A Byrne-ing passion

Byrne Haulage and Storage is a fine example of a company that has grown and prospered by offering the customer that little bit extra that sets it apart from the competition. Owner David Byrne told John Loughran that going the extra mile can make all the difference.

David Byrne comes from a haulage industry background. His father Peter has been in the business for more than 40 years, as was his late grandfather Maurice. He cut his teeth in the world of haulage under his father’s expert eye before “going it alone” in 1986. It was a decision he has never regretted.

Based in Drogheda, Co Louth it was almost inevitable that David would turn to the local port and its shipping agents when he embarked on a solo career in the haulage industry. He recalls the early days: “I started out as an owner driver. I added a second truck two years later and a third the following year. It started to grow from there.”

Specialising in dry freight national haulage the company now runs a fleet of five artics and three rigids drawing a wide range of products including timber, steel, paper, chemicals and cotton wool to name a few.
In 1994 he decided to diversify the company’s operations into warehousing and distribution while still retaining its core business of general dry freight haulage. He acquired a 5,000 square feet premises just outside the town and began to expand. “I feel warehousing and distribution is the way forward for hauliers. You can do the haulage at a time that suits you. If you link a company’s warehousing requirements with their haulage and distribution you can command a better rate.’

Two years ago the company added an additional 14,000 square feet of warehousing space to its existing facility such has been the demand for the company’s services. David has plans to add an additional 10,000 square of space feet next year.
“The warehousing side of the business has opened up a lot of opportunities for us. We are now taking containers from the port, breaking them down, consolidating the loads and doing nationwide deliveries. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the warehousing facilities,” he related.

David revealed that the company has benefited from the expansion at Drogheda Port. The expansion included a £14 million development of the port and facilities including the construction of a new 160 metre quay with a 210 metre “always afloat” ship berth pocket along side that can berth two ships.
“Drogheda port’s throughput has expanded considerably and that has had a down stream
affect on us. We bought an extra two trucks this year as a result of the extra work being generated by the warehousing side of the business and the extra work coming through from the port,” David enthused.

Talking trucks, David explained the company adopts a policy of buying new and running the vehicle for six years before trading it in. He feels this policy is cost effective. “We are doing national work. We are not doing the miles so we can afford to run the trucks for two or three years longer than somebody doing international work. “
He has an acute understanding of the importance of running a modern fleet of vehicles. However, he also understands the need to get a good return on his investment. A six-year replacement policy achieves this balance, according to David.

Volvo and DAF are the preferred marques at Byrne Haulage and Storage. “We find both Volvo and DAF very reliable. Volvo give a great back-up service and DAF are economical,” David enthused.
Traditionally the company used to maintain the fleet in house. However, David now believes it is more cost effective to sub-contract the maintenance. “Over the last 12 years or so we have studied the costs and we discovered it didn’t pay to run a garage. We have our own garage here, which we now rent out. That brings in a revenue that goes to offset maintenance costs.” he explained.

He continued: “Most of the trucks are under warranty so they go back to the main dealers if there are any problems. They will also give you a replacement vehicle if needed.”
David is quite contented to sub-contract the maintenance and concentrate on others areas of the business. “We want to concentrate on developing the haulage, warehousing and distribution. That is what we are good at. It makes sense to let somebody with the specialist skills do the maintenance.”
The hard working haulier believes the fleet is approaching its optimum size. “We will probably add another truck or two, but that will be it. We want to focus on giving our customers the best possible service that we can. We can best achieve that by remaining a small company that offers the personal touch.”

David fully realises the important role his staff play in “delivering” a high quality service. “We are very lucky in that respect. We have a good team of drivers. They represent the public face of the company to the customer. We work to tight deadlines and they have to meet those deadlines.”
Nowadays, the Co. Louth haulier rarely gets the opportunity to take a truck out on the road, except in times of holiday relief. He spends his time drumming up new business and overseeing the smooth operation of the company. He has forsaken punching in miles on the open road, to concentrate on going that extra mile for the customer.

This philosophy is putting him miles ahead of the competition.