Delivering on time, every time

D. Curran and Sons Ltd., was established in 1979 by husband and wife Dick and Denise Curran. From humble beginnings the company has grown and developed into a specialised transport, storage and distribution provider. Dick took time out from his busy schedule to speak to Irish Trucker.

Dick decided to go out on his own at the comparatively tender age of 21. It was a bold decision he has never regretted. He recalled: “I started off with a Bedford TK drawing to a plant in Derbyshire. I drove it myself for a while. I then bought a second hand truck and another trailer. I put a driver on the first truck and I fed him with the second.”

The business grew at a steady pace. By 1994 the company had moved to a purpose built 20,000 square feet state of the art facility in Balloo Avenue in Bangor, Co. Down and by 1998 Dick and Denise had built the fleet up to 12 tractor units and 21 trailers. “By that stage we had gone to the complete maximum with the fleet. There was nothing more we could do. We couldn’t run the business any more efficiently,” Dick revealed.

The company confidently undertook an expansion programme at a time when many other transport operators were happy to consolidate their position. Spiralling fuel prices, stagnant rates and crippling vehicle excise duty were all good reasons to consolidate. However the affable Managing Director had other ideas. “In the words of Sir James Goldsmith - when you see a bandwagon it is too late. When things are quiet it is too late to look for work. Look for work when you are busy. When everyone is going east you go west. We never had any problem expanding. The work is there if you do it properly.”

The company’s brave move paid off handsomely and it now runs a fleet of 29 trucks and over 100 trailers. During the expansion the company re-assessed its customer base.

Dick revealed: We always had a mixed fleet for Europe and the U.K. We decided our competition in Europe came from smaller operators who had no overheads. Typically the small operator with one to five trucks.”
He continued: “We had an overhead and concentrating on Europe didn’t feed that. So we decided to concentrate on the U.K. We do a ‘break bulk’ everyday. We bring in two trunkers from the U.K. break them down and deliver (using a fleet of 11 rigids) to the nine counties of Ulster.”

In expanding the business and assessing its customer base the company made a conscious decision to standardise the fleet. “We have low ride tractor units which gives us 3 metre access on most of our trailers. When we did Europe we had a mixed fleet and we had to mix and match, now we can go on practically every route,” Dick explained.

In the early days groupage played a significant part in the company’s activities. While it is no longer the mainstay of the business it still generates a sizeable annual revenue. “Our groupage business has increased by 50% over the last 10 years but the rest of the business has increased by 500%.

Indeed the company is anxious to enhance its groupage service between the U.K. and Northern Ireland. To that end the company signed a lease on a new premises in Warrington in February which will act as a ‘hub’ for the U.K..

Chatting with Dick is like a breath of fresh air amongst the diesel fumes. He comes across as an honest, straight talking and hard working haulier. His word is definitely his bond. The success of the company has been built around raw honesty. “So many hauliers tell so many lies. What most hauliers forget is that the person you are delivering to has a days work to do also. He has a schedule to work to. He has staff to organise and a production line to operate.”

“We never let anybody down and we never bull***** the customer. There is no such thing as running late any more. You are there on time or you don’t get the work... end of story. We don’t run the business running late. We deliver on time every time,” Dick enthused.

While Dick is still more than willing to get behind the wheel on occasions, he sees his role as “managing the direction of the company.” To that end he always has an eye to the future and is constantly striving to improve he company’s market position. His wife Denise also plays a vital role in the company. Describing her as “the boss” Dick revealed that Denise manages the administration, accounting and finance functions of the business.

Five years ago he took the innovative step of going “online” @dcurran.co.uk. As a result of this development, the company landed its most prestigious contract to date. Dick recalled: “we got a phonecall from the US Embassy. We supplied all the transport for President Clinton throughout Northern Ireland before Christmas. They found us on the internet. As a marketing tool it is seriously effective.”

Three years ago the company installed satellite tracking in all its vehicles. Dick revealed the benefits of the system. “It is a time management benefit. Obviously it is a comfort to know where all your trucks are, but it is all about time. You try ringing 20 trucks in the morning and see how long it takes. We don’t need to ring all the drivers. You just look at where the truck is, and if it isn’t where it should be then you ring the driver.”

Industry analysts agree that the Northern Ireland transport sector is in a state of decline. However, Dick is confident of bucking the trend. “I know how to run my transport business and I know how to deliver goods, but the goalposts keep moving and you have to react to that. You have to look at what is happening on a wider scale and not bury your head in the sand.”