a in with

TRUCK ACCESSORIES Monaghan (087) 2480730

• TRUCK ACCESSORIES IN 1 STOP - INTERIOR & EXTERIOR • IRISH AGENT FOR KELSA TRUCK BAR’S • NATIONWIDE NEXT DAY DELIVERY

Companies switching from diesel to gas

A few years ago, the likelihood that up to a quarter of long-distance trucking in the US could be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) within the decade would have seemed slim.

Today, that pipe dream seems closer to becoming reality. Major US operators have already started the shift, and where they are going, others are likely to follow. FedEx has joined moves by UPS to replace diesel with cheaper natural gas to power their truck fleets. “UPS definitely sees a future for trucks powered by natural gas. In fact, we’ve been testing natural gas trucks for more than a decade now,” a spokesperson for the integrator tells Lloyd’s Loading List.com. In the US, UPS now has a fleet of more than 100 LNG tractor-trailers operating on the Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor (ICTC) between Las Vegas, Ontario, California and Salt Lake City. “Worldwide, UPS has nearly 1,000 LNG and CNG vehicles on the road today,” the spokesperson adds. They form part of a fleet of 2,500 alternative fuel vehicles. Now support for LNG and CNG-powered vehicles has come from UPS’s competitor, FedEx . Chairman and CEO, Frederick Smith, says truck fleets are likely to make a major shift to natural-gas fuels and away from diesel over the next decade.

Parcel Motel announces new partnership with o2

Nightline Parcel Motel, the convenient, secure and round-the-clock delivery service for online shoppers has announced a new partnership with O2’s online shop. The partnership sees two highly successful and innovative brands join forces in a collaboration that will improve customers' shopping experience by making deliveries faster and more convenient for them. While O2 already offers free delivery, as part of the new partnership any purchase from the O2 online shop will include the option of free delivery to a customer's nearest Parcel Motel, Ireland’s game-changing online delivery service.

Pictured at the launch of Parcel Motel was John Tuhy, CEO, Nightline. Nightline Parcel Never home to pick up your delivery? Why Motel allows consumers to have their goods delivered to a location that is convenient not collect your O2 order when it suits you for them to collect at any time of the day or night through a network of self-service parcel terminals by getting it delivered to your nearest Parcel Motel. Parcel Motel is an innovative storage and collection point, where your package will be waiting for you. A pin code is sent to you by text message, when your parcel is ready for collection from a convenient location whenever it suits you.

The O2 online shop is a virtual store where consumers can browse and purchase a wide range of handsets, tablets, mobile broadband devices, accessories and SIMs. Regardless of whether the customer is registered with Nightline Parcel Motel or not, all you need is a mobile phone number to avail of this convenient delivery service.

Over recent months Nightline Parcel Motel has been rolling-out at convenient locations nationwide. With a total of 100machines now live nationwide, there is a Parcel Motel location in every just about every county across the Republic of Ireland.

John Tuohy, CEO Nightline commented on the announcement of the new partnership: “I am delighted to announce our new partnership with the O2 Online shop. O2 is a very successful and innovative global brand and to be part of their online shop is fantastic. The essence of Parcel Motel is making online shopping easier and cheaper for consumers.

Consumers that use the service when making a purchase online from O2 can pick up their goods at a location convenient to them – and at a time that suits their schedule. Given the number of working people who shop online but don’t want to arrange their working day around waiting for a delivery, we have no doubt Parcel Motel will be an extremely popular service for O2 online shoppers.”

Brendan Moran, Head of Direct Channels at Telefónica Ireland, which operates the O2 brand, added: “Our partnership with Nightline Parcel Motel offers a convenient new delivery option for customers making purchases online. It is a great service, which has already proven to be popular with our customers. As more and more people chose to buy online and avail of the great offers that we have available on our online shop, we expect the appeal of this service to grow.” For more details on Nightline Parcel Motel and to find the most convenient location to you check out parcelmotel.com the O2 online shop is available here.

4

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

C

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:24 Page 4

CAVAN EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

Indoor & Outdoor Show Sunday June 2nd 11.00am - 6.00pm Monday June 3rd 11.00am - 3.00pm Adults €10

Kids Under 10 Go FREE

Supporting Barnardo’s Children’s Charity

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:24 Page 5

Granard, Co. Longford

Contact GERRY @ 086-2624196

IEA sign agreement

6

The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Turkish Exporters Assembly as part of the trade mission that took place recently in Turkey. In particular, the MoU is focused on achieving an increase in bilateral trade between Ireland and Turkey from € 1.3bn in 2012 to €3.5bn in the decade to 2023; as well as an increase in Irish exports of goods and services to Turkey from €803m in 2012 to €2bn by 2023.

Chief executive of the IEA John Whelan said in Istanbul that the Turkish economy was the envy of many economies in the Eurozone having survived the worse effects of the worldwide economic crisis.

“Ireland has proved to be a good market for Turkish exporters who increased exports to Ireland by over 300pc in the past ten years to reach over €500m in goods and services last year. “During that same period of time Ireland’s exports to Turkey have grown faster than our exports to the major BRICS economies of India and Russia.” The services sector is an area where much of the additional growth will come from, according to the IEA. “As of 2011, Turkey stood as the 17th largest commercial services exporter in the world with an export value of $38bn, whereas Ireland was ranked 9th largest with exports of $118bn,” said Whelan. “Businesses in both Turkey and Ireland are well aware that globalisation of the production process and ensuing specialisation within global supply chains have become underlying factors for increased trade in services.

“Nowadays, in order to remain competitive and to reduce the cost of production, many firms specialise in their core competencies and tend to outsource supporting activities. In fact, it is estimated that 73pc of world services imports are used as inputs in the production process. This, I believe, is one of the many areas of potential services collaboration between Turkey and Ireland.”

MIdlANd BASEd

Alcolock pioneer calls on Government to go one step further

A pioneering transport operator has called on the Government to go one step further in their new road safety strategy and introduce alcolocks in all public service vehicles as a necessary safety measure.

Alcolocks are connected to a vehicle’s ignition system and activated by the driver blowing into a device with a mouthpiece.

They will prevent a vehicle’s engine starting if the driver’s alcohol level exceeds a pre-set legal limit.

The Government’s new Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020, unveiled this week, calls for the introduction of mandatory alcolocks for repeat drinkPaddy Matthews, Matthews Coach Hrie drivers as a sentencing option for judges.

However, Paddy Matthews of Matthews Coach Hire, believes that the measures do not go far enough and that, in his experience, they should be preventative rather than punitive.

Matthews Coach Hire, based in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, is the only transport company in Ireland to have alcolocks installed – and every Matthews coach and support vehicle carries one of the devices.

“Every time one of our drivers starts a bus, he has to blow into a device.

Alcolocks are part of our culture and our machines detect extremely low readings. Our machines are calibrated and 100% accurate,” said Paddy.

“These machines may cost money to install and calibrate, but they undoubtedly save lives. They are a far better preventative option than a punitive one, as proposed.

“They are a legal requirement in all professional transport vehicles in Finland, for example, and companies like Carlsberg have them in their entire fleet.”

“60% of all fatal accidents in the workplace are alcohol-related. I sleep at night because I know that we are focused on safety. Our drivers appreciate this and so do our customers,” said Paddy.

“We need the Government to come on board, and the insurance companies to acknowledge the benefits of installation in lower premiums.”

Matthews became the first, and only, Irish transport company to install the units in 2008.

“I couldn’t sleep one night after reading a story about a driver in England who crashed a coach while under the influence of alcohol, and set about finding a solution that would give me, and our passengers, complete peace of mind,” said Paddy.

The company were honoured with an award in 2009 from the Road Safety Authority for their use of alcolocks and their overall work in the field of safety.

The family-run company have been recognised nationally as exemplars of best practice in energy management and were recently named as the first public transport company in the UK or Ireland to achieve the new ISO 50001 energy management accreditation.

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:26 Page 7

Atego unveiled

New Mercedes-Benz Atego

With its unveiling at a world premier launch event in Germany, Mercedes-Benz has brought its new generation short-radius distribution truck Atego one step closer to its arrival in Ireland.

Slotting into the Mercedes-Benz range alongside its larger stablemates of Actros, Antos and soon to arrive Arocs, the Atego is viewed by Mercedes-Benz as the stand out member of its new truck generation.

Due to start production in the Summer, it is expected to fit comfortably within the 6.5 to 16 tonnes sector.

Powered by a choice of seven engines with manual and automatic transmission, its four BlueTec 6 four-cylinder engines cover the range 115 kW (156 hp) to 170 kW (231 hp). Three newly-designed six-cylinder engines cover the higher 175 kW (238 hp) to 220 kW (299 hp) range, all

delivering up to 5 percent less fuel consumption.

Features include Stability Control Assist as standard and a new high performance braking system designed to ensure maximum driver safety.

Seatruck Welcomes Heysham Link-Road to ’Motorway’

8

Irish Sea freight-ferry operator Seatruck Ferries has welcomed the UK government’s granting of the Heysham link-road to the M6 motorway.

The new road will improve both the local transport infrastructure and access to the Lancashire port, reduce congestion and cut transport costs. Work is expected to commence this July and will near completion in late 2015. Seatruck has been working with other local interests to push for a direct link road to junction 34 of the M6. This will enable easier port traffic access to the motorway network without having to transit through Lancaster. The origins of Seatruck began in 1996 with the introduction of un-accompanied freight trailer service between Warrenpoint Heysham, and to specifically meet transportation needs of the haulage industry.

Since then the company has progressed considerably with more routes: Dublin-Liverpool and Dublin-Heysham and a fleet of freight rollon roll-off ferries. As previously reported throughout last year on Afloat.ie, Seatruck received a quartet of custom built 'HeyshamMax' new build tonnage delivered from a Germany shipyard. The final 18,000 tonnes 'P' class newbuild Seatruck Precision entered service last July on the Dublin-Liverpool route.

The company operate more than 50 weekly departures transiting the short-sea network of routes between Ireland and the UK. Serving this network are freight-ferries with a capacity ranging from 65-150 unaccompanied trailer units. Some of the 12 strong fleet, are currently deployed on the charter market to other users in the Irish Sea and operating in waters beyond this market sector.

Mercedes-Benz announces ‘World’s First’ in van safety systems

Mercedes-Benz is claiming ‘world’s first’ status for its new Euro 6 compliant Sprinter vans range into which an additional five new safety assistance features are being fitted with the aim of preventing accidents from occurring.

Three world premieres for this category of vehicle are: Crosswind Assist to help keep the van safely on course when winds are gusting strongly; Collision Prevention Assist which sounds an alert should the vehicle come too close to other moving traffic on the road ahead and Blind Spot Assist which alerts the driver to the presence of other vehicles when changing into an adjoining lane.

New also are Lane Keeping Assist which warns drivers when changing lane unintentionally and Highbeam Assist which provides optimal illumination of the road ahead.

Presented for the first time at a van tech forum held recently at a Mercedes-Benz testing ground in Germany, the new van assistance systems will be introduced within the coming months. Commenting, their commercial vehicles sales manager in Ireland, Fergus Conheady, said that the systems underscore Mercedes-Benz’s role as a pioneer in vehicle safety technology and a driving force in van innovation.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has new safety assistance features IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Distributor Of Commercial Vehicle Spare Parts

Stocking an extensive range of parts for:

• • • •

Volvo Scania Iveco Daf

• • • •

Mercedes Benz Man Renault Hino

Unit 10 Parkmore Industrial Estate Longmile Road, Dublin 12.

Tel: 01 4098200 www.truckandbusparts.ie

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 9

DHL Global Forwarding named Freight Forwarding Company of the Year in Ireland

• Second year in a row for DHL • Over 400 industry peers attended the gala event DHL Global Forwarding, the air, ocean and road freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, has been acknowledged for the second year in succession as the Freight Forwarding Company of the Year in Ireland. The accolade was presented at the 2013 Irish Logistics and Transport awards, held in Dublin before a packed audience of leading players in the industry.

Michael Lynham, Marketing Manager CILT said “the awards attracted over 80 entries this year, with judges commenting on the overall high standards which made choosing the eventual winners all the more difficult. To retain the Freight Forwarding Company of the year title for two years in a row is an excellent achievement by DHL Global Forwarding who put forward an extremely compelling Conal McCourt (L), General Manager of award entry to take the trophy”. award sponsor Hyster - presented the trophy to Maurice Meade, Managing The Irish Logistics and Transport Awards are organized by the Chartered Institute Director of DHL Global of Logistics and Transport (CILT) - with the aim to celebrate industry excellence Forwarding in Ireland and to encourage teams and individuals to innovate and to maintain commitment to the transport and logistics sector. The panel of judges was impressed in particular by the company’s project work supporting major sporting events over the previous year.

“Our entry this year focused on two recent projects including our Logistics partnership in 2012 with the Irish Paralympic team competing in London 2012. This project in particular demonstrated our commitment to service excellence coupled with our commitment to supporting the community in which we operate. Receiving this industry recognition two years in a row is a testament to the fantastic team that we have – and to their consistently high performance year on year”, said Maurice Meade, DHL Global Forwarding Managing Director in Ireland. DHL was the Official Logistics Provider to the Volvo Ocean Race which arrived in Ireland in July. The nine-month race of endurance and skill across the world - required a dedicated project team to manage the transportation of 900 tonnes of equipment across land and sea, for the six teams and organisers for the grand finale in Galway.

Later in the summer, DHL Global Forwarding provided the Logistics support required free of charge - for the Irish Paralympic team taking part in London 2012. The judges cited this initiative as a brilliant example of a logistics business giving something back to the community.

Belfast is most congested city in the UK

Motorists in Belfast spend more time in traffic jams than in any other UK city. The 2012 Congestion Index compiled by satnav company TomTom shows that the average journey for drivers in Belfast takes 32.1% longer than it would if traffic moved freely. London comes in third on the overall list - behind Belfast and Bristol. Journey times in the UK capital have improvedthanks to the Congestion Charge.

In Belfast, traffic crawls so slowly that a peak time journey often takes 71-72% longer than a normal trip. In Bristol it takes 56% longer in the mornings and 64% longer in the evening. A spokesperson from the Department for Regional Development, Roads Division says: “As the Roads Service has not received a copy of this report and has no way of checking how accurate or representative the research and methodology is we are not in a position to comment on the report and its findings. “However, the recent improvements undertaken in Belfast City Centre to promote sustainable travel has resulted in an increase in public transport usage and reduced the volume of through traffic in the city centre.

The new bus lanes have made public transport journey times more reliable, and usage of Park and Ride sites has risen by an average of 15%. “We have also improved facilities for walking and cycling. Work is currently ongoing to introduce more bus lanes to provide additional priority and journey reliability to public transport users.

e g a r a G Horan’s

MOUNTMELLICK, CO. LAOIS Email: davidhoran123@gmail.com

Contact David on 086 8752944

20 Years In Business

24 Hour Recovery Service

10

NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL

For All Your Repairs, Services , DOE’s & NCT Tests IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 10

Brendan Keating is presented with the Logistics and Transport Leader of the Year award by Liam Mulcahy (Commercial Director) at Topaz Energy

Port of Cork CEO, Brendan Keating announced as ‘Logistics and Transport Leader’ for 2013

Brendan Keating, CEO of the Port of Cork was announced as the winner of the ‘Logistics and Transport Leader Award’ at the annual Irish Logistics and Transport Awards which took place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin with over 400 of Ireland’s leading transport and logistics professionals in attendance.

Accepting the award, Mr Keating acknowledged the critical value of trade to the Irish economy, with the value of Irish export receipts in 2012 amounting to €177 billion and imports in the same year totalling €13 billion. These figures clearly illustrate the extent of trading activity in Ireland but more importantly show that Ireland is an active player and significant contributor to the process of globalisation of world trade.

Commenting on the significant role that ports play in the supply chain process, Mr Keating remarked “97% of the country’s trade in terms of volume transits through our ports so it is critical that port infrastructure in Ireland has the capacity to handle growing volumes of trade.

Equally important is ensuring that services provided are competitive while remaining effective and responsive.

“We must ensure that our core ports play an integral role in the delivery of effective supply chain solutions by managing and coordinating the flow of materials, commodities and information” he continued.

While a number of Irish businesses today are focused on driving down supply chain costs, significant risks and vulnerabilities often arise where the sole focus is cost reductions. Brendan Keating concluded by calling on the logistics and transport sector in Ireland to develop a comprehensive risk assessment tool kit which would help manufacturing and other businesses who are heavily reliant on their supply chain for the on-going viability of their business.

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Key features include:

• Innovative friction-optimised suspension system based on cutting edge shock absorption and control technology.

• Strength and stiffness for a longer service • Outstanding comfort • Intuitive controls • Easy height adjustment feature (*Arm rests/Neck rests extra)

For

KINGMAN Truck Seats contact

T: +353 23 8838038 F: +353 23 8838057 E: gearoid@jmcparts.com www.jmcparts.com

New Volvo FM revealed at CV Show

The new Volvo FM was the centre of attention at the Commercial Vehicle Show in the UK, with attendees excited to get an up-close look at the new Volvo model.

The new Volvo FM made its public debut at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, as part of a dazzling presentation. Strong emphasis has been placed on the updated driving environment and improved productivity for customers. "To use a football analogy, the FM is an invaluable all-rounder that does an equally brilliant job wherever and whenever it is needed", said Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks, at the press conference. "With its top-notch flexibility and transport efficiency, the FM covers the needs of most haulers." The new Volvo FM was officially launched on March 19th, but at the Commercial Vehicle Show, it is the first time the public can get an up-close look at all the new features.

Putting the vehicle on show in Birmingham makes sense since the Volvo FM has long been a favourite with UK drivers and fleet owners. "The customer base for the FM in the UK reflects its popularity as a fantastic driver and payload friendly truck. In fact, every third new Volvo truck sold here is an FM. The new truck is designed to ensure excellent driving properties, while at the same time the hauler benefits from maximum uptime and minimum fuel costs", said Claes Nilsson.

11

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 11

Blood Bike West Take Further Steps in their Positive Biking Initiative

Members of Blood Bike West

Celtrak have donated GPS vehicle tracking devices to Blood Bike West a charitable organisation which provides an emergency out-of-hours FREE service to the HSE in the West of Ireland.

“Our group aims to promote good practice among our volunteer riders and Positive Biking is our rider programme which facilities this. We are delighted to have GPS devices installed on the bikes as it helps us improve communications to the hospitals regarding ETA (expected time of arrival), it improves rider safety as we know where they are at all times and their status. Previous to this the riders had to ring us 4 times during a call out and now we can simply log onto the system from our phones and see this information. The GPS system also advises us of speeding infringements which is a key metric we can use to dismiss the myth of bikers driving too fast “ - Becky Blight, Controller, Blood Bikes West (http://www.bloodbikewest.ie)

Councils owed millions

Property developers owe city and county councils more than €750 million in unpaid levies and this has affected authorities budgets for road maintenance.

More than half of the outstanding money owed to councils, equating to €439 million, is due for payment this year, with the remaining €312 million relating to previous years. The figures were supplied by the department in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD for Wicklow Simon Harris.

Development levies are imposed by local authorities as a condition of planning permission for the cost of providing special services, such as a new roads or relocation of pipes. They are generally required to be paid before construction work begins, or at least on a phased basis. Revenue from these levies peaked in 2007 at more than €900 million but fell to just under €200 million two years later in 2009 when Ireland’s property bubble burst. Fingal County Council is owed the largest amount, more than €131.8 million, while Dublin City Council is owed more than €106.5 million. Among the other local authorities owed significant amounts are Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (€91 million), Cork County Council (€52 million), Limerick County County (€39 million), Kildare County Council (€34 million) and South Dublin County Council (€32 million). Mr Harris said: “The extremely large amount of money owed to local authorities by developers will come as a shock to taxpayers across this country.

“Development levies are meant to be paid upfront before any development commences. If councils came to arrangements with developers to pay levies on a phased basis then they clearly had a duty to ensure that these levies were paid. “We now need answers from our local authorities about why such a large sum of money is outstanding, how much of this money they realistically expect to be in a position to recoup, and what processes are in place to ensure that developers pay the bills owed to the Irish taxpayer."

12

Trucker clocks up four million miles

A UK lorry driver has travelled some four million miles during the course of his 40-year trucking career (to date). Shropshire trucker Brian Evans has travelled all over Europe for local storage and distribution firm Grocontinental – and he hopes to stay on with the company for a few more years! The 60-year-old was recently honoured by the company for his four decades of service and loyalty to Grocontinental. Brian joined the company on February 5th, 1973, at the age of 20, when his father made an approach to owner Ray Grocott. He has never looked back.

Instead, he’s seen some 4,000,000 miles (6,400,000km) disappear in the rear view mirror!

Trade mission to Turkey Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore TD lead an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Turkey from 8-11 April with the aim of increasing trade between the two countries. Twenty five Irish software, engineering and internationally traded services companies went on the trade mission. The delegation undertook a series of high level meetings with government Ministries in Ankara together with a number of business meetings, engagements and networking events in Istanbul.

According to Kevin Buckley, Enterprise Ireland manager for Turkey and Italy, the trade mission served as an important springboard for Irish companies wishing to expand their focus in the Turkish market and build on their regional footprint. “Irish companies are a major investor in Turkey, with several thousand people employed

by Irish companies in Turkey already," he said. “Bilateral trade between Ireland and Turkey is currently approaching €1bn.

Indigenous Irish companies’ exports are nearly €50m, and the ambition is to triple this number in the next number of years.”

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 12

HGV BUSH REMOVAL & INSTALLATION KIT

PLASMA CUTTERS | POWER WASHERS | WELDERS | JACKS | HEATERS | 12/24VOLT BOOSTERS IMPACT GUNS | TORQUE SPANNERS | CHOPSAWS | CAR LIFTS | BANDSAWS WHEEL BALANCERS | PILLAR DRILLS | SAND BLASTERS

BAWNBOY, BALLYCONNELL, CO. CAVAN T: 049 952 3993 | M: 00353 87 1688 005 | WWW.HOWDENTOOLS.IE

Next Day Nationwide Delivery On All Orders Placed before 5pm

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

13

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 13

New Campaign to Educate Road Users on Safety at Railway Level Crossings

The Road Safety Authority, Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission have launched, ‘Safety at Level Crossings’ a new public awareness campaign aimed at making road users aware of the correct behaviour at railway crossings and the dangers posed by their misuse. As part of the campaign a new information booklet, ‘Safety at Level Crossings’ and a 30 second radio ad have been produced to provide guidance to road users. Speaking on the new campaign Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar said: “Tragically there have been four fatalities at level crossings since 2007. Road users should always be conscious of the dangers posed by level crossings. The State also has a duty to raise awareness of the risks, so I’m very pleased to see the RSA, Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission joining forces for this life-saving campaign”. “These rules are there to save lives. Your own actions at a level crossing can have a significant impact on your own welfare, and the lives of others. Something as simple as leaving a gate open at an unattended crossing can have disastrous consequences for anyone who follows.” Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority said: “From 2002 to 2011 there have been 21 collisions between trains and users of crossings and this new awareness campaign will provide clear advice on how to behave correctly and safely. In addition to the new booklet and radio ad I’m pleased to say that the section of the Rules of the Road dealing with level crossings and railway bridges has now been updated in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission.” Mr Brett added: “This campaign highlights to road users including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers the dangers posed by level crossings and the steps they should take to stay safe when using them. It is up to each and every one of us to share our roads safely and I welcome this joint initiative with Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission as another step towards making Irish roads the safest in Europe.” Speaking at the launch, David Franks, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann said: “Between 2009 and June 2012 there have been 96 Category 1 ‘near misses’. This refers to incidents where the train driver made an emergency brake application in response to a hazard. It is vital that road users understand that they must approach a level crossing with care and then slow down and be prepared to stop. Some people may not realise that you must obey the signs and roadway markings at a level crossing. It is highly dangerous to zigzag around the barriers of a crossing or stop on the railway tracks. “ Mr Franks added, “In addition to our most serious incidents there have been 241 cases where a vehicle has been in collision with a level crossing and 86 reports of an obstruction on a crossing. However this is below the European average for such incidents. Iarnród Éireann does not want anyone to be injured, or God forbid killed, at a level crossing and I would urge all road users to take a look at the new guidelines and keep themselves, other road users and Iarnród Éireann staff safe at all times”. Commenting on the new campaign and guidelines, Railway Safety Commissioner Gerald Beesley, stated “I strongly welcome the launch of the guidelines which is timely and necessary. In particular I hope that this campaign highlights to all road users the dangers posed due to carelessness at railway level crossings especially those that are unattended. Unattended railway level crossings are a high risk area and practically all the documented ‘near misses’ occurred at these types of crossings.” Mr Beesley added, “I would urge people to remember that you must shut and fasten the gates at level crossings after you. We have had 20 incidents of a train striking a gate as a result of them being left open by a road user which creates a dangerous situation for both road users and railway staff. This carelessness could create a treacherous situation that has tragic consequences and is easily avoidable by following these safe and simple guidelines.” The ‘Safety at Level Crossings’ campaign includes the publication of the new information booklet which will be available for download from the websites of the Road Safety Authority, Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission. In addition a new 30 second radio ad will air on national and local radio. The ad urges motorists to take extra care at level crossings, in particular those that are unattended.

14

Van market rises, but trucks slip back

Van registrations are up 11.7 per cent for the first three months of the year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. However, the truck market has slowed with registrations down 17.7 per cent to 10,060 for the year to date. "Truck demand remains weak, but this could be indicative of delayed purchasing decisions ahead of the introduction of new Euro 6 legislation later this year,” said Nigel Base, SMMT commercial vehicle manager. The market for artics held up better than for rigids.

Registrations of artics was down seven per cent to 3,482, while the market for rigids was down 21 per cent to 6,578. Iveco was the only on of the major manufacturers to increase registrations in the first three months with a one per cent increase. DAF maintained market leadership with a 27 per cent share of the truck market, followed by Scania with 14.5 per cent and Mercedes with 14.2 per cent. In the van market, Ford was market leader with 25.6 per cent followed

by Volkswagen with 13 per cent.

"Overall CV registrations continue to perform positively with the market increasing 8.1 per cent in March, boosted by an uplift in van demand," said Base.

Greenstar set to be sold

Greenstar, the largest waste management business in Ireland, is to be sold. The Dublin company which serves 85,000 domestic and commercial customers - was placed in receivership in August of last year. David Carson of Deloitte, acting as receiver, has announced that he has agreed to the sale of the Greenstar business to an affiliate of Cerberus European Investments, LLC. It is hoped the sale will be completed over the next few months.

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 14

NOW STOCKING A LARGE RANGE OF PARTS FOR IVECO DAILY VANS We sell parts for

DAF • VOLVO • IVECO • MAN • RENAULT • MERCEDES • SCANIA Armagh 028 3752 5427

Newry 028 3083 4884

Carnagh 028 3753 9068

www.cmpireland.com

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

15

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:30 Page 15

Transtrain offer total safety training solution

Transtrain is a specialist training provider to the road transport industry, where the emphasis is on delivering high quality, realistic, hands on training. We run Occupational First Aid courses, Load Securing courses and ADR dangerous goods courses.

Transtrain is a Health and Safety Authority Approved Training Provider for the provision of ADR dangerous goods training.

Other than under certain exemptions, drivers of vehicles carrying dangerous goods are required to complete an approved ADR training course and pass the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport examination. Upon successful completion of both, drivers will be issued a Driver Training Certificate which is valid throughout Europe and Randal Hughes, Transtrain with several other countries, for a period of five years. Based in a picture of what bad load Askeaton, County Limerick, Transtrain operates at venues securing can do nationwide, or courses can be conducted at customer’s premises.

Most drivers attending ADR courses do so because holding an ADR Driver Training Certificate is a legal requirement for them. However, for an increasing number of drivers there is an another reason for attending an ADR course. Not so long ago, a driver who had an HGV licence and little or no experience was virtually guaranteed work. We now live in a very different world, where many drivers are recognising the need to have an advantage over their competition when looking for work by way of additional knowledge, skills and qualifications. If you’re not moving forward, you’re going backwards!

The proprietor, Randall Hughes who came to Ireland eight years ago, is originally from the UK. He has 25 years experience within the road transport industry in a veriety of roles, including driver, foreman driver, HGV driving instructor and HR manager. Prior to becoming envolved in the transport industry, he was an Army Cadet instructor. Drawing on this blend of teaching, training and hands on experience Transtrain is able to offer the highest possible standards of training at very competitive prices.

Having taught Battlefield First Aid as an Army Cadet instructor, it was a logical step to move in to teaching Occupational First Aid. Employers have a legal duty to provide adequate first aid facilities and trained staff. Even if not legally required, first aid skills are always beneficial, these are skills that benefit the whole community and can be invaluable to a driver who is the first to arrive at the scene of an accident.

Transtrain also provide Load Securing courses nationwide, these are usually conducted at customers premises, using the vehicles, equipment and types of load the customer’s drivers encounter on a daily basis. Transtrain prides itself on working with the customer to identify their exact training needs and designing tailor-made courses, based around each cutomer’s operations. Sadly, most employers believe that if a driver has been taught to drive a truck, they have also been taught how to load it. That is simply not the case ! The spiraling cost of Goods in Transit Insurance and claims for damaged goods, coupled with a shift in attitudes in relation to corporate liability and accountablility for accidents has led to a growing demand for this course, although judging by how frequently vehicles with poor or non-existant load restraint can be seen out on the road, much improvement is still needed. Transtrain is dedicated to meeting the training needs of the road transport industry and individuals alike, who are seeking the required knowledge and expertise necessary in todays ultra-competetive industry

Fastnet find oil

Exploration company Fastnet Oil and Gas has said the latest independent assessment of its Shanagarry licence in the North Celtic Sea confirms the significant resource potential of the site. The Shanagarry licence covers an areas of 123 square km and is comparable in size to the Kinsale gas field and Barryroe oil field structures. Fastnet said it believes the Celtic Sea is set to be transformed over the next 12 months as it once again becomes Ireland's foremost oil and gas basin. It pointed out that the area was drilled by Marathon in 1984 when oil and gas prices were low and before the discovery and appraisal of Barryroe and the Dragon field in Cardigan Bay. The company farmed into the Shanagarry licence last year and now operates and holds an 82.35% working interest in the field. ''Fastnet's 3D seismic programmes and farm-out activity places the company in a unique position in the Celtic Sea to provide running room for international oil companies seeking to add offshore Ireland to their 'core area' portfolio's,'' commented Fastnet's managing director Paul Griffiths.

16

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:31 Page 16

David Rees Ltd

FOR ALL YOUR EXHAUST NEEDS 103 Ashbourne Ind Estate, Ashbourne, Co Meath.

VOLVO - DAF - RENAULT MAN -IVECO - MERCEDES - SCANIA

CALL US TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION 01-835 1944 www.drleweb.com

SERVICING & FLEET MAINTENANCE OF CARS, LIGHT COMMERCIALS & TRUCKS Specialise In 24 Hour Recovery & Breakdown Service NATIONWIDE

Tel: 01 5355940 | Mobile: 085 1485655 Email: kevin@auto-services.ie | www.auto-services.ie

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR COMPANY FEATURED IN

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS MAGAZINE Call BARRY now on 00353

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

(0) 46 9241923

17

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:31 Page 17

Ireland’s top Transport Managers trained in Donegal

The Swilly Group is now recruiting for the next Transport Managers’ CPC course begining on Monday April 29th 2013. The Transport Managers CPC is a qualification required by persons managing a passenger or freight transport company. Donegal’s leading transport training company, continues to lead the way nationally with their learners achieving national awards on the Transport Managers CPC course. The Swilly Group has achieved an unprecedented 100% pass rate in the Transport Manager CPC exams for the last 3 years running. Exams are held each year in January, June and September. Since 2011, learners on the Swilly Group Transport Manages Course have collected the award for the highest marks in Ireland in the CPC exams. Continuing this trend into 2013, two Swilly Group Students have achieved the highest marks nationally in the Haulage and Passenger transport exams. Brian O’Donnell of Feda O’Donnell Coach Hire in Ranafast achieving the highest score nationally and is the front runner to lift the award this year.

That will complete a hat trick for the Swilly Group and Donegal. “We have been delighted with the results our learners have been achieving”, said Brian Sweeney, Managing Director of the Swilly Group. “The quality of training that we provide has been second to none and the results our students have achieved has shown this”. “This is primarily due to the diligent work and the endless hours of tuition our CPC tutors provide”. Brian says, “With other training providers the learners receive the minimum amount of classroom tuition and left to study themselves”. “On the Swilly Group course we provide the learners with whatever amount of classroom tuition they need”. Any licensed Haulier or Bus Operator must hold, or employ someone who holds, the Transport Manager CPC qualification. With the RSA now responsible for policing of commercial haulage and bus operations and many prosecutions now going through the courts, it has become vital that companies, not alone remain compliant, but also that they have staff who are up to date on the most current legislation. Also, with the announcement of the fuel rebate in this year’s budget for compliant bus and lorry operators, the demand for suitably qualified Transport Managers is growing. The next Transport Manager CPC course is scheduled to start in Letterkenny on Monday 29th April with the CILT exams scheduled for Friday 7th June, also in Letterkenny. For more details check out www.swillygroup.com or call (074)9151212.

18

Mercedes-Benz cements new deal with Quinn Manufacturing Group

One of Ireland’s largest manufacturers and best-known users of road transport is continuing to build for the future, by adding more new Mercedes-Benz trucks its fleet.

Quinn Manufacturing Group has just taken delivery of 10 new Axor 2543 high roofed tractor units from Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI), Northern Ireland’s only approved dealer for commercial vehicles bearing the three-pointed star.

They replace the operator’s first Axor units, delivered by MB T&V (NI) back in 2003 – these are now being stood down after 10 years of reliable service, during which no fewer than four of them have each covered more than a million kilometres.

Based in Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh, the company manufactures and distributes concrete and building products, including thermal insulation, flexible and rigid food packaging, container glass, radiators and plastic sheet products, to customers throughout Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe.

The new arrivals are operating across several areas of the business: four are paired with curtainsided trailers and hauling palletised loads of bagged cement; another four work for the glass division, bringing raw materials such as glass sand into the company’s manufacturing facility; the remaining two also pull tipping trailers, and transport raw materials such as gypsum and coal into the cement plant.

Quinn Manufacturing Group is also soon to take delivery of a pair of 6x4 Axor 2633 tippers, which will be put to work in its Tarmac and quarries division.

“Mercedes-Benz has been able to make further in-roads into our fleet because its products are manufactured to the highest quality, and because we receive first-class back-up from Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI),” says Quinn’s long-serving Transport Manager John McNally.

“In the 10 years that we’ve been running Mercedes-Benz trucks we’ve found them to be as near as possible to problem-free and on the odd occasion that a minor issue has cropped up, the dealer has always responded quickly and efficiently.”

He continues: “Quinn Manufacturing Group has a strong environmental policy and is very aware of the need to minimise the impact of all its operations on the environment. Our Mercedes-Benz trucks have always been highly fuel efficient and we have every confidence that these latest vehicles will prove similarly frugal.

“The Axor is also an excellent ‘fit’ for our application,” he adds. “The cab is well designed, with a tough, easy-to-clean finish. It also manages to combine plenty of interior space for the occasional nights away that our drivers spend, with compact exterior dimensions to make their lives easier when delivering to tight-access locations.”

One of the 10 new Mercedes Benz Axor 2543 tractor units delivered to the Quinn Manufacturing Group

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:31 Page 18

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR COMPANY FEATURED IN

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS MAGAZINE

Call BARRY now on 00353

(0) 46 9241923

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Paul Kane Vantruck & Bus Parts. Tel: (028) 87747258 FOR BUDWEG PARTS ACROSS IRELAND CONTACT

19

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:31 Page 19

Mitsubishi Motors announces three new dealers

Mitsubishi Motors Ireland has recently appointed three new main Mitsubishi Dealers, providing four new sales and service outlets.

The appointment of Bill Sheehan & Sons Rathdown in Dublin, T. Sheils & Company in Limerick and Ennis, and Simon Kavanagh Motors in Enniscorthy, brings to 24 the number of main Mitsubishi Dealers nationwide. Two further high profile Dealer appointments are imminent, while Westbrook Motors, a long standing Mitsubishi Dealer for over 25 years in Dublin, has moved to new premises in the landmark car showroom on Parkgate Street in Dublin City Centre.

The expansion of the Dealer network mirrors significant developments for the Mitsubishi Motors brand in Ireland from 2013.

Since January 1st Mitsubishi Motors Ireland is providing a market leading 8 year warranty as standard on all passenger cars, while there are three new models for 2013 with the recently launched new Outlander SUV and brand new compact car, the Space Star, to be followed by the updated ASX compact SUV on sale from May. Mitsubishi Motors will also launch the revolutionary new Outlander plug-in hybrid model later this year.

Commenting on the developments, Gerard Rice, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors Ireland said: “We are excited about the current and future developments for Mitsubishi Motors in Ireland. With the new model range and our market leading 8 year warranty, the need to grow and develop the Dealer network is inevitable. We are delighted with the appointment of these well established businesses to the Mitsubishi Motors Dealer network, which will greatly contribute to our increasing brand presence throughout Ireland.�

20

TyreGo.ie Offers Free Consumables Packages worth EUR400 on their Tyre Changer and Wheel Balancer Packages

Mr Killian McNabb of TyreGo.ie announces their most recent deal they have on offer in regard to their tyre changer and wheel balancer package.

TyreGo.ie is now offering a free consumables package worth over EUR400 with their existing tyre changer and wheel balancer packages. Mr Killian McNabb who is joint owner of TyreGo.ie stated that it is great to be able to offer such an amazing deal to their customers.

'We're delighted to be able to offer this deal which is proving to be really popular with our customers. The tyre changer and wheel balancer package is already good value and the free consumables really make it one of a kind.'

TyreGo.ie also supply an extensive range of garage equipment such as car lifts, wheel alignment, wheel with many workshop tools.

Included in their service offerings is the ability to deliver your garage equipment and supplies to you within will arrive at your premises fully assembled and all you have to do is plug them in and you are good to you and your business.

They provide top quality products from manufacturers in the U.S.A and Europe who they deal with directly, which enables them to select the highest quality of garage equipment to their customers allowing them offer the equipment at a competitive price. They also have over 30 years of experience within the Industry which enables them to provide excellent advice to new and potential clients.

Wheelcare Ltd Provide Top Dublin Dealership with Ravaglioli 3D Wheel Alignment System

Mr Killian McNabb of Wheelcare Ltd. is delighted to be fitting out one of Dublin's leading dealerships with the Ravaglioli 3D wheel alignment system.

Wheelcare Ltd. is delighted to be fitting out a leading dealership in Dublin with the Rav 3D wheel alignment system. The same dealership will also be taking delivery of Ravaglioli vehicle lists and vehicle test systems. It is a great achievement and credit to the team at Wheelcare Ltd. to be associated with one of Dublin's premier dealerships and it is this type of contract that enables Wheelcare Ltd and Ravaglioli partnership to grow and strengthen.

The Rav 3D wheel alignment has numerous benefits including its fast operation ability and its size; due to its compact size it enables you to maximise your workspace. The other benefits which the wheel alignment system offers can be seen on the Wheelcare site.

Mr Killian McNabb the owner of Wheelcare Ltd. confirmed that this is the first system of its kind in Ireland and is leading the way in four wheel alignment.

'It is very exciting for the Company to be able to include this system in our existing range of garage and tyre bay equipment. We are dedicated to constantly being on the lookout for new and improved products to supply to our customers, from tyre patches to tyre changers and everything in between.'

Having the Rav 3D wheel alignment system in their product offering shows Wheelcare's dedication to providing the best quality products to their customers.

They are looking forward to the many opportunities that their product offerings will bring.

Wheelcare Ltd. is a leading supplier of garage equipment, tyre repair materials and tyre bay supplies to the Irish tyre industry.

TyreGo.ie top quality garage & tyre bay supplies, tools and equipment at excellent prices.

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Truck News designed _Truck News designed 15/04/2013 14:31 Page 20

Port of Cork Outlines Potential Plans for Port Development in Ringaskiddy

The Port of Cork Company today outlined plans for potential Port development in Ringaskiddy and announced a number of key dates for public information days.

The proposed developments are the first phase of the implementation of the Port of Cork’s Strategic Development Plan Review (2010), the core principles of which were endorsed in the recently launched National Ports Policy. This Policy has also identified the continued commercial development of the Port of Cork Company as a key strategic objective.

The proposed developments for consideration are an extension to the existing Port of Cork facilities at Ringaskiddy and may comprise of three main elements:

• A container terminal and multi-purpose berth to the east side of Ringaskiddy Basin; • An extension to the existing deep-water berth and creation of additional cargo storage areas by reclamation to the west side of Ringaskiddy Basin; • Improvements to the existing road entrance to the Ringaskiddy Deep-water Terminal to provide alternative access to the remainder of the port complex and associated road realignments.

The expanded facilities will facilitate, on a phased basis, the Port of Cork in transferring cargo handling activities from Tivoli and City Quays in due course. This will unlock significant opportunity for sustainable mixed use development in Cork City which is a key objective of the overall CASP Strategy. The Port of Cork is aiming to lodge a planning application with An Bord Pleanala in the third quarter of this year.

Speaking about the proposed developments, Mr Denis Healy, Manager Engineering Services, Port of Cork said: “In order to continue to cater for future growth within the Port of Cork and to provide efficient and cost effective port services for Munster businesses, we are currently engaged in pre-application discussions and would hope to lodge a planning application with An Bord Pleanala in the third quarter of this year.”

Mr Healy also outlined the specific drivers for this port development as; • • • • • • •

Current Navigational and Landside Constraints at Tivoli Container Terminal Need to Develop a New Deep-water Container Terminal capable of efficiently servicing Larger and Deeper Drafted Vessels Overcome Berthing and Landside Capacity Constraints at Ringaskiddy Deep-water Terminal Provide Certainty for all Stakeholders that Consolidated Replacement Facilities can be provided.

Maximise the Utilisation of Existing Port Assets and Locations Need for Port to respond to changing Trade and Logistics Dynamics Flexibility to Respond to Needs as they arise in a Financially Sustainable Manner

He continued: “The Port of Cork is a key link to the economic success of Ireland, in particular the entire Munster region.

98% of goods imported or exported from Ireland are moved by ship, highlighting the importance of ports to our economy.

The Port of Cork must continue to develop the Port in order to meet the needs of the Country in the short, medium and long-term.”

The Port of Cork has organised a number of Public Information days to allow interested parties around Cork Harbour to gain an understanding of the port’s proposed plans for development, but more importantly to avail the public of an opportunity to give feedback for consideration by the Port.

Further information can be found on www.portofcork.ie

New car sales down 14% in first quarter

Car sales for the first quarter of the year are down 14% on last year. 39,511 new cars were sold in the first 3 months of the year, compared to 45,840 last year, a decline of 6,329. Sales in March were down 10% with 1,356 fewer cars sold in the month.

Alan Nolan, SIMI's Director General: "The first quarter of the year is always a crucial period for the Motor Industry.

Traditionally, it is a good indicator of how sales will perform for the rest of the year. Half of all new car sales are usually done in the first 3 months of the year. Based on current figures, we're predicting a new car market of 70,000 this year, slightly down on our original expectations."

"Even this reduced estimate for the year hides a very tough marketplace in the sector. In reality, the natural market is actually significantly poorer and the Industry is having to drive sales with really strong offers to consumers. Although the Exchequer benefits in the short-term from such Industry-driven sales, in the longer term, VRT and VAT income is likely to be negatively impacted in due course."

"The Industry must sell cars that were ordered and in the pipeline for this year based on the original expectations but a bad experience this year is likely to lead to a much more conservative view of next year’s market and this will impact on tax revenues next year. At the moment, though, all of this is good news for the consumer with very strong offers available on new cars and with a shortage of good quality used cars in the market-place, trade-ins are in huge demand."

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

21

Special delivery

Thirty-two years since its inception, Tradaree Transport Ltd. is still going strong … still providing an excellent service. Irish Trucker dropped into the well-appointed company base at Link Road, Smithstown, Shannon, County Clare to get an update on day-to-day operations from founder and managing director Cyril Cusack.

F

or

over

three

decades,

Tradaree Transport Ltd. in

Shannon, County Clare has

been providing its business partners

with an exceptional freight delivery service. The company has evolved

and changed over the years, fine-

tuning and streamlining its services to match the market conditions that

prevail, but one thing has remained constant throughout: Cyril Cusack

and his team have always provided a

very special level of customer service, which is above and beyond the call of duty. This is one of the key factors that

separate Tradaree Transport from the chasing pack.

Like everyone else working in the

transport sector, Cyril has had to take stock of things, assess where he is at

and make some tough decisions. The

22

result is a smaller and leaner

freight forwarders in the mid-west.

stronger service than hitherto.

Ireland and also offering a full loads

company which is offering an even The Clare man now oversees a fleet

of twelve units – four artics, four rigids and four vans – and provides gainful employment to a crew of nine. Rather than

being

economic

decimated

downturn,

by

the

Tradaree

Transport has been reinvigorated, revitalised: “Things

confirms.

are

going

“We’re

well,”

tipping

Cyril

away,

keeping the wolves from the door

anyway. We’re not making a fortune –

Delivering and collecting from all over

service to and from the UK, Tradaree

provides an efficient and economical professional,

dedicated

transport

solution, handling all loads - big and

small - using experienced and fullytrained drivers.

Cyril has always been conscious of

the fact that he operates within the service industry and his primary goal has been to provide an unrivalled level of service.

Tradaree’s state-of-the-art fleet is

things are tough for every freight

well-maintained and -equipped. All

and we’re getting by.”

while on the move - boast high

company – but we’re holding our own Tradaree

Transport

Ltd.

was

established in 1981 and rapidly

established its name as a reliable

service provider to air freight and road

vehicles – which are fully contactable visibility and are pleasing on the eye.

A preventative maintenance schedule ensures that potential mechanical

problems are detected and eliminated

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

prior to impacting on service.

plane from Shannon to a boat in Cork.

originally established the business to

available nationwide.”

Having worked with Aer Rianta, Cyril

provide a solution to the air and road freight sectors, strategically steering

the operation from humble beginnings, sticking to his core services but also

diversifying as and when the need arises. To this end, he’s been moving more and more into the movement of

waste products, which now accounts for up to 35% of business:

“While the road freight is going well,

we’ve also taken out the waste licence

and that is am increasingly busy area,” Cyril notes. “The waste licence covers the 26 counties and we’re moving

waste water back to treatment plants

as well as chemicals etc. The rest of the work would be haulage of medical equipment,

computers,

phones,

electronics, aircraft parts and raw materials.”

At present, most of the work is here in

Ireland, with a lot of business being

sourced in and around Shannon

Airport, working on behalf of companies that specialise in aircraft maintenance

etc. No job is deemed to be too big or

too small and abnormal loads are a speciality: “You name it, we’ll move it,” says Cyril. “We recently brought a IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

We will handle any job and are

Looking to the future, Cyril concludes:

“The price of diesel is killing everybody

in the industry, so it will be interesting to see how this fuel rebate works. We certainly need some sort of a break.

“I wouldn’t be getting carried away

just yet, but I do think things seem to be picking up a little bit. The last budget helped. A lot of people are buying

online these days and all those items

have to be delivered – either to homes or commercial premises.

“Our transport manager Paul Cuddihy

looks after the fleet for us and he’s

doing an excellent job. We can’t afford

to buy new units but we have a fresh fleet that looks well and image is very

important.

We

operate about 15 trailers and were

fortunate enough

“We’re ticking over. We’re diversifying

more and more into waste but the road

freight is still a big part of the business.

You just take things from week to week.

There are peaks and troughs every month but hopefully things will continue to improve for everyone.”

Contact Details

Tradaree Transport Ltd. Link Road, Smithstown, Shannon, County Clare

Tel: 061 708134 Mobile: 087 2565605 / 2565604 Fax: 061 708766

Email: info@tradareetransport.com www.tradareetransport.com

Wishing Tradaree Transport Continued Success In The Future From

to buy a lot of new ones just before the

downturn.

Good trailers will last if you look after

them

and

these are serving us well.

MID WEST TRAILER WORKS SPECIALISES IN COMMERCIAL BODY & TRAILER REPAIR. Thomond Industrial Estate, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare T: 061 713 044 | F 061 713 044 | M 087 945 8796 Email: info@mwtw.ie | www.mwtw.ie

23

qpa designed_qpa designed 15/04/2013 13:42 Page 1

QPA working for a better future At the launch of the new Minerals Resource Map for Northern Ireland were, l/r: Environment Minister Alex Attwood, QPA’s Gordon Best, Mary MacIntyre, Andy Howard and Enterprise Minister Arelene Foster

The Quarry Products Association (QPA) in Northern Ireland has struck upon some difficult times in the industry over the past couple of years.

T

he demise of the construction industry across the 32 counties has been a major cause for concern, although the situation is not as worrying in the North as it is in the south.

Since 1998, the QPA has been the voice of the quarry industry in Northern Ireland and for this edition of

24

Irish Trucker, we speak to its Regional Director Gordon Best about the problems it has encountered in recent times.

There are 80 full time members of the QPA and Gordon explained to us what the association provides for its members.

“We are part of the award-winning

Mineral Products Association, representing our members' interests on policy, planning and technical matters with government departments, local authorities, professional trade bodies and other key audiences at European, national and local levels,” revealed Gordon.

“In Northern Ireland our members

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

qpa designed_qpa designed 15/04/2013 13:42 Page 2

produce more than 90% of aggregates extracted - sand and gravel and crushed rock as well as non aggregate minerals such as agricultural and industrial lime including limestone, clay and shale for cement.

“These are certainly difficult times within the quarry industry. Fortunately, there are a number of social housing developments and schools ongoing, but the private sector has almost ceased at the moment.”

The Quarry Products Industry has invested significantly in Northern Ireland and plays a pivotal role in supporting the local economy. QPANI are initiating a high profile campaign to have the roads network maintained to a level that gives quality, safety and value for money.

“If our existing roads infrastructure is not maintained to satisfactory standards and urgent action now needs to be taken if we, as a society, are not to incur significant costs as maintenance of our roads network turns into reconstruction and more importantly the safety of the travelling public is compromised.”

Northern Ireland will receive £132 million for infrastructure in 2013 and Gordon admitted that this was a great boost for the country.

“Statistics show that in Northern Ireland we spend £2,800 per km on roads maintenance compared with recent outturns in England of some £12,000 per km and Wales of about £7,500 per km”.

“The announcement was warmly greeted by our members and it is seen as sign that we are heading in the right direction, but there is still plenty to be done.”

A number of areas give reasons for optimism though namely the massive growth potential of the food/agri sector on the island of Ireland and the subsequent infrastructure it will require to facilitate that growth.

The growing renewable energy sector both on land and at sea will demand huge quantities of aggregates and concrete, the continuing demand for social and affordable homes and the urgent need for maintenance of our roads network, schools and health estates will help sustain what will be a smaller but more sustainable materials supply industry.

“As a construction material

QPANI Regional Director Gordon Best along with the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

25

qpa designed_qpa designed 15/04/2013 13:42 Page 3

Keep on trucking with

Wishing Continued Success To QPANI

IRISH

& LIGHT COMMERCIALS

ARMAGH CITY QUARRIES

Wishing Continued Success To QPANI, From

Proud to be affiliated to:

FOR HIRE Contract Crushing & Screening Services

Suppliers of all grades of Crushed Stone

Annacramph, Loughgall Road, Armagh Also suppliers of washed sand & gravel

Pegson 1100x650 Jaw (on tracks) Pegson max track cone (on tracks) Finlay 20 x 5 3 way split Screener (on tracks)

Contact Riddles Bros Ltd 34 Lupin Avenue, Donemana, Strabane, Co. Tyrone Tel: 028 7139 7100 or Mob: 0777 3151962 From ROI: 048 7139 7100 or Mob: 0044 777 3151962 CONTINUED BEST WISHES TO QPANI

Tel: 028 37523611 | Fax: 028 37518934 Continued Best Wishes To QPANI From

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS Unit 41 Mallusk Enterprise Park Mallusk Drive, Newtownabbey BT36 4GN Tel: +44 (0) 28 90 830077 E: enquires@mclorinanconsulting.com

www.mclorinanconsulting.com

FOR ALL YOUR TRANSPORT NEEDS IRISH

26

& LIGHT COMMERCIALS

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

qpa designed_qpa designed 15/04/2013 13:42 Page 4

Gordon Best launching the QPA 2012 journal with Finance Minister sammy Wilsn and Patsy McGlone, chairman of the All Party Group on onstruction

of the Green New Deal that we continue to believe offers good opportunities to leverage new jobs, reduce energy costs, and improve the comfort of homes.

CoNTACT DETAIls:

suppliers representative organisation we are doing our bit to encourage change both at a policy level and within our industry that currently suffers from massive over capacity and a lack of financial planning and management skills. We look forward to continuing our important work in 2013 and the years ahead with construction colleagues, our MLAs and policy makers.”

The QPANI, CEF, FMB, and other Construction Industry Group (CIG) member organisations are now being listened to at the very highest level through our participation in the All Party Group on Construction at Stormont. What other Industry grouping can attract interest that gets six Executive Ministers around the table at one time, twice in one year?

Some of the points that the QPA want addressed include: urgent changes to the planning system to speed up planning and delivery of IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

A debate created by the QPA

important economic and job creating projects.

Urgent action by Government Construction and large private sector clients to stop sub-economic tendering and improve cash flow into the construction industry supply chain.

Continued pressure placed on Banks to improve credit availability.

The end to the “not in my back yard” mentality of many in Northern Ireland.

Urgent action to increase the use of private finance in infrastructure investment as is currently happening in other regions of the UK. Urgent reappraisal

Quarry Products Association Unit 10 Nutts Corner Business Park Dundrod Rd, Crumlin County Antrim BT29 4SR E-mail info@qpani.org Tel: +44 (0) 28 9082 4078 Fax: +44 (0) 28 9082 5103 Main Contacts: Gordon Best Regional Director GBest@qpani.org Fiona Taggart Administrator info@qpani.org

27

portadown designed_portadown designed 15/04/2013 14:35 Page 1

The waste management experts

In business for just two years, Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire Ltd has already established itself as one of the leading waste management companies in Northern Ireland.

Skips of all shapes and sizes are available from Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire

P

ortadown Recycling & Skip Hire may be a relatively new player in the Northern Ireland waste management sector, but it already well established, especially in the areas of recycling, skip hire, hazardous waste and asbestos management.

Founded in February 2011 by fatherand-son Bobby and Wesley Jameson, the company has grown rapidly to employ 20 staff at its busy Co. Armagh plant. Operating an eight-strong fleet, the family-run concern has a provincewide presence and offers a wide range of waste management services to both the commercial and domestic sectors.

“We have experienced good growth over the past two years,” Wesley proudly explains.

“We specialise in recycling, skip hire, non-permitted waste, business solutions and asbestos services. We started off by covering the Mid-Ulster region and quickly expanded to covering Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland. Both my father and I have many years of experience in the waste management business and that has stood us in good stead.”

Licenced by NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) and providing a cost-effective and efficient service for the management and disposal of domestic and commercial waste, Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire is committed to delivering the highest possible service to its customers. The

28

company is dedicated to the diversion of waste from landfill through the re-use of valuable resources to create closed material life cycles.

Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire is recognised as one of the largest asbestos disposal experts in the North.

Employing fully-qualified asbestos surveyors with 10 years’ experience, the company can conduct asbestos surveys from as little as £105. If your premises were built prior to 1999, there is a high chance they contain asbestos. There are numerous options available if your survey does identify asbestos, with removal usually a last resort.

At Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire, they can treat and remove your asbestos in the most cost-effective manner.

“We’re probably best known for our range of asbestos services. Asbestos is a hidden killer and we are one of the few companies out there who are fully qualified to survey, remove and dispose of it. While our residual waste goes to landfill sites in Northern Ireland, our asbestos waste is shipped to England where it is disposed of at a special site.

“One of our biggest and most highprofile contracts to date was at the old Maze Prison in Belfast. We removed 1,200 tonnes of asbestos and shipped it to England for disposal. The contract was carried out over a seven-week period. There was a lot of decontaminating work carried out on the

site,” company director Wesley says.

Another string to Portadown Recycling’s bow is Skip Hire. Skips of all shapes and sizes for domestic, commercial and industrial use are available. If you require a skip for business use, please call Wesley who will discuss your needs and can tailor a package towards your business that will save you money and increase your overall recycling rates. Portadown Recycling’s Skip Hire service is available throughout Northern Ireland, covering an area from Dungannon to Antrim.

Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire provides a wide range of business solutions which can help customers to keep their waste management costs to a minimum. Bobby and Wesley like to meet their customers and discuss what waste streams they have, and how they currently manage the waste they create.

Once they know the systems you have in place, they can then create a package which will not only increase your recycling rates, but will also reduce your waste costs, overheads and increase your profit margins.

Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire’s waste management and business solutions is a free service, so you are under no obligation to hire a skip from them or use the package discussed.

Among the items which are strictly prohibited from being tipped at the company’s licensed waste facility are:

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

portadown designed_portadown designed 15/04/2013 14:35 Page 2

plasterboard; fridges and freezers; tyres; vehicle batteries; fluorescent tubes; TV and computer sets; gas bottles; all electrical items; aerosols; paint tins; food waste; hazardous waste, including asbestos.

The Jameson family have invested heavily in their machinery and plant. They currently operate eight trucks, including two hook loaders, three skip vehicles and three bin collection vehicles, while they recently took delivery of a new state-of-the-art Kinverco recycling plant.

“We’re continuously upgrading our trucks and plant. We have eight vehicles on the road which, amongst other things, carry out collections for the likes of B&Q and DFS. If somebody is moving house, they can hire a removal truck and a driver from us. We’re a one-stop shop for all your needs,” Wesley adds.

In summary, Portadown

Recyling & Skp Hire is fully committed to recycling and being environmentally green.

The benefits of recycling include a cleaner environment, the safe disposal of hazardous materials, greater awareness of excess packaging and a more careful approach to the way in which you use and reuse materials. By recycling your domestic and industrial waste, you are reducing the volume of waste going into landfill sites. Needless to say, this is something Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire strongly encourages.

The battle against waste in Northern Ireland continues. . .

The company specialises in recycling, skip hire, hazardous waste and asbestos management

For more information about Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire Ltd and for the best rates, telephone 028 38333340, fax 928 38394330 or email wesley@portadownrecycling.com

Continued Success To Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire

We are very pleased to be associated with Portadown Recycling & Skip Hire IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

29

aaa designed_aaa designed 15/04/2013 13:21 Page 1

A glass act!

AAA Mobile Windscreens has over 30 years experience

Ireland’s longest established windscreen fitting company, AAA Mobile Windscreens, is celebrating 30 years in business.

S

et up in Naas, Co. Kildare by managing director Eugene Hall in 1983, AAA Mobile Windscreens has the distinction of being the largest independentlyowned windscreen fitting company in Ireland. Over the past 30 years, the company has repaired and replaced

30

tens of thousands of windscreens for truck and car owners alike, and has grown to provide a nationwide service.

AAA prides itself on being able to offer the fastest response time to anyone in need of its service. The company was also the first in Ireland

to introduce a mobile windscreen service, which has been a key factor in its success.

“Ninety-nine per cent of our work is call out,” AAA Mobile Windscreens sales, operations and marketing manager Stephen Maher explains.

“Our head office is located in

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

aaa designed_aaa designed 15/04/2013 13:21 Page 2

Tougher Industrial Estate, Naas. We also have depots in Limerick and Cork, a central distribution and warehouse facility in Fishery Lane, Naas, but most of our work is call out, serviced by our overnight deliveries to our remotely placed fitters.

“We have a fleet of over 20 vans dotted all over the country. They are manned by qualified fitters who can repair or replace a windscreen at our customers’ home, workplace or wherever suits. It takes just two hours to replace a bonded truck windscreen and less for a car. What we have found is that people don’t want to be hanging around a garage for a couple of hours, so we come to them instead.”

He continues: “By providing a mobile windscreen fitting service, it has saved us the expense of opening depots around the country, and has allowed us to offer our customers a better and most costeffective service. Our vans are on the road 24/7 to ensure the quickest possible response time.”

“Things are going really well at the moment. Our turnover is up on last year and we are employing 32 staff, comprising 25 fitters and seven administration.”

AAA Mobile Windscreens stocks far more glass (up to 20,000 pieces at any one time) than any of its competitors, and has access to suppliers and manufacturers globally. AAA can repair any windscreen and, if repair is not possible, it can replace the windscreen glass straight away. AAA believes its independence and expertise is vital in offering a fair and transparent service to its ever-expanding customer-base.

To help it achieve a high level of customer service, AAA can track each and every vehicle on its system using an Irish-owned company called Transpoco, who are All fitters are fully qualified the market leaders in IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

low cost satellite tracking in Europe.

Knowing where its duty engineers are at all times helps AAA to maximise its time better and to provide the customer with a better estimated time of arrival. It also helps lower the company’s running costs, which also contributes to it being the most competitive windscreen replacement company in Ireland.

AAA also does its bit for the environment by implementing projects to recycle 90 per cent of all its waste products. The company currently takes all the old glass away from the customers and sends it for recycling.

The glass is reused in many products from fish bowls to vases and pitchers, and it can even be found crushed and mixed with paint to make road markings more reflective. AAA is pleased to carry out all of this at no extra cost to the customer.

Using a reputable provider such as AAA Mobile Windscreens for windscreen replacement and repair is as important as having good quality tyres fitted on your car. A clean, clear windscreen is vitally important for good vision, but a bonded windscreen is also an integral part of the vehicle body shell and chassis, contributing to its overall strength and towards crash protection as well.

AAA Mobile Windscreens is delighted to offer some of the following services: glass repair and glass replacement; stone chip repair; tractor, truck and coach glass; plant hire machinery and canopy glass; 24/7, 365 days a year service; professionally trained expert auto glaziers.

In addition, AAA is recognised by all the leading insurance providers. By offering direct billing facilities, the company is able to handle all the paperwork for you. AAA also endeavours to help its customers who have taken their cars abroad or hired a car abroad by putting them in touch with reputable companies that can look after their needs.

AAA has exclusive windscreen fitting contracts with An Garda Siochana, the Defence Forces, An Post and Electric Ireland. The company can also count a number of local authorities among its extensive list of clients. In recent years, AAA have had as much glass in stock as a large glass wholesaler.

“We can undercut the companies buying from big wholesalers by offering

31

aaa designed_aaa designed 15/04/2013 13:21 Page 3

more competitive rates,” says Stephen, whose management colleagues include Michael Mullally (financial director), Dermot Coogan (technical and purchasing manager), John ‘Sam’ Cardiff (logistics manager), Evelyn Mullally and Stacey Shine (both credit controllers) and Simon Li (quality control).

AAA Mobile Windscreens use only quality glass. All stock is sourced from reputable global suppliers and all glass utilised meets the requirements of ECE/R43. All AAA glass complies with EU standards and carries the relevant E-Mark.

Regulation 43 applies to safety glazing materials intended for installation as windscreens or other panes, or as partitioning, on powerdriven vehicles and their trailers, and to the fitting thereof.

“At AAA, we cannot stress enough the importance of using top quality products and having a properly fitted windscreen,” Stephen concludes.

The AAA fleet comprises mostly of Ford Transit vans which have their own source of power, thus ensuring no expense for the customer. The company has just taken delivery of a new Ford Transit Custom van from Lillis O’Donnell Motors on the Naas Road, Dublin 22, who AAA has had a long association with.

Here’s to another 30 years for Ireland’s most successful windscreen fitters!

Best Wishes To AAA Mobile Windscreens, From

Peter Mooney & Co.

Garage & DOE Test Centre Eyre Street, Newbridge, Co.Kildare.

T: 045 431628 E:nvtmooney@eircom.net

D&R AUTO ELECTRIC LTD. Fishery Lane,Naas.

Tel: 045-897791

STARTERS | BATTERIES | ALTERNATORS WIRING REPAIRS Best Wishes to AAA Mobile Windscreens

32

The firm have a staff of 32

Contact Details

AAA Mobile Windscreens Head Office & Control Centre Unit W1A Tougher Business Park Newhall Naas Co. Kildare Tel: 1890 77 99 55 Direct Line: 045 988800 Fax: 045 409307 Email: info@windscreens.ie

Dunnes Haulage Best Wishes To AAA Mobile Windscreens, From

(Timolin) Limited

Haulage Contractors

St. Mullins, Ballytore, Timolin

T: 059 8624124 F: 059 8624355

E: dunneshaulage@utvinternet.com

O’LEARY INSURANCES (GALWAY) LTD

Best Wishes To AAA Mobile Windscreens

. Insurance Brokers & Consultants .Est.1961.

Tel: 091 778677 Email: info@olearysgalway.com

FOR YOUR COMMERCIAL FLEET & MOTOR TRADE INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

O’Leary Insurances (Galway) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank Of Ireland IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

renault designed_renault designed 12/04/2013 11:14 Page 1

Fleet Manager Barry Dunne (right) and Paul French-O’Carroll, Managing Director of Medicall

Renault Belgard strive for excellence

Renault Ireland has expanded its specialised business dealer network in Ireland by appointing four new PRO+ Centres.

R

enault PRO + is a franchise dedicated entirely to business customers, from sole traders to local fleet and semi-state companies. It offers fleet expertise through dedicated and highly trained staff, comprehensive sales service, after-sales service and finance solutions. Keary's Renault in IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Cork was the first PRO + dealer and now four new PRO+ Centres will are set to open giving business customers a one-stop shop for all their van needs.

Worldwide the Renault PRO+ family is growing fast with 400 sites.

Joe Mallon Motors in Naas, Dennehy Motors in Limerick, H & H Motors in

Waterford and Renault Belgard in Dublin will be new PRO+ specialised dealers and will offer a full range of cars, vans, electric vehicles, converted vehicles and finance solutions, geared to the business customer's needs. Renault PRO+ also offers very specific vehicles such as box bodies, tippers,

33

renault designed_renault designed 12/04/2013 11:14 Page 2

CityAir receive the keys to their new fleet

ambulances, refrigerated vehicles, chassis cabs and crew cabs.

Duncan Minto, Managing Director of Renault Ireland: “We are listening carefully to all our business customers, from the single fleet owner to semistate companies. These professionals have specific needs, they expect speed, expertise and quality of service and this is exactly what Renault PRO+ is offering. I am delighted to see four new partners from our Dealer Network entering the PRO+ world”.

For this month's edition of Irish Trucker, we profile Renault Belgard,

34

The new Medicall Renault Trafic sponsored by Renault Belgard

which is currently undergoing a €2 million upgrade of its premises in Dublin to meet the PRO+ requirements.

Renault are one of the leaders in the field of commercial van sales as the Kangoo, Traffic and Master have all proven to be very popular vehicles with customers in Ireland. Commercial Sales manager Barry Dunne tells us what they can now offer under the PRO+ initiative.

Renault Belgard, which is based on the Belgard Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 may have only opened its doors to the public in January 2012, but their

customer base has grown considerably over the course of the last 12 months or so. Indeed, the experience of the sales team is rivalled by few as General manager Declan O'Grady, Barry and Sales consultants Eoin Finn, Pauric Peoples and John Mahon, Peter MacNeaney - Service Advisor, Don Kenny Sales Executive, George Kierans Aftersales Manager, Michael Moore Sales Executive as well as the extended staff bring a wealth of knowledge to the business.

“We would have 28 people working here in total and every one of them would be very experienced in their role. The sales team would each have on average 25 years' experience in the industry,” revealed Barry.

“In commercial vehicle sales, Renault produced some of the best vans on the road and the likes of the Kangoo, which is undergoing a facelift this year is very popular. A major selling point of Renault is the warranty on offer, which customers seem to appreciate. We have a commercial showroom that houses eight new vehicles, while we would have a wide selection of used vans on the forecourt also.”

Barry stated that the upgrade of the premises would take in the region of six months to complete and he feels that once completed, they will be the

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

renault designed_renault designed 12/04/2013 11:14 Page 3

Fairview | Finglas | Bray | Naas | Kells | Limerick www.aceautobody.ie | Head Office Tel 01-8378366

Best Wishes To Renault Belgard

• Light commercial vehicle repairs • One day smart repairs incl Paintless Dent Repair • Corporate livery branding •Weekend repairs removing need for hire vehicles • Free recovery and nationwide service • Manufacturer approvals

Continued Best Wishes To Renault Belgard, From All At

Wishing Renault Belgard All The Best In The Future From

www.nvd.ie

Tel: (051) 440440 • Fax: (051) 440111 Email: info@nvd.ie IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

35

renault designed_renault designed 12/04/2013 11:14 Page 4

www.vanconversions.ie

Best Wishes To Renault Belgard

Everything For Your Vehicle Best Wishes To Renault Belgard, From

For more information call us on 01 4570178 Unit 3 Crag Terrace,Clondalkin Industrial Estate, Dublin 22 Email: info@vanconversions.ie

Continued Best Wishes To Renault Belgard

SERVICE | REPAIRS | DOT

Lr. Ballymount Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12 Tel: 01 4566777

E: info@oakway.ie

MECHANIC WANTED

Best Wishes To Renault Belgard, From

Auto Body Repair Telephone: 087 7733422

Located behind The Eleanora Pub on the Drimnagh Rd., Dublin 12

Email:paullanders1@eircom.net Spray Painting | Perfect Colour Matching Crash Repair | Bumper Scuffs Insurance Claims Handled | Interior Work Free Estimates | Fully Insured All Work Guaranteed

Over 17 Years Experience | If we cant do it, It cant be done!

GMOTOR EORGE BRENNAN FACTORS LTD.

Continued Success To All At Renault Belgard, from

10 St. Marys Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12 (Opp. An Realta) Tel: 01-4552731. Fax: 01-4551376. Mobile: 087-2571148 BODY PANELS • BUMPER BARS • GRILLES • LAMPS • SERVICE PARTS FOR ALL CARS & COMMERCIALS • BATTERIES • BRAKES & FILTERS • CLUTCH PARTS & ACCESSORIES

36

Open Six Days Monday to Saturday

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

renault designed_renault designed 12/04/2013 11:14 Page 5

The Renault Trafic Medicall

leading main Renault dealer in the country.

“The upgrade is a total revamp of the premises, which in fact is the old Renault building on the Belgard road.

We have worked hard to meet the criteria needed to achieve the PRO+

Fleet Manager Barry Dunne (centre) at the launch of the Medicall Trafic IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

We have flexible payment plans. We can tailor the term, the deposit or the repayment to meet your needs.

“We offer competitive rates and attractive financial packages you will not find anywhere else. We provide an easy application process, quick decision and minimum paperwork, all at your Local Dealer, while we are part of one of Europe's largest Motor Finance companies and offer financial services to millions of customers' every day.

"We also have an extensive and wellequipped motor service centre, efficiently run by a team of Renault Trained Specialists. The team offer a friendly, top-level service and are open 5 days a week. With the latest computerised diagnostic equipment." and we will become a premier dealership for Renault.”

Apart from sales, Renault Belgard offers a wide range of services including finance, parts, servicing and of course after sales. “Our finance packages are tailored for the customer.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Renault Belgard Belgard Road Tallaght, Dublin 24

Tel: 01 404 9999 www.renaultbelgard.ie

37

Eureka New_Eureka New 15/04/2013 12:10 Page 1

The reason that over 400 people a day use Move-It Transport Management System is because ... it is quite simply the best solution available to the Transport Industry.

It is totally scalable (2 vehicles or 200!), totally configurable and straight-forward to use. Designed by a company with almost 20 years experience designing and implementing Transport Systems

Eureka New_Eureka New 15/04/2013 12:10 Page 2

• Streamline your business • Reduce your overheads • Increase Driver Trailer Vehicle efficiencies

• Decrease empty running • Reduce needless paperwork • Eliminate duplication and mistakes

aes designed_aes designed 12/04/2013 10:58 Page 1

A clean act to follow AES was established in 1996

As one of Ireland's largest waste management and recycling companies, Advanced Environmental Solutions (AES) provides service to over 100,000 homes and 5,000 businesses. One of the company’s Regional Managers, Paul Hennessy and Transport Manager Pamela Scott, spoke to Irish Trucker about the services that the company provides.

40

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

aes designed_aes designed 12/04/2013 10:58 Page 2

F

Managing Director Bord na Mona Gabriel D’arcy and interim Managing Director AES Emer Moran IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

rom its establishment in 1996, AES has grown into a major brand in Ireland's waste and recycling industry and was acquired by the country's leading environmentally responsible utility service provider, Bord Na Móna, in May 2007.

AES offers residential services across 13 counties largely concentrated in the Midlands, Mid West and South East from a network of facilities in Laois, Offaly, Wexford., Kildare, Tipperary and Meath and offers nationwide services to business clients. The company prides itself on providing waste and recycling management solutions to its customers.

Regional Manager, Paul Hennessy explains a bit about the company's history. “The company was started up by a group of small waste companies which got together in 1996 and grew the business through acquisition,” explained Paul.

By 2007 the company had expanded to the point where it was servicing almost 60,000 domestic households, as well as the nationwide waste management requirements of some of Ireland's largest manufacturing facilities, financial institutions and retail developments and the number of residential customers has now grown to 100,000. The acquisition of AES was a key element for Bord Na Móna's strategy of diversification to Waste Management and Power Generation and followed the acquisition of Edenderry Power from EON Ltd in December 2006.

As a part of the Bord na Móna Group, AES is an important pillar of the Group's commitment to a 'New Contract with Nature'. Being part of the Bord na Móna Group opens up new opportunities for recovery of waste materials. In particular, Bord na Móna's expertise and market channels in composting of biodegradable wastes and in energy recovery are key components of AES' ambitions to minimize the use of landfill as a solution for residual waste.

AES is also a key

41

aes designed_aes designed 12/04/2013 10:58 Page 3

Downey’s Auto Stop

Best Wishes & Continued Success To AES, From

FORD NEW CAR & VAN CENTRE | VTN TEST CENTRE |PARTS| SERVICE |BODY SHOP Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois- Junction 16 M7

Tel: 057 8622048 Fax: 057 8621549 | www.downeys.ie

Continued Best Wishes To AES, From

Irlequip Ltd, Unit 8, Moate Business Park, Moate, County Westmeath.

Tel:+ 353 (0)90 6448877 + 353 87 244 2085 Fax:+ 353 (0)906448782 Email: johnledwith@irlequip.com www.irlequip.com

Ireland’s sole dealers for Putzmeister concrete pumping and mortar machines, Tremix light concrete equipment, Dynapac rollers, Gehl skid steer loaders and Wiggert concrete batching plants.

Extensive spare parts range including: Crusher wear parts | Undercarriage | Bucket parts | Hydraulic hose repair service.

Rampower

Continued Success to AES From

Hydraulic Hoses - Parts - Lubricants

Unit W 10 H, Tougher Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare

www.rampower.ie

Telephone: 045 408123

TULLAMORE TEST & REPAIR CENTRE Wishing Continued Success To AES, From Management & Staff At

42

Cloncollig Ind Est., Tullamore, Co.Offaly.

Tel: 05793 52057 | Fax: 05793 52499 www.tullamoretest.ie

MACROOM HAULAGE

www.macroomhaulage.com

Droumree, Macroom, Co. Cork. Tel: 026-41887.

F: 026-42168 | Email: transport@macroomhaulage.com

LTD.

THE DRIVE TO DELIVER

Fleet Transport National Haulier of the Year 2013 Fleet Transport Irish Haulier of the Year 2013

DELIGHTED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AES WISHING THEM MANY MORE YEARS OF CONTINUED SUCCESS

Wishing Continued Success To AES, From

R.C.V. Re-Manufacturing

Sales| Spare Parts| Service

Phone: 01-4203000 Unit 5 Cookstown Industrial Estate, Dublin 24 IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

aes designed_aes designed 12/04/2013 10:58 Page 4

The AES logo is well known throughout leinster

employer in each of its regions and according to Paul, they are looking to expand their direct collection footprint, as well as continuing to invest in sophisticated waste recovery solutions.

“Our numbers have grown with regards to employees as we have expanded in certain areas. Many of our larger customers have a nationwide presence and we plan to replicate their locations with our own direct service capability,” said Paul.

AES carry skips and wheelie bins to accommodate waste and recycling needs for a range of customers, from the largest business to the domestic household. The company currently supplies a range of skips and equipment to commercial users for waste disposal and recycling.

Anything from Four Cubic Yard Skips to Mobile Compactors are also supplied for those jobs where physical constraints are issues. These include Crane Skips - for hoisting on building

sites - Six, Eight and 12-yard skips, as well as 20-yard and 40-yard robust and versatile skips, which are suitable for rubble, and a mobile compactor that is perfect where odours and physical constraints are an issue.

AES Transport Manager, Pamela Scott added: “We operate a fleet of 65 wheelie bin collection trucks. The majority of these are Volvo, while Mercedes and Dennison are also prominent in our fleet. “We have upgraded our fleet and our proud to All our trucks are equipped with RFID bin tracking and weighing technology, GPS and GPRS and are top of the range to accommodate both our drivers and our customers.”

Along with skips, the company also supplies a range of wheelie bins to commercial and domestic users for waste disposal and recycling.

Traditionally, AES have offered "Blue Bins" for recyclables, 240 litre bins for householders and 1,100 litre bins for commercial and industrial customers.

AES service around 60,000 homes

With regards to AES's environmental policy, the company's website states that it “is committed to the best practices of environmental management. This is achieved by continuously improving all aspects of our operations including our waste recycling programmes, minimizing the total amount of waste going to landfill and by encouraging positive environmental values in all our employees.

“AES regard environmental protection as an essential prerequisite of all our operations and we undertake to conduct our business in a manner which protects our environment which is the environment of our customers, employees and the communities in which we live.”

Compliance with waste licenses, permits and collection permits; reviewing environmental targets; preventing pollution by continuously assessing and monitoring their environmental impact of our activities and establishing and maintain good working relationships with local and national government authorities are just some of the policies AES staff abide by to try and improve the environment.

“The objective of this company is to manage waste in a manner which maximises the segregation, reuse and recycling of materials while minimising the volume sent for disposal; this is achieved by utilising the most modern technologies, ensuring regulatory compliance and working in partnership with customers, regulators and trade organisations at international, regional and local levels,” a mission statement reads on the company's website.

With further expansion on the cards, no doubt a waste management firm operating to Bord na Móna ethos will be welcomed in wider markets.

COnTACT DETAIlS:

Business Enquiries Navan: 046 902 2222 Nenagh: 067 42229 Rosslare: 053 916 1663 Tullamore: 057 932 1755 Naas: 045 843 818 web: www.aesirl.ie IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

43

beatties designed_beatties designed 15/04/2013 13:33 Page 1

Customer satisfaction the key for Beatties Part of the Beatties Distribution Services fleet

With a history stretching back almost 30 years, all at Beatties Distribution Services pride themselves on their ability to adapt to the specific needs of their customers by providing them with an unrivalled delivery service throughout Ireland and mainland UK. 44

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

beatties designed_beatties designed 15/04/2013 13:33 Page 2

A

family owned and operated business, Beatties Distribution Services was established in 1985 by brothers Stephen and Walter Beattie to provide a premium quality delivery service catering for every need of their clients.

Based in Templepatrick, Antrim, Beatties’ headquarters are perfectly situated close to airports, docks and motorways to offer the quickest routes possible for their services covering the north, south and the UK. The company run in excess of thirty vehicles ranging from purpose built double deck curtain sided vehicles capable of carrying 30 plus pallets to smaller courier vehicles for its parcel distribution.

Over the years they have built up a reputation as one of the best all round IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

transport companies in Northern Ireland, offering complete logistical solutions to the most demanding of customers.

Alana Morrison has been Business Development Manager with the company since October 2010. Her role involves attracting new business and looking after the company’s networks and major customers.

She revealed the secrets behind the company’s success to Irish Trucker: “We offer a diverse range of services.

“We don’t focus on one particular part of the industry. No job is too big or too small, we find a way of doing all jobs and that keeps us ahead of the game.

Other companies focus on parcels, pallets or full loads but we diversify.

“We take pride in being big enough to provide the service our clients require.”

Customer satisfaction is paramount to the continued development and growth of the company.

“We have a loyal customer base of 300 plus clients and they have stayed with us because of the quality of our service and because we provide them with peace of mind. We don’t have a contact centre, the client speaks directly with the guys in our office. They are a dealt with on a personal level.”

Alana added: “We have invested heavily in IT. We recently introduced a new system where our customers can book online and that is linked in with a tracking system where our customers can access real time updates on their delivery.

“We can be contacted 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year to provide an immediate and dependable

45

beatties designed_beatties designed 15/04/2013 13:33 Page 3

service with our network of vehicles throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.�

Drivers can also be contacted at any given moment and key personnel have been trained in Aviation Security Awareness Level 4, Forklift Training, Tail Lift Safety Training, ADR Training, CPC and Health and Safety Training.

Beatties are licensed by the Department of the Environment.

FREIGHT FORWARDING SERVICE With representation throughout most of the worlds industrial areas, Beatties Distribution Services can deliver a

complete range of shipping services designed to fit the transportation requirements of most products.

It can organise the safe and efficient movement of goods on behalf of an importer, exporter, other company or person.

Storage facilities are also available in their 15,000 sq ft warehouse while its 55-strong staff has experience in researching and planning the most appropriate routes available for shipments.

By using the latest technology it can trace consignments, enabling them to maintain visibility and control through all phases of the journey.

Best Wishes To Beatties Distribution Services

Sales & Service Commercial Vehicle Spraying Sand Blasting

42a Greenhill Road, Ligoniel, Belfast BT14 8SH T: 028 90825488 028 90825555 F: 028 90825657

Brian 07768 062 043 Gary 07793 979 878

www.briangrantcommercials.co.uk

46

The company run over 30 vehicles

They take into account transit time, security of the goods, the perishability or hazardous nature of the goods and costs of transit. Beatties also ensure that all goods carry the appropriate documentation to meet customs and insurance requirements.

COURIER SERVICE Most companies at some time or another find themselves in situations when tomorrow may be too late to get that all important package delivered.

Whether its same day or next day delivery, Beatties Distribution Services offer a fast, friendly and reliable service.

Best Wishes To Beatties Distribution Services, From

J&F GROUP

43 Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey BT36 4PP Telephone: 028 9034 2019 Fax: 028 9034 2969

www.jandfgroup.co.uk Email:sales@jandfgroup.co.uk

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

beatties designed_beatties designed 15/04/2013 13:33 Page 4

As a member of the APC Overnight network, the Antrim operation can deliver parcels to any location worldwide, UK and Ireland overnight at very competitive rates.

Their same-day service uses experienced drivers to deliver their clients’ consignment directly to your customer’s door.

TECHNICAL COURIER SERVICES The technical courier side of the business provides a warranty swap out service for spare parts and installation service.

Their systems are fully automated to provide a high degree of efficiency allowing call updating and logistical control directly from our technicians.

This ensures a fast and reliable service with data exchange and management reports available for the company’s customers.

EUROPEAN ROAD FREIGHT NETWORK Working with the best partners across Europe, Beatties

The firm offers a diverse range of services

Distribution Services’ European freight network is the most flexible, reliable and cost effective system for freight between the UK and Europe.

SPECIALIST PHARMACEUTICAL COURIER Beatties Distribution Services is a leader in the distribution of all urgent and non-urgent Pharmaceutical & Healthcare products throughout Northern Ireland.

The majority of their work in this area is time and temperature sensitive. Some of their specialist shipments include dry ice packaging and clinical trial logistics.

There is a broad range of products currently handled which include specialist hospital and healthcare equipment, diagnostic equipment, laboratory requisites and pharmaceuticals to hospitals, clinics and private addresses throughout Ireland.

Best Wishes To Beatties Distribution Services, From

IRISH PALLET NETWORK

PALLET DELIVERY CARTON DELIVERIES WAREHOUSING REVERSE LOGISTICS

Pall-Trans Range Of Services Next Day 32 County Pallet Delivery Next Day 32 County Carton Deliveries Reverse Logistics Warehousing | Pick and Pack Outbound/Inbound freight ex U.K. and Europe

Pall-Trans, Ardarrig House, Carrs Hill, Douglas, Co. Cork, Phone : +353 (0)21 4891325 E-mail: enquiries@palltrans.ie www.palltrans.ie

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

47

tom byrne designed_tom byrne designed 15/04/2013 13:49 Page 1

The master blaster

Tom Byrne Engineering Ltd. in County Wexford is one of Ireland’s premier commercial vehicle repair and refurbishment solution providers. Operating a state-of-the-art commercial spray booth, the New Ross based company boasts a particular expertise in sand and shot blasting, spray painting and sign writing. Irish Trucker spoke to founder / proprietor Tom Byrne about the success to date and future hopes of his operation.

E

stablished in 2004, Tom Byrne Engineering has evolved to provide a wide range of services to commercial vehicle owners in Wexford, Leinster and further afield. At the hub of the operation is a magnificent, fullycompliant AIC-certified commercial spray booth and Tom has established a stellar reputation in the field of blasting, painting, graphics and sign writing.

However, TBE also provides unrivalled commercial vehicle repair, trailer refurbishment, crash repair and welding solutions, which makes it a veritable one-stop shop for all your commercial vehicle repair, servicing, maintenance, restoration, refinishing and graphics requirements.

Reflecting on the genesis of his eponymous business, Tom notes: “I

48

started up eight years ago. I come from an engineering background and I spotted an opening in the area for blasting and painting. That’s’ what I started out doing first but then I realised that there was also a market for full refurbishment of trucks and trailers as well as sign writing.”

Substantial investment in the best equipment that money can buy has given Tom the edge on his competitors. For example, he owns a digital printer which allows him to do literally any kind of graphics or wraps, but there is no doubting what the jewel in the Tom Byrne Engineering Ltd. crown is: “I spent €200,000 on the commercial spray booth in 2007.

Wexford would be a very busy area for trucks and I believed there was a good market there to tap into. Truck

refurbishment is now a very big part of the business. Advertising on trucks is very important these days – once the graphics are on, it’s free advertising for the operator all day, every day. To this end, we also have our own mobile advertising billboard, which can be hired out for a week or a month at a time.”

Despite the difficulties posed by the recession, and bearing in mind that these are abnormally quiet times for just about all of us, Tom is reasonably pleased with how the company is holding up: “We’re tipping away so we can’t complain,” he comments. “I wouldn’t say we are flat out but we are still getting business and every little bit counts.”

Adjacent to the commercial spray booth is a shed for prepping, a shed for shot blasting and an engineering IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

tom byrne designed_tom byrne designed 15/04/2013 13:49 Page 2

workshop. “We can do a full refurb from start to finish,” Tom confirms. “We cover everything from chassis damage to putting on a new bumper. We also blast, prime, paint and put on graphics. We can respray a cab in three or four days, while a trailer takes about five to six days from start to finish, depending of course on how much work needs to be done.”

The real clincher is that the work is not prohibitively expensive. “We are very competitive,” Tom adds.

“Once a truck gets resprayed here, in a proper spray booth, the customer will come back again. All our customers are seriously impressed by the work we do. The spray booth is a massive asset. The outside climate doesn’t matter to us – we paint at exactly 20 degrees and bake at 50 degrees.

“People tend to come back to us and do business again, so we have a very strong client base. At the end of the day, it’s your image that’s out there on the side of the truck and it’s worth getting that exactly right. And there’s no need to come back every second or third year – a good paint job will last at least five or six years no problem.

“More and more lads are leasing trucks now and going for wraps. Others with 07 or 08 trucks are tidying them up and running them for another five or six years. This aspect of the business has really taken off. When we started off, it was mostly blasting and painting and welding but sign writing, graphics and wraps have become a big part of the business over the last twelve months or so.

“We also do crash repairs and handle a lot of jobs for insurance companies.”

Tom Byrne Engineering has certainly come a long way

since Tom started out as a one-man show in the midnoughties.

Today, he employs a staff of eight – a commendable contribution to the local economy considering the times that are in it.

“You have to go with the flow and move with the times,” Tom concludes. “If you stand still, everything will just pass you by. Looking to the future, we will fine-tune what we have here. I’m going to set up a website for the advertising billboard because I believe that advertising is the way forward.

“All our boys are busy and we also do a lot of on-site blasting of houses and bridges etc. We do some onsite blasting for the Department of Marine. As we’re VOC-compliant, we also carry out body repair work for Wexford County Council.

“We’re getting enquiries from Cork and we work regularly for a company in Limerick. We are getting more and more business from outside the county and, as I said earlier, the product and service are so good that anyone who comes here will come back again.”

Tom’s confidence is not misplaced. His company is providing an exceptional service to commercial vehicle operators at an affordable price, so expect this success story to continue unabated.

Contact Details

Tom Byrne Engineering Ltd., Boley, Ballycullane, New Ross, County Wexford.

Phone 051 562255 Mobile: 087 9947008 Email: tombyrneengineering @eircom.net

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

FITZHARRIS CONSTRUCTION LTD

Best wishes to all at Tom Byrne Engineering, from WILLIAM FITZHARRIS

The Maudlins, New Ross, Co. Wexford Tel: 051- 420420 – Fax: 051- 420450 - Mobile: 087-2550052 Email: willie@fitzharris.ie

STEEL BUILDINGS AND ALL TYPES OF ROOFING AND CLADDING MAINTENANCE OF ALL INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS SUPPLIERS & ERECTORS OF FORECOURT CANOPIES REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE OF FORECOURT CANOPIES

Scanlon Best Wishes To Tom Byrne Engineering, From

MOTOR FACTORS LTD.

Unit 3, Block A, Westgate Business Park, Tramore Road, Waterford

Tel: 051 873685 | Fax: 051 850428 Best Wishes To Tom Byrne Engineering, From

Specialise In

SEPTIC TANK EMPTYING WITH CERTIFIED DISPOSAL

Ballyeden, Davidstown, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford Tel: 053 9244654 | Emergency 24 Hr 087 2212535 www.mtplanthire.ie

Best Wishes & Continued Success To Tom Byrne Engineering, From

Industrial Paint Specialists

5 Enterprise Business Park, O’Brien Road, Carlow

Tel: 059 9723807

www.advancedcoatings.ie

49

burnside designed_burnside designed 15/04/2013 13:13 Page 1

Burnside Garage has it all

The opening of its new premises a little over a year ago marked a new chapter in the 37-year history of Burnside Garage Ltd which, among other things, is Northern Ireland’s only Bosch Car Service Centre.

B

urnside Garage in Coleraine has come a long way since Mervyn Witherow founded the business in 1976. Now run by his sons David, Tim and Gareth, the family-run operation provides a 24hour accident recovery service, garage services, automatic

50

transmission repairs and remanufacturing service.

It also prides itself on being Northern Ireland’s only Bosch Car Service Centre, having become an agent for the world-renowned parts distributor in 2006.

Increased business led to Burnside

Garage relocating to its new state-ofthe-art premises on the Ballyrashane Road in Coleraine just over a year ago. The company was previously based on the Dunhill Road and in Portstewart prior to that.

The new premises offer more workshop and customer parking

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

burnside designed_burnside designed 15/04/2013 13:13 Page 2

One of the recovery vehicles

space, and allows Burnside to expand the various strands of its business.

Employing five highly-skilled and experienced staff, Burnside Garage has become very well-known throughout Ireland as a result of the consistently high standards of services provided to its customers.

“Business is going really well at the moment,” David Witherow informs us.

“It’s all to do with our unrivalled service, the quality of our products and being backed by Bosch, which is the leading original equipment parts distributor in the world. As one of only a handful of automatic transmission remanufacturers in the country, we have customers coming to us from far and wide. We’re settling into our new premises so it’s a very exciting time for the company.”

Burnside Garage provides roadside assistance and 24-hour accident recovery to customers of all the major clubs, including the RAC, Green Flag IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Motoring Assistance and Britannia Rescue. In all, Burnside is recognised by 28 breakdown organisations. It also offers this service to any member of the public at any time as a private service.

The company operates a fleet of five recovery vehicles, which are capable of handling all sizes of vehicles from small cars to large trucks.

“We will go anywhere to recover a vehicle. We have all the equipment and expertise you’d expect from a leading recovery service,” David explains.

The Coleraine-based concern was recently honoured with the Supplier of the Year/Repair in Situ Award from Mapfre Assistance.

Burnside also provides vehicle maintenance, repairs and diagnostics for all makes of vehicles, guaranteeing a first-class service at an affordable price. The garage’s technicians are trained on the latest technologies and use the most up-to-date diagnostic equipment to pinpoint any faults in your vehicle as quickly and as accurately as possible.

Any parts that need to be replaced will be of the same quality as those that were originally fitted on your vehicle.

Company director David Witherow runs the company with his brothers Tim and Gareth

“We can service or repair any vehicle.

If your vehicle has an MOT test coming up, we can prepare it for you. Another string to our bow is our car lockout service, which people need to avail of from time to time.”

Burnside Garage are the only automatic transmission repair and remanufacturing specialists used by the general public, local garage and main dealers in Northern Ireland. Its expertise covers all types of vehicles, ranging from the latest twin-clutch multi-ratio boxes favoured by the German manufacturers to historic American and European vehicles. The Burnside motto is: “If we can’t fix it, probably no-one can.” Burnside cannot stress enough the importance of regular maintenance on automatic transmissions which require oil and filter changes at least every 40,000 miles.

Since December 2006, Burnside Garage has been part of the Bosch Car Service network. Subscribing to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System, all work is voluntarily backed

by Office of Fair Trading Code of Practice. This commitment to customer care gives you peace of mind in knowing that you are going to be given not only the best technical service, but Burnside Garage was founded in 1976

51

burnside designed_burnside designed 15/04/2013 13:13 Page 3

The Burnside Garage fleet

also the best customer service.

Burnside is a stockist of all Bosch parts. Bosch car batteries, for example, cost from as little as £57.99 and come with a four-year guarantee.

Coleraine may be located on the north coast of Northern Ireland, but the new Burnside premises are easily The firm is Northern Ireland’s only Bosch Car Service Centre

accessible from both Belfast and Londonderry/Derry. The company has established itself as a key service provider to many main dealers the length and breadth of the country, and with Bosch’s support, is expected to continue to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

Contact Details

Burnside Garage Ltd Units 2&3, 24 Ballyrashane Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 2NL Telephone: 0844 414 2471 (from Northern Ireland); 048 7032 0723 (from the Republic of Ireland) Email: info@burnsidegarage.co.uk Website: www.burnsidegarage.org.uk

Best Wishes To Burnside Garage Ltd, From

Suppliers of high quality Garage Equipment

Vehicle Lifting • Brake Testers • MOT Packages Emission Testing • On - site Calibration of Workshop Tools Workshop Design and Installation.

DEREK BEAHAN LTD Continued Best Wishes To Burnside Garage Ltd From

24 Hour Emergency Towing & Repair Service Rear 90-98 Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 9

Telephone: 01 4534567/4549626/4549627 Fax: 01 4549628 Mobile: 086 2559188 Email:derekbeahan@eircom.net

CONTROL: 028 9145 0200

BELFAST& BANGOR

www.ccrsrecovery.com Best Wishes To Burnside Garage Ltd

facebook/ccrsrecovery

Tel Belfast 028 90 772 666 (ROI- 048) www.gemco.co.uk

+ hamiltonmorriswaugh chartered accountants Best Wishes To Burnside Garage Ltd, From

“Do You Want Your Accountant to Produce a Healthier Bottom Line?”

Growth & Profits are the heartbeat of your business.

So entrust your accounting to a team of experts who don’t just save you taxes, but who also know how to increase your revenue!

Telephone: 028 9127 5424 Email: info@hamiltonmorriswaugh.co.uk www.hamiltonmorriswaugh.co.uk

DM Consultancy Services Ltd. H

Best Wishes To All At Burnside Garage Ltd From

• Defensive Driving • Collision Investigation • Independent Vehicle Inspections • Collision Analysis • Traffic Management • Roadworks Signing Advice • UKAS Accredited PAS 43 Assessor 2 Eastbank, Strathfoyle, Co. Londonderry BT47 6UW

52

Tel/Fax: 0044 28 71861144 Mobile: 0044 7800 913040 Email: dmhconsultancy@aol.com

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

beatty Fuels designed_beatty Fuels designed 12/04/2013 11:36 Page 1

Fueling success

One of the essential products that we rely on a daily basis is fuel, whether it be for the home, car or business. Fuel, in whatever guise it form is something that we can't do without.

T

he price of home heating oil has become something of a contentious issue as prices soar. Customers have become more price conscious in recent times and they are willing top shop around a lot more.

However, some long standing businesses have continued to provide a top level service to its customer at competitive rates.

Beatty Fuels is a success story born out of hard work, creative thinking and adherence to the principal that the customer is king. The business was established by George Beatty and for this edition of Irish Trucker, we speak to his nephew Chris about the success of the business.

"We started off from very humble beginnings in our home village of Ballinamallard but we have worked hard over the years to build up our business. And with the help and support of the local community and many more people from far and wide, the business has grown and developed and continues to prosper thankfully," said Chris.

From operating a very small

enterprise, literally from his own backyard, George has overseen the development of his business to the point where it is now one of the largest independent, family-run businesses involved in the oil and solid fuel industry on these islands.

Ballinamallard is located in the heartland of rural Fermanagh, some six miles from the bustling market town of Enniskillen in the scenic north-west of the Lakeland County.

For George and co. home has been good to them as they've been good to Ballinamallard.

The company is a valuable local employer, providing gainful, profitable employment to over 40 people. Beatty Fuels and the general population of the greater Ballinamallard area have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for more than two decades now. Chris understands and appreciates the way that relationship has evolved.

"The fact that George started the business from scratch meant that he had an uphill task to make the business a success. He had to rely on the local community near us here in

county Fermanagh for their support and loyal patronage in order for us to get up and running and stay running.

"Fortunately, the public showed great confidence in us and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who stuck by us and afforded us so much goodwill, advice and assistance over the years.�

Beatty Fuels continues to move on, to grow and embellish its reputation as very much a customer-orientated company. It has moved, literally, in keeping with its philosophy to service the needs of its customers to the optimum level.

In this respect, we are reminded that Beatty Fuels moved from its original base to the townland of Siloon, just outside Ballinamallard where a major investment was made by the company towards the construction of a new yard which played host to a semi-automatic bag packing machine.

"At the time, some people said we were mad spending so much money in relocating and investing in new machinery but we felt it was a risk worth taking and thankfully it paid off.

We are now in a position to supply

Beatty Fuels success is born out of hard work IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

53

beatty Fuels designed_beatty Fuels designed 12/04/2013 11:36 Page 2

Wishing Continued Success To Beatty Fuels, From

Specialising in bulk tipper operation throughout the UK and Ireland 179 Gosford Road,Newry, Co. Down,BT35 6NQ Tel: ++44 (0) 2830 821777 Fax: ++44 (0) 2830 821458 www.dumfriesfreight.com E:info@dumfriesfreight.com

valley commercials TRUCK & TRAILER

1-2 Edfield Way, Fivemiletown, Co. Tyrone N. Ireland BT75 OQH. Tel: 028-89521593. Fax: 028-89521925

• SUPPLIER OF TRUCK & TRAILER COMPONENTS • TRUCK AIR BAGS & SPRINGS • ENGINEERING SUPPLIES • GEAR BOXES • MOTORS • CHAINS • BELTS & BEARINGS • BATTERIES • MANN FILTERS • TEXTAR PADS

T EMPO G LASS Continued success to Beatty Fuels

ENNISKILLEN WINDSCREEN CENTRE

Tel: 028 6632 6613 85A Tempo Road, Enniskillen BT74 4RH

Fax: 028 6632 9430 Mobile: 07836 362078 Insurance Approved with Direct Billing

www.tempoglass.co.uk

Best Wishes & Continued Success To Beatty Fuels

Supplier of films, wicketed bags, paper, jute and FIBC’s to the fresh produce sector.

Packaging from 1kg to 1250kg.

Coolehill, Newtowncunningham, Co. Donegal Tel: +353 74 91 56036 | Fax: +353 74 91 08779 E: info@lcpackaging.ie | www.lcpackaging.ie

Best Wishes To Beatty Fuels

ALAN GRAHAM

RECOVERY SERVICE

CAR & COMMERCIAL

Best Wishes To Beatty Fuels

-ENNISKILLEN

24 Hour Recovery - Breakdown

SMALL ADVERT- BIG SERVICE

Tel: 028 6632 2227/ Mob: 07831 866305 APPROVED BY AVRO, IVR, RAC, AA

Continued Best Wishes To Beatty Fuels, From

Manufacturers of: P.E BAGS | WOVEN P.P. SACKS PALLET WRAP | SHRINK HOODS PP ROPES Ballycumber Road, Clara, Co.Offaly Tel: 00353 579331282

www.syntheticpackaging.com

TO BOOK ADVERTISING SPACE please contact

BARRY on 00 353 (0) 46 9241923 Continued Best Wishes To Beatty Fuels 54

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

beatty Fuels designed_beatty Fuels designed 12/04/2013 11:36 Page 3

both north and south of Ireland with top quality solid fuel supplies."

The genesis of Beatty Fuels may have been a claustrophobic backyard but its evolution fairly reflects the aforementioned Beatty work ethic. For

instance, in 1981, the go-ahead firm obtained an agency for Flogas for counties Fermanagh and Tyrone.

"The agency was a welcome addition to our business. It (the agency) complemented our existing solid fuel business. We also benefited from investing in s i g n i f i c a n t modifications to our lorries and trailers which enabled us to transport the coal and the gas together.

"We felt confident that we were well geared up to embark on servicing the needs of all our gas and solid fuel customers in Fermanagh and Tyrone.

Part of the Beatty "Basically our core Fuels fleet policy is to pay the utmost attention to the needs of our customers, to make sure that we are punctual with all our Pleased to be associated with Beatty Fuels wishing them continued success for the future deliveries and that we pay special MODERN TYRE SERVICE ARE THE SOLE attention at all times IMPORTERS FOR GT RADIAL IN IRELAND to the quality of our products and that we remain very price competitive.�

Reflecting on the for more information on the product range contact trends of the chosen Stephen Shaw Brand Manager 07715 326003. commercial niche, in

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

March 1995, they opened an oil depot and purchased an oil tanker to deliver the oil directly to their customers, either at their home or their place of work.

"We continued to remain acutely aware of the need to diversify and in the latter part of 2001, the opportunity presented itself to open a hardware shop right in the village.

"We began supplying a range of products, such as those for the plumbing and construction trades while also carrying products geared towards the private house extension business and those into gardening.�

And the future for the burgeoning business that is Beatty Fuels?

"I'd like to think that we'll continue to do well. Business is good right now but we're not taking anything for granted and we're not about to become complacent.

"We'll continue to operate a tight ship and look to exploit the opportunities that present themselves in the market place, whether that be close to home or in the west of Ireland."

Contact Details:

Beatty Fuels Salloon Ballinamallard ENNISKILLEN BT94 2AU (MAP)

Telephone 028 6638 8242 Fax 028 6638 8757 Email info@beattyfuels.com

55

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:42 Page 1

A Work’ of art Hilary and Malcolm Workman

Monaghan-based international livestock transport company MD Workman Ltd is celebrating 10 years in business.

E

stablished in 2003, MD Workman is run by husbandand-wife Malcolm and Hilary Workman from Drumhirk House on the outskirts of Monaghan town. The company offers an import and export service – specialising in pedigree stock – covering Ireland, the UK and

56

mainland Europe. Small or part-loads are not a problem for this busy familyrun concern. The Workman’s are also well-known breeders of pedigree sheep, cattle and poultry.

“The last 10 years have gone very well for us and here’s hoping the next 10 will be just as successful,”

transport manager Hilary says.

“Malcolm, who hails from Cookstown in Co. Tyrone, had a wealth of experience in the transport industry, having driven for other companies before he set up this business. He still drives and is one of three full-time drivers working for us at IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:42 Page 2

MD Workman is celebrating 10 years in business

the moment. Both of us come from farming backgrounds so we’ve been able to put that knowledge and experience to good use.”

MD Workman has established itself as the leader in its field by providing a service that has no equal in terms of reliability, valuefor-money and excellence. The company’s state-of-the-art fleet can deliver livestock from the pastures of Ireland directly to any location in Europe and visa-versa in no time at all.

The immaculately turned-out

Another trailer ready for loading IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Workman fleet, which includes a new Volvo FH500, are manned by professional, highly-skilled and trained drivers. The trailers are state-of-the-art, equipped with large access doors for ease of back loading. Each carriage is individually organised. All vehicles are satellite-tracked for security and accurate timing.

McDonnell Commercials in Monaghan, who are main Volvo dealers, supply and service the Workman fleet.

While MD Workman has a major contract with Future Pigs in Nurney, Co. Kildare to transport pigs to the UK (two loads leave every Monday morning), the company is better known for the international transport service it provides for pedigree sheep and cattle breeders. This is a very specialised, personalised and highly-regulated service which is provided by only a handful of companies in Ireland.

“We work to order,” Hilary explains.

“Transporting pedigree stock is completely different to transporting pigs. We are breeders of pedigree sheep, cattle and poultry ourselves, so we understand the business. Because the breeders invest a lot of time and money in their stock, there is extra responsibility on us to make sure their cattle or sheep get the best possible treatment. We bring

57

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:43 Page 3

The spacious interior of one of Workman’s state-of-the-art trailers

58

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:43 Page 4

Best Wishes MD Workman Ltd, From The Monaghan based company delivers livestock to locations throughout Europe

in Limousine cattle from France to the UK and Ireland and the bulls carried can cost up to €30,000, so there is a lot of money at stake.

“As you could imagine, animal welfare is a huge issue with us. We follow all the guidelines and regulations in this regard.

Our purpose-built Pezzaioli trailers have automatic ventilation and automatic watering systems. They are cleaned thoroughly after every trip. We go out of our way to ensure each journey is as stress-free as possible for our livestock.”

As an approved LongDistance Livestock Transporter, MD Workman has an extensive list of requirements to meet as Hilary explains: “Each journey has to be approved by the

Department of Agriculture in the countries we are travelling in. Most loading has to be carried out under veterinary supervision.

Having a GPS system on your trucks is another requirement for longdistance livestock transport. Under EU law, you have to be able to show rest stops and door openings. Our drivers also have to undergo livestock training.

“I spend a lot of time dealing with the needs of our clients. There is a huge amount of planning involved before every journey. Most of our business is done in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland and Denmark.

Because we value their custom, we will do whatever it takes to cater for their needs.”

McDonnell Commercials (Monaghan) Ltd WISHES ALL AT MD WORKMAN LTD

Stygate Lane, Pickwell, Melton Mowbray, LE14 2QT Tel: 0044 (0) 1664 474789 | Fax: 0044 (0)1664 474203 Mobile: 0044 (0) 7739 809752 Email: office@belmontfarms.co.uk Best Wishes To MD Workman Ltd, From

CONTINUED SUCCESS

FOR FULL DETAILS OF OUR CONTRACT MAINTENANCE OFFERS Visit us at Urblekirk, Dunraymond, Monaghan Telephone: +353 (0) 47 83588. E:info@mcdonnellcommercials.ie W: www.mcdonnellcommercials.ie IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

BELMONT FARMS LTD Best Wishes To MD Workman Ltd, From

Great North Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 1BY Tel: 01636 676741 Fax: 01636 611190 Email: enquiries@newarklivestocksales.com

www.newarklivestocksales.com

59

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:43 Page 5

BEST WISHES & CONTINUED SUCCESS TO MD WORKMAN LTD, FROM

IRISH AGENT FOR KELSA TRUCK BAR’S ALL YOUR INTERIOR & EXTERIOR TRUCK ACCESSORIES IN ONE STOP

wwww.bitsnbobstrucks.com

TRUCK ACCESSORIES & MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES Monaghan (087) 2480730

Continued Best Wishes To MD Workman Ltd From All At

FOR ALL YOUR BUSINESS & FINANCIAL NEEDS Services Available

AUDIT & ASSURANCE COMPANY SECRETARIAL BUSINESS ADVISORS TAX COMPLIANCE & PLANNING Lakeview House, 27 North Road, Monaghan.

60

Tel: (047) 81022 Fax: (047) 84123 Email: info@mcardlecassidymcquaid.ie www.mcardlecassidymcquaid.ie

Wishing Continued Success To MD Workman Ltd, From

LICENSED BY

DanAVL

Supplying Danish Genetics

40 Glenleary Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3QY.

T: 028 703 42919 F: 028 7035 2130 M: 078 0280 6668 E: elitesires@btconnect.com www.elitesiresltd.com

T. Martin Fuels Wishing Continued Success To MD Workman Ltd, From

COAL & OIL MERCHANT

PETROL, DIESEL & CAR WASH NOW OPEN Killyvane, Monaghan T. Martin Fuels

Tel: 047 82279 Mob: 087 2534559 Fax: 047 72279

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

workman designed_workman designed 12/04/2013 16:43 Page 6

A familiar sight on the roads of Ireland and Europe

With the country’s new road infrastructure, MD Workman’s base is now closer to the major shipping ports.

Larne is just over an hour away, while Rosslare can be reached in three hours.

“Anything destined for the UK goes through Larne into Cairnryan. Trucks destined for mainland Europe board the ferry in Rosslare for Cherbourg.

Sometimes, our backloads from the UK contain general goods, including cars.

But our work is almost entirely livestock-based.”

As already mentioned, the Workman’s

breed their own pedigree sheep, cattle and poultry. They spend the summer season competing at agricultural shows at a national and local level. with great success. They have a flock of Kerry Hill ( Welsh breed) sheepand Rouge ( French breed) sheep and a herd of Simmental cattle. These are a versatile breed of cattle originating in the valley of the Simme River in the Bernese Oberland of western Switzerland. The Simmental has historically been used for dairy and beef, and as draught animals.

The Workman’s also specialise in poultry and rare breed

fowl.

Like all transport companies, MD Workman – whose livery is green and white – has been hit by increased costs and surcharges.

“We have suffered in the face of rising diesel and shipping costs.

Also, road toll charges in parts of Europe are high, especially in France where most of our business is done or goes through,” Malcolm states.

In summary, MD Workman Ltd is able to offer an unrivalled service because of its knowledge and expertise in the livestock transportation industry. And customers can always be assured that their animals are transported with great care, guaranteeing a safe and comfortable journey.

Contact Details

MD Workman Ltd, Drumhirk House, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan, Ireland

Phone: 00 353 47 81463 Mobile: 00 353 86 8211847 or 0044 77931 25453

E-mail: hilaryworkman@hotmail.com www.workmanlivestocktransport.com

Workman’s new Volvo FH520 on parade IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

61

fptni designed_fptni designed 15/04/2013 11:54 Page 1

www.fptni.org

10 years ago, the picture in Northern Ireland was very different to that of today and the same can be said of the passenger transport industry. In fact, if we be honest about it, we could not really describe it as an industry.

T

he passenger transport industry then, was a very disparate group of private operators of varying sizes and attitudes struggling with a set of outdated , inadequate and discriminatory legislation and an ever increasing number of ‘illegal ‘ operators.

There was little communication between the operators and in many cases the businesses were marginally profitable with owners working long hours. The ‘illegal’ guys ignored the rules, cut corners and forced prices to unrealistic levels where standards and investment were impossible to maintain.

Not only was there no communication between operators, but there was no communication between the government departments who were responsible for transport.

This meant there was no joined up thinking, strategies or planning for transport.

There were the publicly funded fleets owned Ulsterbus and Citybus, all operating under the trade name of Translink who then had a near monopoly on all stage carriage routes and for obvious reasons, there was some resentment and animosity between the two transport sectors.

There had been under investment in the public fleet and a reduction in the number of services. From both perspectives, one thing was certain, there had to be change in order to move forward.

The private sector came together in late in 2001, having identified a desperate need for things to change.

They put what little money they had together and formed the Northern

62

Ireland Independent Coach Operators Association in order to try and take things forward and ‘level the playing field’ in every way. The Association was operated on a part time basis by a few ‘visionary’ private operators before taking on a full time Chief Executive, Karen Magill who still runs the organisation today though it is now known as the Federation of Passenger Transport N.I. Ltd (FPT NI).

Although the situation for the private operator very obviously needed to improve, it was recognised very early on by the Association members that there had to be global changes throughout passenger transport and the need for integration and partnership with the public sector fleet. The association’s objectives changed to reflect this and membership included both public and private transport providers. This is one of the key reasons that so much has been achieved and why the industry is where it is today.

As the saying goes, a path with no obstacles does not lead anywhere and the organisation’s path was fraught with them at every turn. The industry was not known or recognised as an industry and by and large, operators who tried to approach government departments or other institutions were either ignored or treated with indifference by most of those encountered.

Another very strange phenomenon was the fact that government departments and the regulators of the industry apparently could not see the benefits of working with companies who were basically doing their job for them and trying to introduce better

regulations and protect passengers.

There was such vision, wisdom and experience to be freely tapped into and it was a mystery why this was not taken advantage of.

FPT NI has spent the last ten years trying to change the situation and it goes without saying that there have been many trials and tribulation.

Suffice to say that there were far too many to mention with every new day bringing more and more issues and there has been a lot of pain and many dark days.

The worst pain though probably comes from the knowledge that had people done their jobs properly and been prepared to listen, things would have been very different. And probably the most difficult of all has been the intransigence of DOE/DVA and the lack of a proper working partnership with the industry. This will not come as a new revelation and is widely known both locally and nationally though the current DOE Minister Attwood and a change in senior personnel has changed this situation to some degree and there seems to be an opening of the door to what is needed to be changed.

However, through the pain and delayed movement by DOE, there has been a remarkable change in the past 10 years and FPT NI and its members have transformed the sector both in terms of its individual and collective value.

The Federation has achieved recognition of the economic, environmental and social benefits delivered by bus and coach operators. The passenger transport industry is now recognised as an industry and more importantly an IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Federation of Passenger Transport NI makes huge strides

fptni designed_fptni designed 15/04/2013 11:54 Page 2

industry which is also is valued because of its importance to the local economy.

And FPT NI is the voice of the industry with a strong authoritative voice which makes no apologies for its morally audacious tone or tenacity and which has earned the right on behalf of its members to be an important stakeholder at the table and involved in planning and building for the future of transport in N.I. FPT NI members have moved forward in safety, innovation, customer service and product development and improved their offer for passengers.

Public passenger transport in NI has also been successful with increased investment and a significant programme of change to networks and services have delivered a large increase in the numbers of people choosing to use bus and rail services.

Customer satisfaction is at an historic high, ‘on time’ performance is excellent and RTS bus fleet age targets have been delivered already And the government departments are now talking to each other and

communicating with each other. For example the public transport reform work with the Department of Regional Development which has resulted in the Transport Act 2011. There is no one who could deny that FPT NI were the catalyst for the change in this reform and worked with Translink, Consumer Council N.I., Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, DRD, etc.. for a number of years to do what was required.

There has been considerable improvement in relationships between the private sector and public sector of Road Passenger transport and this has clearly been evident in recent times in the level of co-operation and work sharing particularly during special events such as MTV Awards, Irish Open and even some scheduled services particularly the Cross Border Belfast to Dublin. There is continuing work on researching integration and may other areas such as joint press releases, sharing of engineering experience and CPC training.

Through FPT NI’s work with the Education & Library Boards and the

David Spratt, pictured with his wife Helen, at the FPT NI Awards where he was named Bus Driver of the Year IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Department of Education, there is now greater harmonisation of standards across the boards and the acknowledgment of the desperate need for every school to have its own dedicated transport policy. There is still work to be done in this sector in terms on standards and combined fleet efficiency and this works continues.

Having highlighted the need for greater understanding of the inadequacy of current transport regulations and the level of non compliance within the industry, FPT NI contacted the Central Procurement Directorate. The result has been a new Safe Operations and Procurement Guidance on Transport Services to assist public sector buyers and contract managers to procure and manage arrangements for the provision of freight and passenger services including taxis and coaches to public sector bodies.

And very important also for FPT NI members is the recognition of the coach tourism industry and the role it plays in sustaining the local economy.

FPTNI are now a strategic partner with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on events such as Days Out Fair.

FPT NI now have representation with government, with councils, and with the Tourist Board and are involved in planning for big events - and the opportunities to provide transport - in a way that could never have been done before. FPT NI has become an integral part of the planning in events like The Tall Ships, the MTV Awards, The World Police and Fire Games and the Olympics. These big events provide new revenue opportunities for companies that might not have the confidence or the contacts on their own, and that revenue means that operators can improve their fleet, their training and their technology, which ultimately improves the customer experience and further improves the

63

fptni designed_fptni designed 15/04/2013 11:54 Page 3

Wishing Continued Success To FPT NI, From

14 Cullentragh Rd, Poyntzpass, Newry, Co Down BT35 6SD

Tel (028) 30 821 439 Phelim Mobile 07801 643 620 Conleth Mobile 07734 106 270

e-mail info@quinncoaches.com web www.quinncoaches.com Congratulations From McAnulty’s Yellow Line Coaches Small Fleet Operator Of The Year

McAnulty’s Yellow Line Coaches 35, Church Street, Warrenpoint, BT34 3HN

64

Tel: 028 4175 2228 | E: hugh.mcanulty@btinternet.com www.yellowlinecoaches.com

Wishing Continued Success To FPT NI, From

The Airporter provides the only direct coach service between the Belfast Airports and Derry in the North West.

1 Bay Road, Culmore Road, Derry BT48 7SH. Tel: (from Northern Ireland) (028) 71 269996 Tel: (from Republic of Ireland) (048) 71 269996 Email: info@airporter.co.uk | www.airporter.co.uk

Continued Best Wishes To FPT NI, From

McGread (Omagh)

110A Tattyreagh Road, Fintona, Omagh, Co. Tyrone BT78 2HU

Tel: 028 8284 1731 ( 24 hours) Fax: 028 8284 1916 Email: info@mcgreadomagh.com

www.mcgreadomagh.com

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

fptni designed_fptni designed 15/04/2013 11:54 Page 4

industry standard.

Membership of FPT NI offers many other benefits and will keep business owners on top of important, everchanging issues, trends and legislation within the transport field .

The networking and camaraderie that goes on among members and the chance to influence legislation are two of the greatest benefits. There is also

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

the fact that membership projects a positive image of the business and shows a business’ initiative and its commitment to staying abreast of current developments in the market FPT NI has an excellent range of commercial partners from insurance and legal services to vehicle manufacturers and others who all offer a great range of facilities and

services at competitive prices to members whilst at the same time supporting the organisation and industry. The insurance facility with Europa General has been both successful and helpful for members.

In terms of the future there is still much to be done. The most obvious priority is the updating and improvement of the 1967 Act and the

65

fptni designed_fptni designed 15/04/2013 11:54 Page 5

relationship with DOE/DVA and even though there have been some successes on the DVA side of the house with the acknowledgement of procedural inadequacies, more clarity and transparency over decisions and the change of policy to allow for operators to hire in vehicles on a temporary basis on their operator’s licence, the most important work is yet to be completed.

This will be a priority.

Other future work in progress includes: · Encouraging a coordinated and integrated approach to transport planning with proper operator consultation • Promoting modal shift from private car to travel by bus or coach which is the safest and greenest form of passenger transport and is the simplest way of reducing transport gas emissions · Promoting more priority measures for buses and coaches · Training to increase standards of professional competence · Continued integration between transport providers · Continued promotion of the coach tourism industry · Planning applications for major developments, hotels, theatres, shopping centres etc, must take account of the needs of coach passengers and drivers · Working with others to ensure operators are sensibly regulated in terms of the various EU proposals including the passenger rights proposals There can be no doubting that it has been a busy 10 years and a lot has changed. One thing that hasn’t changed and will not, is the determination, dedication and commitment of FPT NI and its members to their passengers and their

66

It will be, she stresses with the same industry. Their strength in challenging moral audacity, tenacity and the biases or prejudices that existed in consultative leadership that have been the past have laid the foundation for vital in helping FPT NI in their change within transport in N.I. achievements to date.

The message from the Chief www.fptni.org Executive is FPT NI is her commitment to replicating and building on what has Continued Best Wishes To FPT NI, From been achieved. The organisation has an ambitious forward work plan and a Travel in comfort and style number of hefty with McMillan Travel objectives but Karen in their 29 seater luxury Magill is confident air conditioned coach. that the Executive Committee and Give us a call on members will rise to 028 2766 6989 the challenges of change and make 12 Mullan Road, Ballymoney County Antrim BT53 7ED the difference.

E:info@mcmillantravel.com | www.mcmillantravel.co.uk

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

DGSA designed_DGSA designed 15/04/2013 11:48 Page 1

For DGSAs by DGSAs There was a good attendance at the AGM, where updates were provided on the next version of ADR regulations

Ireland’s leading professional body supporting Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors (DGSAs), the Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors’ Association of Ireland (DGSAAI) will celebrate its tenth anniversary this coming November.

To acknowledge this landmark anniversary, Irish Trucker caught up with chairman JJ Tobin to take a closer look at the activities of this vital organisation.

T

he Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors’ Association of Ireland was established in November, 2003 by a group of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors who were concerned by the clear need for a support network for DGSAs in the country. The motto of the DGSAAI is ‘For DGSAs by DGSAs’.

The DGSAAI is a non-profit-making body comprising Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors from all over Ireland.

The Association is administered by elected officers consisting of a chairperson, secretary and treasurer.

The current office holders – who were returned at the body’s 2013 AGM on Wednesday, January 15th – are: Dr JJ Tobin (chairman); Michael Rigney (secretary); and Liam Tolton (treasurer).

In addition to the annual general meeting, further meetings take place twice a year - in April / May and in IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

September. To make attendance as convenient as possible for members, a midlands location will usually host these get-togethers. Members are also encouraged to communicate and receive news updates via an email forum.

Entirely funded by membership fees, the DGSAAI promotes the use of a windscreen sticker to demonstrate that a vehicle has been inspected by an Association member.

Geographically, members are spread throughout the country, from Mayo to Dublin and from Cork to Donegal, with members displaying a diverse range of knowledge and experience. Some work as consultant DGSAs to a number of companies, and others act as in-house DGSAs within a single enterprise. All the major industrial sectors concerned with the transportation of dangerous goods are represented, including

transport and haulage; the oil industry; chemicals and pharmaceuticals; clinical samples and waste.

The DGSAAI’s aims are: to support members in their work as Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors; to provide a forum for members to network and share experiences, views and information; to act as a communication channel for information relevant to DGSAs; to promote greater awareness and understanding of the regulations governing the transport of dangerous goods; to promote improved standards of compliance with the regulations; to provide programmes of education and training on topics pertinent to dangerous goods safety; and to represent the interests of DGSAs and the Association at national and European government level in policy making. It has

67

DGSA designed_DGSA designed 15/04/2013 11:48 Page 2

Frank Daly & Associates Wishing Continued Success To The DGSA Association of Ireland From

TRAINING FOR THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY ADR Course| CPC Course | DGSA Course

CONTACT US ON 086 8203985

Fax: 01 6335304 E: fdaeugene@eircom.net

COH Transport

www.dalyff.com

SPECIALISING IN OIL TRANSPORT

Ballinabortagh, Carrignavar, Co. Cork| T: 021-4884584 F: 021-4884786 www.cohtransport.com Continued Best Wishes To DGSA Association Of Ireland

Specialist Training Provider to the Road Transport Industry.

COURSES AVAILABLE

• ADR Initial Basic (packages) • ADR Initial Tanker Specialisation • ADR Refresher Courses • Occupational First Aid • Load Securing

For all enquiries, please contact us at:

email: info@transtrain.ie Telephone: 087 3225605

155 Deel Manor, Askeaton Co. Limerick 68

www.transtrain.ie

Listowel Transport ANY PRODUCT, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

FRIDGE | BULK | TIPPER | TRACTION | CURTAIN SIDER | HAZARDOUS MATERIAL ETC

Banemore, Listowel, Co. Kerry CONTACT US ON 087 6600049 E: info@listoweltransport.com| www.listoweltransport.com

BALLINA TRANSPORT Best Wishes To The DGSA Association Of Ireland, From

IF ITS GOING WEST, USE THE BEST Rehins, Ballina, Co Mayo.

T: 00353 (0) 96 70997 F: 00353 (0) 96 72772

CONTACT PETER FARRELL 087 2678586

E: info@ballinatransport.com

www.ballinatransport.com IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

DGSA designed_DGSA designed 15/04/2013 11:48 Page 3

developed a good working relationship with the HSA, the main regulatory authority responsible for enforcing the dangerous goods regulations and will invite an inspector to its meetings at least once a year to hear the latest on enforcement trends and other developments.

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) oversees ADR drivers and DGSA examinations, as well as taking on the additional task of approving ADR driver training courses. The Institute was appointed by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) as the examination body for DGSAs for the transport of dangerous goods by road as of July 11th, 2001. DGSA examinations are held three times a year. In 2013, these dates are April 12th, July 5th and November 1st. Exams will be based on the 2013 ADR and current legislation.

DGSA examinations are held in Dublin, Cork, Galway (subject to numbers) and other venues depending on demand. The DGSA examination application form is available from the CILT website. The exam is of the ‘openbook’ type and CILT provides a list of permitted documents that may be used by candidates during exams.

Reflecting on this year’s successful AGM, chairman JJ Tobin notes: “There was a good attendance. We provided updates on the next version of ADR regulations, which are updated every two years. After an initial six-month transition period, this new set of ADR regulations will take effect – i.e. become compulsory – on July 1st. We keep all our members updated on all changes in legislation, both at national and European level.”

As for membership figures and the number of practising DGSAs in Ireland, JJ points out that the latter can be

Members of the DGSAAI’s 2013 AGM IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

DISTRIBUTION | WAREHOUSING FREIGHT FORWARDING

Providing third party logistical services to the Irish Chemical and Pharmaceutical sectors for over 30 years. C+G Logistics Group provide fully compliant / best in class warehousing and distribution for hazardous and non-hazardous goods.

West Point Business Park, Navan Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15

Tel: 01 8208455 | Fax: 01 8208457 E: info@cglogistics.ie | www.cglogistics.ie

Best Wishes To The DGSA Association of Ireland

69

DGSA designed_DGSA designed 15/04/2013 11:48 Page 4

particularly difficult to calculate: “We have 22 active members at the moment but there would be between 700 and 750 individuals holding DGSA certificates at any given time.

We can work out this number as around 50 people sit each exam and these are held three times a year, with the certificate lasting for five years.

Within a five-year cycle, around 750 will sit the exam and the pass rate is very high – around 90%. How many of those are actually working in the industry in any capacity is difficult to gauge.

“Any enterprise involved in moving dangerous goods in tanks, in bulk or in packages above specified thresholds needs to formally appoint a DGSA. Oil distributors would be very visible on the road and have a high level of compliance with this requirement but others who transport dangerous goods may not be as obvious … but they still need to use a DGSA, which can be somebody inside the company or an outside consultant. The DGSA will monitor compliance, advise on compliance and also write up an annual report.

The report is an important function and companies moving dangerous goods need to produce one.”

As in every other walk of life, one of the biggest concerns is the level of non-compliance with DGSA requirements, which is estimated at between 30% and 40%: “The HSA is finding a higher level of noncompliance than was the case in the past,” JJ notes. “The likes of oil companies all comply but there are a lot of hazardous materials being carrying inside vehicles and many of these are not complying. There are on-the-spot fines in relation to the absence of a DGSA which can add up to €750 if prosecuted and it would be

The officers of the DGSAAI who were re-elected in January (lr): Michael Rigney (secretary), JJ Tobin (chairman), Liam Tolton (treasurer)

organise a gathering of the national more economical just to have a DGSA in the first place. Also in the absence associations in Hungary in September of a DGSA there tends to be a higher / October of this year and this will be level of other offences.” very informative as the various Looking to the future, JJ concludes national bodies can discuss their on a very positive note: “There have different views on interpretation. Each been efforts to bring the various Association will be given a platform to national associations together at present their activities, interpretations European level to discuss the different and the difficulties they face. rules that are in place in various Hopefully we can learn from this and countries. Different countries do bring our findings back home and things differently and we can learn improve conditions for DGSAs here in from the different interpretations. For Ireland.” example, in Ireland, you don’t need to Continued Success To All At have a DGSA if you DGSA Association Of Ireland own a filling station but don’t physically fro m transport fuel but there are no exceptions in Spain.

Austria, meanwhile, is one of the nations that is extremely fussy with its enforcement.

GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A LIFT WITH “The first steps CALOR GAS POWERED TRUCKS have been made to

Best Wishes To DGSA Association Of Ireland From

Engine Oils | Universal Oils Transmission Fluids Specialised Agri Products Gear Oil & Greases Horticulture & Forestry Products Home Heating Oil Shell Lubricants

DISTRIbuToR oF

INDUSTRIAL | AGRICULTURAL | MOTOR | HOME

T: 045 444300 www.tougheroil.com

70

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY & REDUCED COSTS

· · · ·

Can provide 24 hour operation no downtime required for recharging.

Can be used for both indoor and outdoor operations, due to the lower emissions.

Unlike diesel, Calor LPG is pilfer-proof, and there is no chance of spillage.

Continuous supply of Calor Gas is always on hand.

To talk to a C alo r Energy A dviso r, C all C alo r C usto mer co ntact centre o n: ROI: 1850 812 450 NI: 028 9045 5588

www.calorgas.ie

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Motorway gets go ahead Work on the construction of new motorway between Gort and Tuam in Co Galway is to begin before the end of the year, after funding was approved for the project. The Department of Public Expenditure has approved the allocation of money to cover the Exchequer element of the scheme. The National Roads Authority says it will now re-engage with the preferred private contractor to complete the new N17/ N18 route. The construction of a 57-km motorway - part of the so-called Atlantic Corridor on the west coast - will take thousands of vehicles out of Clarinbridge, Claregalway and Tuam each day. It will be constructed as a Public Private Partnership project. There will be no tolls on the route. Instead the State will pay the private contractors an annuity over 25 years. The NRA says hundreds Construction on new motorway of jobs will be created during the construction process. It is between Gort and Tuam set to begin expected the motorway will take up to three years to complete at a cost of €550 million. An environmental assessment of the proposed route has already been done, along with an archaeological review. In addition, compulsory purchase orders required to develop the road have been completed. The project stalled in 2010 when the bidders first selected as the private contractor were unable to secure funding to carry out the work, due to the economic downturn. The contract was subsequently awarded to Direct Route- a group made up of several contractors including Lagan, Roadbridge and Sisk.

Port of Cork sees increase in trade traffic in 2012 End of Year Statement from Brendan Keating, Chief Executive of the Port of Cork Company The Port of Cork Company today announced end of year trade traffic results for 2012, showing a total of 9.05 million tonnes. This is an increase of 2% compared to 2011 figures and it is the first time traffic figures in the Port have surpassed 9 million tonnes since 2008.

2012 was a very challenging year across many sectors including the Irish port sector with the import of goods through Irish ports reported to have fallen by up to 11%. However, the Port of Cork container volumes has shown an increase of 6% with over 165,000 TEU handled during 2012 and imports, excluding oil, are up by 12%. Imports of animal feed stuffs increased by 58% compared to 2011 while fertiliser, cereals and other trades have shown a marginal decrease in 2012.

Oil traffic remained steady despite the lower levels of domestic economic activity; however exports of refined product from Phillips 66 Whitegate Oil Refinery were strong and continue to be a significant part of the Port of Cork business. Exports are a key driver in the successful recovery of the Irish Economy and the Port of Cork is committed to continuous support in the growth of international trade for the country’s economic prospects and job creation.

Remarking on the end of year trade traffic results, Mr Brendan Keating, Chief Executive of the Port of Cork said: “The Port of Cork is pleased to announce that our total trade traffic in 2012 remained strong and overall we are starting to see some stabilisation in trade levels in and out of the Port. With 98% of volume of all goods imported or exported from Ireland moved by ship, the importance of ports to our economy is of vital strategic importance. We will continue to look to the sectors that are performing strongly, such as food exports and will seek to capitalise on the demand for such goods from Europe and emerging markets.”

He continued: “The Port of Cork is a key link to the continued economic success of Ireland and in particular the entire Munster region. The challenge now facing us in 2013 is to continue to develop the Port in order to meet the needs of the Country as it emerges from this current recession. We will continue to be extremely active in the emerging trends and logistic supply changes to reinforce our existing strength as the primary deepwater port in the south of Ireland and build on our progress to date”.

Port officials are pro-actively engaged with tourism interests, County and City Councils and destination attractions to enhance the product on offer to the visiting cruise lines with a view to growing the business further through its dedicated cruise terminal. 57 cruise vessels visited the Port of Cork during 2012 bringing almost 100,000 passengers and crew to the region and the Port is scheduled to accommodate 64 vessels in 2013. The Port of Cork was awarded two Cruise Insight Awards for ‘Best Shore Side Welcome’ and ‘Best Tour Guides’ which were announced at the global shipping conference, Seatrade Miami in April 2012. This achievement highlighted the outstanding team effort and commitment by the Port of Cork to deliver an excellent service to the visiting cruise lines and their passengers when in Cork. The Port is delighted to be supporting The Gathering for 2013 and is actively ensuring that all visitors who transit through our facilities receive a warm welcome to Irish shores. Brittany Ferries remained steady on its weekly ferry service from Cork to Roscoff and the Port remains fully committed to establishing new routes and services from Cork.

The Port of Cork’s recreational strategy continues to expand with the aim of improving the marine leisure facilities around Cork Harbour.

8

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

kevin burke designed_kevin burke designed 15/04/2013 12:01 Page 1

KBT never tyre of offering a quality service The firm offers a full tyre service

72

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

kevin burke designed_kevin burke designed 15/04/2013 12:01 Page 2

Galway-based company Kevin Burke Tyres (KBT) has been supplying the public and the motor trade for over 17 years. Managing Director Kevin spoke to Irish Trucker and revealed the secrets behind the company’s success.

K

evin Burke Tyres prides itself on an unrivalled level of customer service through the retail, fleet, commercial, agricultural and wholesale markets and offering the widest selection of tyres from the leading manufacturers.

Established by Athenry native Kevin in his home town in 1995, KBT quickly developed a reputation for premium brands at reasonable prices and that continues to be the cornerstone of their business.

Bucking the economic trend, the ever-burgeoning company opened its third state-of-the-art depot in Labane, located on the N18, last October.

“We have three retail depots located in Athenry, Riverside Industrial Estate in Galway City and our new depot in Labane, Ardrahan,” explained Managing Director Kevin.

Specialising in high performance tyres for cars, truck and agriculture, retail and wholesale, Kevin Burke Tyres offer free and impartial advice on the best quality tyres to suit all budgets.

They stock all leading brands of tyres, with thousands in stock and they guarantee the best on price.

Kevin Burke Tyres offer 24 hour breakdown assistance IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Evidence of the high quality of service provided by KBT came in the form of their achievement in finishing as runner-up in the 2010 and 2011 Semperit Retailer of the Year awards.

The awards recognise and reward improving standards of customer service in the tyre industry.

Each participant is judged on how they demonstrate excellence in customer service and KBT ticks all the right boxes.

Semperit Ireland put in place a high level, independent panel of judges who assessed the levels of customer service of each participant in the awards programme.

In addition, the judges assessed pro-active marketing activity including the userfriendliness of the retailer’s website.

The assessments included analysis of the retailer’s handling of customer requests, including range of products/services offered, value for money, courtesy and professionalism of staff and the quality/cleanliness of the facilities available to customers.

KBT provides employment to twenty-one and Kevin was quick to praise his staff’s contribution as one of the key ingredients in their winning formula.

“We’re lucky to have a very hard working and dedicated workforce” he remarked. “We stock a large variety of all the major brands at very competitive prices. We do a lot of repeat business with major fleets who we have been working with for many years.”

Open six days a week Monday to Friday (8.30am to 6pm) and Saturday (9am to 5pm, all at KBT pride themselves on

73

kevin burke designed_kevin burke designed 15/04/2013 12:01 Page 3

Crossmore Tyre Recycling

Best Wishes To Kevin Burke Tyres, From

T/A Crossmore Transport Ltd Rockmills, Kildorrery, Co. Cork

CONTACT JOHN O’KEEFFE Tel: 022 25363| Fax: 022 25063 Email: crossmoret@gmail.com

Licenced Tyre Collector NATIONWIDE (All types of tyre casings)

Wheel Nut Clamps

Available to fit most common truck/bus sizes including *new*19mm for Mercedes Sprinter and VW Crafter.

EASYBALANCE

the simple, quick and efficient way to balance your truck wheels.

Unit E9 ,South City Business Park Tallaght • Dublin 24 Tel: 01 404 9060

www.techplus.ie Best Wishes To Kevin Burke Tyres

Best Wishes To Kevin Burke Tyres, From

FREEPHONE

1800 267742

“Your Low Cost Fuel Suppliers”

Continued Best Wishes To Kevin Burke Tyres, From

Low Carbon Concrete | All Grades Of Concrete All Grades Of Crushed Rock & Concrete Blocks Cashla, Athenry, Co. Galway

Tel: 091 389020 Fax: 091 389021 Email: info@coshlaquarries.ie Continued Success & Best Wishes to Kevin Burke Tyres, From

Padraic O’Malley & Co. Incorporated Public Accountants & Registered Auditors

Tuam Road Retail Centre, Tuam Road, Galway

Tel: 091 757 604 | 091 757 887 Fax: 091 757 822 POM POM E: info@padraicomalleyandco.ie

TO BOOK ADVERTISING SPACE please contact

BARRY on 00 353 (0) 46 9241923 74

Continued Best Wishes To Kevin Burke Tyres, From

INSURANCE , MORTGAGE, LIFE & PENSION BROKERS

LoCall (0402) 32204

Office Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday www.traversinsurances.ie

Travers & Co. Insurances Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

kevin burke designed_kevin burke designed 15/04/2013 12:01 Page 4

Kevin Burke Tyres has been in business for 17 years

The company has retail depots in Athenry, Galway City and Ardrahan

providing a quick and efficient retail service, supplying the highest quality and widest range of tyres.

Services provided include: car, van, 4x4. agri, truck, implement, forklift and quad tyres; free NCT and tyre pressure check; car servicing from €75; batteries and exhausts, four wheel alignment and light alignment and a 24 hour breakdown service. Gift vouchers are also available.

Only the most modern alloy friendly tyre changers are used and with well trained and experienced staff, customers can be sure that their new set of tyres will be expertly fitted and balanced.

Prior to fitting any tyres, all wheels are inspected with small dents being removed in steel rims. All visible rust is removed from the top and bottom bead area, ensuring a perfect seal every time.

They carry a huge stock of tyres and IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS

can suit every car, van, truck, teleporter, waste recycling machinery or barrow and every budget. KBT are happy at any time, at no charge, to advise on safety, tyre pressure and tread.

Customers are spoilt for choice as their range includes: Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli, Dunlop, Fulda, Lassa, Bridgestone and Firestone, Semperit to name but a few. Kevin Burke Tyres is also the exclusive Irish distributor of Firenza and Bandmarket tyre brands.

The business is split evenly into retail and wholesale and Kevin revealed there are plans in the pipeline to expand their operations in the future.

“The wholesale section of the business is a lot stronger at the moment and we hope to grow our market share. We would also hope to open one more retail depot in a year

or two years time,” he revealed It’s a case of onwards and upwards as far as Kevin Burke Tyres is concerned. Give them a call at any of their three depots for a full price evaluation and fitting.

Contact Details

Athenry Depot Ballydavid, Athenry Tel: 091-845329

Galway Depot Riverside Ind Estate, Tuam Road, Galway Tel: 091-769636

Labane Depot Ardrahan Co Galway Tel: 091-639752 Website: www.kevinburketyres.ie

75

76_Layout 1 15/04/2013 14:43 Page 1

IRISH &

LIGHT COMMERCIALS

SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FOR 12 ISSUES or

INCLUDING P&P

By Post Fill out the attached application form and send it by post accompanied with a cheque or postal order (made payable to Lynn Group) for the correct amount to Irish Trucker Magazine, DG Press Ltd., Kells Business Park, Kells, Co. Meath

By Email Enclose your postal address and credit card details (Card type, number and expiry date) to contact@lynngroupmedia.com A receipt will be enclosed with your first magazine.

Any further inquiries can be made to contact@lynngroupmedia.com

Name:...............................................................................

Address:.......................................................................... .......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................

I enclose a cheque/postal order for €/Stg£ _______ made payable to DG Press Ltd. Send to:

Martina Clarke, DG Press Ltd., Kells Business Park, Kells, Co. Meath. Tel: 00353 (0)46-9241923

New New Classified Page_New New Classified Page 15/04/2013 13:08 Page 1

CLASSIFIED

Sole Distributors For

SUNFAB Hard Working High Performance Pumps and Motors Designed for Demanding Operations in Hydraulic Systems such as • Forest Cranes • General Duty Cranes • Sludge Pump Trucks • Skip Loaders • Moving Floors • Refuse Collection Vehicles etc.

• Motors especially suited for Heavy Duty High Speed Forestry work etc.

Max. Working pressure 400 bars High working speeds

For details contact Hi-Power Ltd.

Cork - Roy - Mob: (087) 2575116 Dubin - James - Mob: (087) 2597102 N.Ireland -Mark- Mob: (0791) 2631524 ALSO COMPLETE RANGE OF P.T.O.’S

Better value is on the cards.

Safe, convenient, reliable and competitive fuel management through 150 service stations and 6 motorway service areas, including 24-7 HGV access on selected sites.

Full transaction history is available to view online – supported by local Account Managers.

Networ

k Fuel C

Card Num

ber:

7083

6266

Compa T o pny: T r a n s

Card H M r olMder: a r t i n

ard

5265

Vehicle R

eg:

0672

1 3 1 D 5 5 6 6 3

Fuel Ca

647

Expires:

0 6 / 1 4

Card Num

7

ber:

rd

0836 Network Fuel 2 6 6Card 52

6506 7264 T r a n s Vehicle R 7MCard0Holde8r: 3 6 2 6 6 51 321 eg6D : 555 0 6 7 2 6 4 7 7 Compa

ny: o p CardTNumber:

6 6 3

r

M a r t i n Company: T o p T r a n s Card Holder:

M r

To talk to a member of our Fuel Card Team: Call 1850 222 262 Or email fuelcard@top.ie www.top.ie

M a r t i n

Vehicle Reg:

1 3 1 D 5 5 6 6 3

Expires:

0 6 Expires: / 1 4 0 6 / 1 4

Fu

Card Num

70

Company:

T o p

Card Hold

M r

M