NRD Transport - Case Study
Case Study
Owner-drivers have always played a significant role in the effective operations of road haulage in the UK. Often acting as sub-contractors to larger operators, or by offering local regular runs for specific companies, owner-drivers provide the flexibility tight delivery and collections times require in an increasingly 24/7 environment. Their very existence is now under threat at this time with increasing legislation, higher fuel prices and pressure on rates for the job. Many are turning to the Haulage Exchange to manage their jobs profitably and keep them in business.
One such case is Neil Davis operating as NRD Transport in Birmingham. Neil, like so many lorry drivers, has had a background in HM Forces as well as, in his case, the Fire Brigade. Neil is committed to his role as an owner driver. He used his redundancy after the Fire Brigade - damaged knees - to buy his first truck and then set about getting his CPC and acts as his own transport manager. He takes his role as an owner-driver very seriously. "I am happy running one truck. I have regular customers and I have no ambitions to build up a fleet. Being an owner-driver gives me freedom and flexibility to choose who I work with and how long I am away from home".
Neil has also been careful in his choice of truck. An unreliable vehicle can cost him his livelihood. "I chose a DAF because it is the best on the road." His current vehicle is a DAF6 x4 V480 – a powerful beast and highly specified with fitted carpet and velour seats in the cab. A real home-from-home for Neil, who spends most of his time in his truck making a living.
To say life is getting tougher is an understatement for Neil. Following a logical rant about the price of fuel, poor rates and increasing legislation he says that many jobs, now three years later, are at the same rate or less, even though the cost of everything has risen significantly. So Neil is very choosy about what he does, "It is not worth taking the lorry out for the fun of it," he says.
Neil has been using Haulage Exchange for over two years which has enabled him to build up a regular clientele. As we speak he is checking out a 'hotshot' to Plymouth and is examining a possibility of using haulage exchange to give him a backload as well. Neil uses his Orange Mobile phone and associated 'dongle' to access Haulage Exchange via the web in his cab. This facility is crucial to Neil's success as an owner driver. He is able to monitor backload opportunities in real time while on the road. Because Neil plans his week around the most profitable trips that fit into his profile of operations from Birmingham, he can afford to wait for the best opportunities. Being pro-active in this, Neil believes, has helped him manage his time more effectively and cut down on dead mileage.
"Customers comes first," says Neil. " I never let anyone down. If they want me there at 9am I arrive at 8.30. I only choose the jobs that really pay and this enables me to choose between 4-5 trips a week to fund the truck and a reasonable living." A living which Neil says is being threatened increasingly by foreign lorries using 4 x 2 tractor units with large fuel tanks, cheap diesel and low wages helping them to undercut the rates.
Download the NRD Transport case study (PDF)
Fact File |
Year Founded |
|
2005 |
Main Location |
Birmingham |
Turnover |
n/a |
Number of Haulage Vehicles |
1 |
Haulage Exchange Member Since |
November 2005 |