Skeath’s secret

Mark Skeath has been running his own successful national and international refrigerated transport company for the past eight years. He gave an overview of the companyÕs operations to John Loughran.

Mark Skeath Transport Ltd, based in Emyvale, Co. Monaghan was established in 1997, but the Skeath name has been linked with the haulage industry for the more than a quarter of a century through Mark’s father Malachy.

Nowadays Mark Skeath Transport Ltd specialises exclusively in refrigerated transport. Everything from hanging meat to frozen ice cream is within the compass of this progressive haulage outfit.
The company is similarly adept at groupage and distribution. “We would do a great deal of groupage and distribution between Ireland and the UK and back. It is an important part of our business,” he commented.

Mark eyes up his continental options

Focusing on Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Italy Mark Skeath Transport utilises state-of-the art plant and equipment, manned by experienced and highly reliable drivers, to deliver high levels of customer service.

To facilitate the smooth running of the business, Mark runs a modern fleet of trucks, predominantly Scania. The fleet also comprises a solitary Volvo and a DAF.

We prefer Scania for a number of reasons: fuel consumption and back up service. We find Scania to be a very fuel efficient truck, while McElvaney Motors in Monaghan give us a great back up service,” he revealed.
Scania has the reputation of being a drivers’ truck, which isn’t lost on Mark. “The drivers seem to prefer them, which is vitally important, especially when you are doing a great deal of international work. We like to accommodate the drivers where possible,” he added.

Mickey Lavery, Damien McCormack, Stephen Tracey and Mark Skeath with son Matthew

To complement the company’s UK and continental fleet the company also runs two rigid Scanias to facilitate local distribution. “The bulk of it would be into the big multiples. We would also deliver direct into some shops,” he confirmed.

Similarly the company runs a modern fleet of refrigerated trailers. “We run 12 trailers at the moment, which can be problematic when we are busy. We are looking into adding another couple of trailers before the end of the year. We would have a preference for Gray & Adams and SOR. We tend to buy only quality equipment,” he remarked.

The oldest truck in the fleet was registered in 2002, while the oldest trailer was purchased in 2000. Mark explained his reasoning behind running ultra-modern plant and equipment. “It is all down to reliability and customer satisfaction, which can be best achieved through running modern equipment.”

Louise Skeath hard at work in the office

Mark opts to replace his trucks every four years. “They would do three years on the continent and a year in Ireland before they are replaced. In the fourth year we tend to keep them closer to home.”

Given Mark’s faith in Scania and McElvaney Motors it isn’t surprising to learn that the main dealer handles maintenance. “The trucks are purchased with contract maintenance agreements. That means your costs are fixed for the three years and there are no unwanted surprises.”

The fleet is kept in pristine condition

He feels the company is running at the optimum size to get the most out of contract leasing. “If you were running a bigger fleet, you would have to look at the option of doing the work in house, I think you would need in the region of 15 trucks and 20 trailers to make an in house garage pay for itself,” he opined.

Mark looks after the bulk of trailer maintenance. He revealed: “Apart from regular greasing there isn’t that much maintenance on the trailers. Thermo King maintains all the refrigeration units.”

All too often the phrase “the customer is king” is tossed around in haulage circles like a Caesar salad. But on speaking with Mark it becomes apparent that this haulage operator is definitely willing to go the “extra mile” for the customer.

It is apparent in all aspects of the business from accounts and administration, which are dealt with by his wife Louise through the whole scale of operations to customer delivery.

“It is all down to reliability and customer service. Over the years customers have left and gone over to the competition, but invariably they come back to us, because of our reputation for reliability,” he noted. “They come back to us because others can’t give the same level of service, which is gratifying to hear,” he added.

With the customer in mind, the company has fitted all its trucks with satellite tracking systems. “Our customers can log into our system and see where our vehicle and their goods are at any given time, which gives them peace of mind. It also cuts down on costly communication between the driver and the office. It also helps to cut down on insurance premiums,” he elaborated.

Mark and his team endeavour to run a quality-driven operation in all aspects of the business. This quality ethos prompted the affable haulier to apply for ISO 9001 accreditation some years ago.

“The ISO accreditation gave us a considerable boost and put us firmly on the quality track. It has helped us attract new customers over the last couple of years,” he asserted.

But the trucks and trailers in the world are only as good as the team of drivers that man them. In Mark’s case he has a hand picked team, some of whom have been working for the Skeath family for the best part of 20 years.
“They are all local lads. Driver retention isn’t a problem here. Some of the drivers have been with us since my father’s time running the company. They are all long-serving and play an important role in the company’s success,” he enthused.

In that light there is a great camaraderie within the company and great “can do” feel. “The drivers know the job as well as I do. There is a very strong bond between us all. They are top class lads and I am very fortunate to have them,” Mark quipped.

As one might expect of an ISO accredited company, Mark Skeath Transport places great emphasis on the appearance of the fleet. Mark isn’t into airbrushing, but the fleet is head turning nonetheless.
“The livery is very simple, but effective. They stand out and look extremely clean and fresh, which is crucial in refrigerated transport. Customers don’t want their goods arriving in a dirty truck,” he affirmed.

To that end great store is placed on cleanliness. “The trucks and trailers are washing thoroughly inside and out on a regular basis. You cannot take chances when you are transporting food,” he continued.
Equally the company’s drivers are always immaculately presented. “All the drivers have their shirts and jackets, with the company logo. They are the public face of the company and take great pride in their appearance,” he added.

Mark puts great faith in customer feedback - both positive and negative - to monitor the performance of the company. Invariably the feedback is almost always positive, but on the rare occasions when the feedback is negative, he is quick to respond.

Aside from spiralling diesel prices, which is affecting hauliers right across the board, Mark is happy with the way 2005 is panning out thus far.