Aiden Kelly, General Manager at North West London-based Kingscote Haulage yet to consider adding any zero-tailpipe-emission trucks to the fleet, but doesn’t rule out battery-electric in the future. But, he says they would need to make sense from both a practical and cost perspective.
But what he is considering in the very near future is hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is growing in popularity in the UK as a less-polluting but slightly dearer alternative to diesel.
Despite a UK-wide driver shortage, Kingscote Haulage hasn’t struggled to put bums on seats, and doesn’t employ any agency staff. Aiden says this has a lot to do with treating drivers with respect, which is confirmed by right-hand-man Delroy Lucas, who has recently come off the road to train as Kingscote Haulage’s new transport manager. He says Aiden always treats his staff with respect, which is reciprocated in loyalty.
“It’s about having the right attitude,” says Aiden. “The bigger the fleet, the bigger the churn you have, which can’t be helped. But we try to keep as many settled as we can. And I always talk to them like humans, rather than barking orders at them.”
Whereas Aiden normally plans to stay in roles like this for five or six years, on this occasion he says he’s in it for the long-haul and is ‘here to finish the job I’ve started’.
While he doesn’t have ambitions to grow the fleet above 35 trucks, over the next decade he intends to turn Kingscote Haulage into a £30m (A$55m)-a-year business. He’s in the process of adding both landfill and recycling, with significant announcements expected over the next 12 months. He says landfill and recycling facilities are important strings to have in any muck-away operator’s bow, since they add stability, and keep trucks busy during quieter periods.
“My aim is always to build up the muck-shifting part as quick as I can, and then put in additional landfill and recycling elements,” says Aiden. “When you’re disposing of materials, and then recycling, you’re always loaded.”
Over the years I’ve interviewed countless people who have built up successful haulage firms. Maybe even two during the course of their working lives, but never several. With this in mind, I’m intrigued as to what he believes is the secret to his success.
“At one time in my life I would have said being competitive, but these days it’s more about alliances than competing with people,” says Aiden. “Also, I have a reputation in the muck-shifting world for never letting anyone down. If I take on a job, I finish it. I always keep to a deal, and I guess that pays off in the long run.”
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