Moving Mountains

White Mountain Quarries, part of the Lagan Group was established in 1960 on the outskirts of Belfast. The names White Mountain and Lagan have been synonymous with the quarrying and construction industries ever since. Plant and Transport Manager Brendan Beggan gave John Loughran the guided tour.

In the quarrying industry big is definitely beautiful. The sheer scale of plant and machinery is mind boggling. Dump trucks capable of carrying a payload in excess of 50 tonnes. Crushing plant that can turn a boulder the size of a family car into aggregates the size of a matchbox in the blink of an eye. Mind blowing stuff.

White Mountain Quarries produce a significant percentage of the Group’s 3 million tonne annual output of quarry materials. Brendan enthused: About 50% of the aggregates are consumed with the Group by our sister companies, Roadmix, White Mountain Surfacing and Lagan Asphalt. We also supply to the local authorities, Belfast Harbour Commissioners and building contractors throughout Northern Ireland.”

Brendan has responsibility for all mobile plant. The phrase mind boggling springs to mind again. 40 tonne dump trucks, loading shovels, rock rippers, mobile drill rigs, dozers etc., are maintained at the company’s sate-of-the-art workshop. To facilitate the smooth running of the maintenance function the company employs 12 fulltime fitters.

“We keep it simple,” Brendan says casually. “We have planned maintenance schedules for all the equipment. They are maintained on a 250 hour cycle or roughly every five weeks. We also maintain a number of 1000 KVA generator sets. They are maintained on 500 hours cycles.”

Because of the nature of the business not all maintenance / repairs can be planned. “About 25% of our maintenance is unplanned because of breakdowns and unscheduled repairs. In this business you will always get breakdowns on site, but we allow for that and always have a man or two floating.”

White Mountain Quarries runs a fleet out 27 trucks out of the four quarries in the Belfast area, namely, White Mountain, Black Mountain, Ballystockart and Temple. This modern fleet of Volvo, DAF and Mercedes are predominantly owned by the drivers.

Brendan revealed why the company decided to go down this road. “We find it to be cost effective. The drivers are profit driven because they own their trucks. There is an added incentive for the driver to look after their own trucks.”

The owner driver scheme as operated by White Mountain Quarries is common in Northern Ireland and the UK. Brendan revealed its logistics: “We buy the vehicle on behalf of the driver. He has a limited choice of vehicle. He can specify an aluminium body, alloy wheels etc. to get the weight down. He is paid in the same fashion as an ordinary owner driver.”

The company supply diesel, arrange insurance and road tax, and organise maintenance of the vehicle. “We deduct the Hire Purchase and all the running costs for the truck for the month. We also look after tax and so on. What is left is given to the driver in the form of a wage.”
Brendan revealed that the company closely monitor the performance of every truck and keep the owner informed monthly.

The advantages for the owner driver are obvious. They are guaranteed a steady stream of work and they are freed from the tiresome administration and accounts that afflicts most owner drivers. At the end of the six year contract they have an asset (the truck) that can be sold or traded against a new vehicle.
Brendan added: “The owner driver has no financial headaches. We manage his finances and give him a wages cheque at the end of the month. That allows the driver to concentrate on driving the truck and making a decent living.”

The company also conducts road worthiness checks on all vehicles every six weeks to maintain its impeccable high standards. All the company’s fitters are highly trained and are au fait with the latest vehicle inspection techniques. Consequently the fleet is amongst the safest on the road.
There are inherent benefits for the company too. “The drivers sign a contract for six years. They haul for us exclusively. That means our transport requirements are covered at all times and we have a highly motivated, profit orientated team of drivers to deliver our products.”

White Mountain Quarries is never short of potential owner drivers because of the nature of the scheme it operates. However, all potential candidates are put through a stringent selection process. “You need an operator’s licence and a driver’s licence to start with. Then we will assess driving ability. If we are happy that everything is in order we will offer the candidate a sarting date. The process takes about three months from start to finish.”

The Lagan Group with an 800-strong workforce is still in private ownership. The directors believe that each company should stand alone while still sharing the technical and financial resources of the group. White Mountain Quarries in this respect is a case in point.