Soaring High

Mullingar based service and repair centre Eagle Motors is this year celebrating 20 years in business and Irish Trucker takes a look at the success of the business.

A selection of the vehicles that Eagle Motors operate and service. While in the small pics, the Eagle Motors team pose for the camera

The business was established by Jimmy Moran and specialises in repair and servicing or trucks, trailers, vans and cars. Their customer base has grown considerably over the years, so much so that they moved into bigger premises in the Mullingar Business Park, five years ago. However, Jimmy built his first garage at the family homestead in 1974, trading under Moran’s garage, specialising in maintenance and repairs of cars and tractors. In 1989 he established Eagle Motors and twelve months later, the business moved to Mullingar.

By this stage eldest son Declan was on board. Eagle Motors then began specialising in repair and servicing of trucks, trailers, vans, jeeps and cars.
Jimmy’s son James spoke to us about the company’s origins and he gives an insight to how they have become one of the leading garages in the midlands area.
With advanced vehicle technology rapidly becoming standard-fit on the modern motor and commercial vehicles, workshops increasingly need technical support to be able to offer a professional and profitable service to their customers.

The hard working staff of Eagle Motors. From l/r: Declan Moran, Thomas Tobin, Phidias Murtagh, Jimmy Moran, John Gannon, James Moran, John Coughlan, Darren McLoughlin

“Certainly times have changed and the make up of cars and trucks has are very much different; the work now is far more technical than it use to be,” said James.
James revealed that their reputation for providing a top quality and efficient service is the main reason why they have such a large customer base.
“Most of the work that we have secured has come about as a result of ‘word of mouth’ from one customer to another and I find that this is the best form of advertising. If you are providing a reliable service that the customers are happy with, then that will attract new business.

“A lot of work centres around trailers and this is an area that we specialise in, there are not many other companies around that do that and we have a lot of trailers coming in for repair work.”
Some companies can be found dragging their heels when it comes to moving with the times, but Eagle Motors cannot be accused of such a thing. This is one of the main reasons that they have been so successful and look set to continue to do so for some time to come.

James stressed that they also have a number of private customers and owner drivers, who are treated the same as the bigger companies, which he feels is an important aspect of the business.
“We have a wide variety of customers from large firms to owner drivers. To us, there is no difference. We don’t turn away any work and ensure that the job is completed to a high standard in quick time,” said James.
The company boss knows that downtime is something that can be a thorn in the side of all hauliers or van drivers and James revealed that Eagle Motors offer a round the clock call out service for its customers.

“No one likes to have their vehicle off the road for too long as it is not making money while it’s lying idle. We understand this and try to ensure a job is done as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that it is done right.
“We have five recovery vehicles for emergencies, while we also do some on-site work for the customers. There is always someone on call 24 hrs a day and this is appreciated by the clients that we cater for.”

Declan Moran performs some maintenance work

Another string to the bow of Eagle Motors is that James also uses his contacts in the business to buy vehicles for some of his customers.
“We do a bit of truck and van sales. If one of my customers comes to me looking for a vehicle then I usually can find something that suits them. I’ve been doing that for a few years now and it works pretty well. There is also a comprehensive parts department here where we stock plenty of stuff and lads can come in and buy the across the counter. If we don’t have a part, we will ensure to have it later on that day or first thing the next morning, depending on when it is looked for.”
James revealed that the employees were highly trained and that they could deal with any eventuality with regards to truck and trailer repairs.

“We have a reliable staff here. There are five employed in total and everyone knows there role and all have the experience to deal with any problems, which is reassuring for us and the customers. The location of our business has really helped us as most of our regulars are based in this locality. As I said before, we are here to provide an efficient service and we have no problem working on in the evenings to get a job completed.”

The main men. From l/r: Declan, Jimmy and James Moran

For the time being, James is quite happy to maintain the level of business that they provide for as he feels that this is not the period to be making drastic changes.
“The safest option at the moment is to hold on to what we have. We have a large customer base with a lot of repeat work and if that is maintained, I’d be happy enough. A lot of money has been spent on the new premises and there will be no further changes for the time being anyway.”

Eagle Motors work from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 7pm and from 8am to 2pm on a Saturday, ensuring that their customers can avail of a time that suits them.
They are also looking forward to the third generation of Morans coming along, Jimmy’s three grandsons Darragh, Ciaran and Jason.