David Gray’s mobile network

Providing a top-class breakdown/repairs service, David Gray Mobile Repairs has built a large network of customers in the greater Kildare/Dublin area and further afield. Irish Trucker caught up with the Rathangan-based company proprietor to get an insight into his unique and extremely popular service.

David Gray (centre) with crew members David Mackey and Sean Trant

David Gray Mobile Repairs was established a decade ago and is located at Blakestown, Rathangan, County Kildare. However, the location is of little relevance as David provides a comprehensive mobile breakdown/repair service within a 50-mile radius and beyond.
Catering for both plant and truck repairs, maintenance and servicing, David carries out all kinds of mechanical repairs ‘on the road’, using a fully-kitted fleet of mobile workshops. His 24-hour breakdown and recovery service is renowned for its total reliability and the company founder proudly reveals that he has never had a dissatisfied customer.
Nor, indeed, has he left a vehicle stranded on the roadside. “We always discover the problem,” he confirms. “We’ve never left anybody stuck at the side of the road.”

All mechanical repairs are undertaken, from major jobs to routine tasks, including fleet servicing contract work, DOE preparations and breakdowns. “It’s a fully mobile service and we can cater for both plant and lorries. The real beauty of it is that we can go to the customer’s yard and service their vehicles or plant on site for them. This prevents unnecessary downtime as well as the inconvenience of having to physically transport trucks from their yard to another premises. It saves a lot of hassle when I go to them, and I provide a full service which ensures the operator has complete peace of mind.”

"In this line of work, it's all about the quality of service" - David Gray

While the majority of David Gray Mobile Repairs’ work is carried out in Dublin. Kildare and parts of Laois, David has a steady flow of business from as far away as Longford, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Tipperary. “If somebody is in trouble and they give me a call, I’ll do everything I can to get them back on the road as quickly as possible,” he promises.
“In this line of work it’s all about the quality of service,” David continues. “We go out of our way to provide the best service possible. When a truck is broken down, it’s a huge inconvenience to the driver and owner – we know how important it is to get them back on the road.

“Plant is a big part of my work and the mobile nature of our business is ideal for this as contract servicing of plant requires on-site work, which we can provide around the clock. We’ll also call to hauliers’ yards and service their fleets on the spot. If there are four or five trucks there that need to be serviced, we’ll get them done in one day, top to bottom.”

Some of the David Gray fleet ready to take to the road

It almost goes without saying that David is extremely busy. His service is unbelievably popular and his phone never stops ringing, so Irish Trucker was lucky to even get a few words from this hard-working self-made entrepreneur. “Yeah, we’re very busy,” he says. “My phone is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s never off and a lot of people would think there was something seriously wrong with me if I didn’t answer it!
“There’s always plenty of work to do and I haven’t had a quiet day yet, which isn’t a bad complaint. Neither myself nor any of the staff get much chance to stand around idle anyway.”

How many people are on the books? “It varies. I have four full-time workers at the moment. They’re all fully qualified and we try to cover everything. We can basically carry out any kind of repair on any part of a truck. Cement tankers is one of our specialist areas but we can also handle any kind of lorry, dump trucks, excavators etc. And if we’re not busy with trucks then we’ll be busy with plant.”

David operates a first-class fleet to ensure that nobody is left stranded by the roadside

David has spent his whole life working with machines and understands the mechanics of all equipment. Once a device is mechanically operated, he can understand and repair it. His understanding of engines is a skill that few possess and the Kildare mechanic is glad his natural talent has earned him a living. “We do our best on absolutely every job and I can honestly say that I’ve never had anybody complain about any job I’ve done so far.

“We have a strong repeat trade and I also get a lot of new business through word of mouth.”
As for the future, continued growth and prosperity is on the cards for David Gray Mobile Repairs. The proprietor has purchased a new eight-acre site and intends to build a brand-new workshop as well as developing a five-acre yard. This will make the business even more versatile but David is keen to stress that he’ll still be doing the mobile work. “That’s what we specialise in and it will always be the core of the business,” he explains.”

Jason Lambe is a member of the dependable team of drivers

Further good news is that you don’t have to be an existing customer to avail of the service. “We’ll go out for anybody. That’s the way it is in this line of work. I recently brought in a crashed truck for a driver from Glasgow and it doesn’t make the slightest difference to me who you are or where you’re from. All business is welcome. If somebody breaks down or has a problem, we’ll go to their assistance.”
How difficult is it to provide an affordable service? “To be honest, I’ve never had a problem with price. We provide a good service at a reasonable price and people don’t complain. Customers appreciate how much they can save by getting back on the road. They know they can ring me safe in the knowledge that I’ll be there within half an hour.”

In order to provide such an exceptional mobile repairs service, David operates a first-class fleet comprising four Transit vans which are fully kitted out as mobile workshops, an Isuzu, a Nissan Patrol, a beaver-tail and a low-loader for removing vehicles from the road. He provides a personal, transparent service and is always on-hand to make sure customers are looked after properly.
“There’s never a quiet day. Trying to find time for holidays is my biggest problem,” he concludes.