Transport in the blood

Slane Co. Meath native, Brendan Bagnall has carved out a successful career in the haulage industry, sub-contracting to Roadstone Provinces Ltd in the North East. He took time out from his busy schedule to talk trucking with Irish Trucker.

Brendan Bagnall runs a fleet of 12 HGVs

The Bagnall family has had a close association with Roadstone in the North East stretching back to the early 1950s, when Brendan’s father Danny first sub-contracted to the construction supplies company.
In 1991, Danny handed over the reins to sons Brendan and Joe who decided to focus on different elements of the business. Brendan opted to continue hauling bulk cement for Roadstone, while Joe decided to focus on developing the low-loader side of the business.
Brendan started out with just one truck and a bulk tanker and a hunger to succeed in the business. “I took over from my father Danny, who had a truck and tanker with Roadstone. I took on the cement business with a 1989 Volvo FM 10 and a bulk tanker. Believe it or not I’m still driving that truck and it is as good as the first day I drove it,” he elaborated.

Nowadays Brendan runs a fleet of 12 trucks and assorted tankers and trailers, hauling exclusively for Roadstone throughout the North East, Dublin and the midlands. Bulk cement, tarmac, concrete blocks and aggregates and to a lesser extent low-loader work, are all within the compass of this bustling enterprise.

The team at Brendan Bagnall haulage

He elaborated: “We can offer the company a wide range of haulage services including flat and curtainsider trailers, bulk aggregate tippers, insulated tippers for hauling tarmac and chips, as well as the bulk powder tippers.”
Brendan entered the business at a time when Ireland was beginning to develop its roads infrastructure, which resulted in considerable knock-on effects for companies such as Roadstone.
He recalled: “Shortly after I started Roadstone got the contract to supply cement on the Dunleer bypass. I was under considerable pressure trying to keep up with the work, so I took the bull by the horns and went out and bought two new trucks and tankers as well. Then I had to get two drivers.”

It didn’t take the affable haulier that long to make up his mind to expand when the window of opportunity presented itself. “I was in there at the right time. I knew I was working for a great company and knew there would be opportunities to expand with them,” he recalled.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the hard working haulier. As all hauliers will testify, rapid expansion can bring its own associated problems, removed from the day-to-day operations of the business.

An impressive Volvo, part of the Brendan Bagnall fleet

“There was a time in the late 1990s, when I had extremely heavy borrowings and that put me under considerable pressure, but we are now more established and I wouldn’t be under the same level of pressure,” he admitted.
While many hauliers would be loath to commit all their resources to the one company, Brendan is content to haul almost exclusively for Roadstone, safe in the knowledge that he is hauling for one biggest construction supply companies in the world.
To that end, he sets out to give the customer exceedingly high levels of customer service. “We haul for them seven days a week. We have the equipment and the staff to offer them a vast range of haulage solutions. We would be noted for our reliability,” Brendan explained.

Because of family reasons Brendan has scaled back the company’s operations in the past year, but his commitment to Roadstone is undiminished. “I bought two new Volvos this year, but I sold off five of the lorries so that I could spend more time with the family. It is more manageable now, which allows me to spend more time with the family,” he noted.
When Brendan set up his own company 14 years ago, he started off with a 1989 Volvo FM 10. That truck is still Brendan’s pride and joy and his love affair with the Volvo marque and McDonnell Commercials continues to burn brightly.

“With McDonnell Commercials what you pay for is exactly what you get. There are no half measures with them,” he enthused. He is equally enamoured with Volvo. Volvo’s strongest selling point is their back up service. If you break down anywhere in Ireland, they will have a man with you in less than an hour. Their back up service is second to none.”

Brendan is acutely aware of the inherent benefits of running Volvo exclusively. An ability to steam line his parts requirements is a case in point. “It means I can carry the one selection of parts for the entire fleet. It means I can keep a minimum amount of stock in the workshop, which has considerable benefits. If I had a mixed fleet I would have to carry a wide range of parts for every truck,” he continued.

To keep the fleet in tip-top condition Brendan mixes “in house” with main dealer maintenance. “I would do a lot of the maintenance on both trucks and trailers myself. Anything I can’t handle goes back McDonnell Commercials and they are great in that respect.”

Brendan believes “in house” maintenance has its merits through reduced downtime as well as the levels of flexibility it can offer. He added: “By doing the work yourself, you can get the truck back on the road as quickly as possible. If I need to work late into the night to get the truck back on the road the following morning so be it.”

In order to keep downtime to a minimum, the company has a “spare” truck parked in the yard at all times. “The truck is taxed and insured and ready to roll at a moment’s notice, which allows us to pull in a truck, fix it and get it back out on the road, without any disruptions.”
Brendan also carries out maintenance and repairs on the company’s extensive fleet of trailers, which comprises, seven bulk tankers, two curtainsiders, one flat trailer, one low-loader, and three aggregate tippers.
“There is as much maintenance with the trailers as there is with the trucks. They have to be kept roadworthy at all times. So all in all, I’m kept very busy in the workshop,” he confirmed.
Involved exclusively in national haulage, Brendan has had little problem in recruiting quality drivers down through the years. “They start at a respectable hour and they finish at a respectable hour and they work within all the regulations. The working conditions are good and the pay is good, which makes the job pretty attractive,” he asserted.

Brendan’s decision to down size the fleet earlier in the year didn’t result in job losses as a number of his drivers decided to move on to pastures greener. However, it did give him the opportunity to bring in a number of new faces.
“A number of the drivers decided to move on, which gave me the opportunity to bring in a few new men and I must say I am extremely happy with the drivers that are currently working for the company,”

Brendan is fulsome in his praise of the driving team, especially Brendan “Woody” Woods. “Woody co-ordinates where all the drivers are going on a daily basis. He has the thankless job of scheduling all of the drivers, but he is able to switch things round so that every driver gets a good variety of work,” he enthused.

He is a strong advocate of the “one truck, one driver” school of thought, on the basis that a driver will take better care of his truck, when he is the only one driving it. “When a driver takes his holidays his truck is parked up for the duration, there wouldn’t be a question of anybody else driving it. Each driver is accountable for their own truck, which makes it easier to keep tabs on repairs,” he admitted.

Brendan is happy to report that his team of truck-proud drivers take great pride in the appearances of their rigs. “The trucks are all fitted out with CD players, CB radios and whatever lights and little extras the drivers want. In return the drivers keep the trucks clean and tidy. In that respect they wash their trucks practically every day.”

Brendan makes special mention of the two leading ladies in his life - wife Martina and daughter Danielle: “Martina has stuck by me through thick and thin and she has been a real tower of strength. Danielle, who sat her Leaving Cert this year, has a great interest in lorries and intends to join the family business within the next year or so.”

Resplendent in their yellow and white livery, Brendan’s trucks certainly turn heads wherever they go. “A clean and tidy truck is a good advertisement for the company and speaks volumes for the driver and the employer,” he concluded.