Dedication, application and honesty March 2001

Killybegs Transport has come a long way in fifteen years. A long, successful future seems assured too.From modest beginnings, Paddy Diver and Frank O’Donnell have used a combination of hard work, integrity, foresight, determination, dedication to excellence and complete application to each and every job to build a successful medium-sized haulage operation.

Throw in prompt delivery, state-of-the-art equipment and a policy of complete honesty and you have all the ingredients of Killybegs Transport’s amazing success story.

Killybegs Transport was born out of humble and tentative beginnings and has since blossomed into a highly-respected concern of considerable size. Paddy reflects: “Myself and Frank both worked as drivers drawing fish out of Killybegs. We worked for one of the factories but eventually put our heads together and decided that it might be a good idea to set up our own company and provide a service to all the factories. We started with one truck and just grew from there.”

The fleet now consists of 12 refrigerated units and three Euroliners. The refrigerated trailers are a mixture of Chereau, Lamberet and SOR, all of which are purchased locally. Nine of the tractor units are Volvo; the other three are Scania.
The company specialises predominantly in continental and domestic haulage, almost exclusively of processed fish from the various factories in the Killybegs area but also dabbles in other areas as and when this proves appropriate, convenient and sufficiently profitable.

While Killybegs Transport still brings some fish from the trawlers to the factories to be processed, the bulk of the work is continental. They load the trailers at the factories in Killybegs and then bring the cargo abroad to all EU countries and countries like Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and all over Scandinavia.On the return leg, the fridges are loaded with chilled and frozen foods.

Since inception, Killybegs Transport has carried out each job with a meticulous attention to detail and a careful personal touch. With growth has come an improvement in service quality.

Paddy and Frank set the business up in 1986 and still run Killybegs Transport Ltd. today. Paddy’s wife Annette works in the office as Financial Controller.

Like any company, Killybegs Transport relies on the efficiency, competence and skill of its staff. At the moment, the good ship Killybegs Transport is kept afloat by a trusty team of about 16 workers, three in the office and twelve drivers, and...
The company also employs its own full-time mechanic who looks after all the servicing and bodywork on the units. All equipment is serviced and maintained regularly to the very highest standards.

Killybegs Transport is headquartered in a purpose-built three-bay facility in Donegal town. The office is on the second storey. Below it are two drive-through bays, one of which is essentially an open garage while the second incorporates a full-length pit.
Considering that, on average, a typical truck unit/fridge package costs up to £120,000, it’s hardly surprising that Paddy and Frank look after their fleet so well.

In this line of business, it’s all about efficiency and getting to the end destination on time. You have to load up and then meet your deadlines. You can’t fall short. When you’re carrying a frozen or chilled load, you have to meet the deadline. You can’t afford to be broken down at the side of the road with thousands of pounds worth of produce going off in the trailer. It’s imperative that you have a good unit under you and a good trailer.

Is there anything specific about hauling fish that requires specialist knowledge? “It’s not that different to any other frozen or fresh product,” reveals Paddy. “We also collect off the Spanish boats which fish off the Irish coast and deliver their produce fresh onto the Spanish market.”

What are the plans for the future? “We’re just going to hang in here and continue to do what we do best. There have been problems in the past with fish quotas and stuff but we feel that if we continue to provide a high quality service then we’ll survive.

“We’re very busy from the beginning of October through to May but the summer can be very quiet for the fishing industry. So we have to find some alternative work to do. We diversify into a number of other areas. For example, we bring two loads of rubber a week to Germany from a factory in Sligo.”

Is the increasingly competitive nature of the haulage industry a cause for concern? “Not really. We have our contacts built up and we provide a quality service which cannot be bettered. Margins are tight, so it all comes down to the service we provide and that’s what we pride ourselves on.

“We use the best equipment and provide a prompt delivery service. We don’t mess our customers around - if you respect a customer, the least they deserve is the truth. If we anticipate any difficulties or think a delivery might be late, we will contact them immediately and let them know exactly what’s going on.”

It’s hard to beat a bit of honesty in this day and age.