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Kerry based haulier Robert Brennan has seen many changes in the industry over the years and he spoke to Irish Trucker about the nature of his business, Brennan’s Licensed Hauliers Ltd.

From left: Adrian Fahy (driver), John Brennan (Robert�s father) and Robert Brennan

Initially the company was set up by Robert’s father John over 30 years ago at a time when it was very difficult to make a living in Ireland, but through hard work and perseverance, the company is still going strong today and supplying building products to a large customer base down south.

When John started the business, he stuck with the one truck over the years and was happy to stay with his loyal customers and Robert has followed suit, although the fleet now consists of three eight-wheelers and one articulated lorry.
Operating out of Ardfert Quarries, O’Mahony Quarries and Mid Cork Tarmac, the Brennan’s supply building materials including sand, stone and tarmac to name just a few to various building sites in Kerry and Cork.

Part of the Brennan Transport fleet

“It was a tough time when my father first set up the business and the haulage industry is still a tough game to be in, but we are busy enough now. In this business you never know what is around the corner and you can’t get carried away.
“We have our loyal customers and feel that it is important not to lose that personal touch with them. So, that is why we take a cautious approach in expanding too much. We provide an efficient service and aim to continue doing so. Once we can deliver on time and are reliable, I feel there will be no problems,” said Robert.

“It is important not to lose that personal touch with the customer. That is something that we pride ourselves on and if you go too big that is a situation you could lose. That is not saying that we may expand in the future, but it will only be with something we’re comfortable with.”
With 2 hinos 8 wheeler tippers and a DAF 480 tractor unit with Schmitz Tipper Trailor, it is obvious which make of truck that Robert goes for and he prefers to buy brand new instead of dabbling in the second hand market.
“I always buy brand new as new trucks are trouble free. Downtime is a situation that we want to avoid at all costs and with new trucks, you should be guaranteed that. Hino has proven to be reliable truck and they are also economical on fuel, which is important given the rising price of diesel in the last year or so. We buy all our hino’s from D Dennehy Ltd Cork and are very satisfied with the service they provide.

Units from the prestine, multi-award-winning Kolbe Feeds fleet

“We operate out of the quarries and supply a large customer base where the trucks can be going through rough terrain, so strong trucks are vitally important to us.
“However, I pride myself on keep the trucks in a pristine condition both maintenance wise and in cleanliness terms. If that trend can be maintained, the trucks will hold their value better when we go to trade them in. In that respect, the drivers are encouraged to keep them clean, which they do in fairness to them.”
Their reputation in well maintained and clean trucks precede them as other hauliers are always quite keen to invest in their trucks when Robert decides to trade in, which is usually after a two-year period.

“The trucks are traded in after two years, so they are always in good condition. We have built up a reputation for ourselves of having good lorries and other buyers are immediately interested when they hear our vehicles are for sale.”
Maintenance is a key area to be looked after and Robert revealed that he services the trucks himself, while any major repair work, which there is very little of takes place at Irish Truck & Trailer or Denis Collins Garage Ltd.
Robert became involved in the company nine years ago when the housing boom in Ireland was in full swing and work was more than plentiful during those years. However, since building work started to ease considerably in the last year or so, he admits that it has had a slight knock on effect on them.

“The housing boom has certainly slowed down a good bit and we have noticed that from some of the quarries we draw out of, but in fairness we are still quite busy at the moment. A lot more hauliers have been working in the industry for the last few years and now that the work is easing there is not enough to go around for everyone.
“When I first came into the business, there was plenty of room to expand, but now it is more difficult and people are not willing to take the chance of expanding without being guaranteed the work.
“It is not the easiest of businesses to get on in as there are so many overheads, but to be fair we can’t really complain with the work that we are getting.”

We also transport fabricated steel throughout Munster for local steel fabrication Lixnaw Fabrications and if there orders are anything to go by it looks like a busy 2008. Despite the Celtic Tiger’s roar diminishing, the future looks very bright for the Kerry haulier.
“We will see how things go over the next year or so. We are grateful for the work that we have and are fortunate to have such loyal customers and we intend to treat them accordingly. Who knows what the future holds. As I stated before, my father started the company at a very tough time and we intend to continue working away.”