Callan continues to expand

Callan Sand & Gravel has carved out a fine reputation for the supply of sand gravel and associated quarry products, since the company was formed in 2003. Irish Trucker visited the company at its headquarters near Naas, in Co. Kildare and found out that it has considerably more than one string to its bow.

Part of the fleet

Brother and sister Thomas and Elaine Callan established Callan Sand & Gravel in March 2003. The company’s success revolves around its ability to source high quality sand, gravel and associated products for re-sale and delivery to a wide variety of customers in greater Dublin and Kildare.
It is a tried and trusted formula, which has reaped rewards for the company since its inception. However, Callan Sand & Gravel isn’t the type of company that is prepared to rest on its laurels. Ever the entrepreneurs, Thomas and Elaine are continuously looking to strengthen and expand their thriving business

In that light the company has now broken into the “small load” segment of the market to exploit a number of perceived opportunities. “People were continuously contacting us for small loads of sand or gravel, but because of the way we were set up, we weren’t able to make those type of deliveries.”
The company’s extensive fleet of eight wheeler tippers and articulated tippers didn’t lend themselves to so-called “small” deliveries. To fill the void the company invested in a Mitsubishi Canter and a small Iveco rigid truck.

However, the company’s investment didn’t end there. “We built 15 bays to store the various products that well sell. Each bin would contain a stock of a different products, which means we can deliver any quantity on demand direct from our yard.”
She continued: “We can deliver a load ranging in weight from one to 20 tonnes. We are now getting a lot of business that we previously missed out on. The two small trucks are drawing out of the bins on a continuous basis.”
The development has opened a number of new windows of opportunity for the company. Anybody with a requirement for a small delivery of sand, gravel, crushed stone etc is now within the compass of Callan Sand & Gravel. From the DIY enthusiast to the professional landscape gardener, the company has the wherewithal to deliver a high quality service.

This eight wheel tipper is kept busy

The company’s core customers in the construct industry are also reaping the benefits of the development. Elaine enthused: “The builders on our books are delighted with the service. Often they would require a small load of sand etc to complete a job. We are now able to offer them that service.”
But the expansion didn’t come cheap. “The development represented a significant investment for the company, but we felt it was the way to go and we are confident it will pay off in the long run,” she noted.

With a view to diversifying into related areas, Callan Sand & Gravel recently received a HazChem licence. Elaine explained the logic behind this development. “We now have one of our trucks sub-contracting to a company that is operating in the ADR market. The truck is drawing bitumen, which gives us another dimension.”

She added: “We also bought our own fuel tanker and we are looking at the possibility of buying our diesel in bulk and hauling it ourselves. We feel that would be most cost effective in the long run, because we are spending in the region of E100,000 a month on diesel, so we feel we could make considerable savings in that area.”
The company also operates very successfully in the plant hire and muck-away businesses. Elaine revealed: “We have a number of track machines, low-loaders, six tonne dump trucks and mini diggers for hire.

She added: “We would also have three road sweepers. Because of our involvement in the muck-away business, we need the road sweepers. We also hire the road sweepers to the construction sector,” she remarked.
“Cowboy operators” out to make a quick buck at every turn of the road have tarnished the image of legitimate hauliers working in the muck shifting business over the years. To its credit Callan Sand & Gravel is one of those companies, happy to play by the rules of the sector, even if that creates “administrative” headaches.

The company is now involved in road sweeping

Elaine elaborated: “We have all the relevant waste collection permits and we dump the waste in licensed landfills. There is no point in being in the business, unless you are going to do it properly.”
To facilitate the smooth running of the company’s mainstream haulage activities, Callan Sand & Gravel runs a fleet of 10 eight-wheeler tipper trucks and five articulated tippers. The company can also call on the services of a select number of sub-contractors to complement its own fleet in peak periods.

An influx on non-nationals from the accession states has meant a plentiful supply of drivers in the greater Dublin area. Callan Sand & Gravel has a number of Polish and Lithuanian drivers on its books. They are great drivers and good workers. The language barrier can be a problem at times but all-in-all it is working very well for us,” she noted.
“The non-national drivers dovetail well with the company’s core Irish drivers. They all get on well together. Our drivers play a very important role in the ongoing success of the business and we are very happy in that respect,” Elaine confirmed.
To keep the fleet of trucks and plant in tip-top condition the company employs two fulltime mechanics that are based at the company’s premises at Pluckerstown, Kilmeague.

The company's new fuel tanker

“We feel it is more cost effective to have our own mechanics, when you take into account the amount of trucks and plant that we have to maintain. We can also do the work at a time that best suits us,” she noted.
She continued: “If a truck comes back to the yard with a problem at 6.00pm in the evening, we can have that truck back on the road the following morning. You don’t get that level of flexibility through sub-contracting the work out.”
Volvo backbones the company’s modern fleet. “Thomas has a preference for Volvo, because they are a very reliable truck, although we do have other marques as well,” she affirmed.

Liveried in blue and grey, with a yellow rose emblazoned on the cab, the fleet is always impeccably turned out, which is a credit to the company given that it is involved in site work and muck-away.
“Site work and muck-away are hard on the trucks, but we feel it is important to keep the trucks looking well. A clean and well-presented truck is a good advertisement for the company,” she opined.

The company’s customer base is embedded in construction and reads like a “who’s who” of the sector. In that light the company’s continued success has been built around the construction boom of the last few years..
The company, which employs a fulltime staff of 32, continues to go from strength on the back of offering high levels of customer service. Its ability and willingness to move into related areas is also a key strength.

In that vein the company is considering installing a crushing and screening plant for recycling builders’ rubble. “It is more sustainable to recycle the rubble rather than dumping it at landfill. We hope to move into that area in the next 12 months or so,” she concluded.