Kenny Haulage: 20 years trucking

John Kenny Haulage is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and Irish Trucker profiles the Galway based company and speak to owner John Kenny about how he has sustained such longevity in this fickle industry.

Situated in Menlough, the haulage firm specialise in providing a variety of services to a large customer base spread across the west of Ireland.

Since John established the business in 1990, he has been fortunate to be involved with Roadstone Provinces, the country’s leading manufacturer and supplier of building materials.

“We specialise in a number of areas in the haulage industry. This includes drawing bulk powder like cement, lime fillers, flo-mix mortar and GGBS. Most of this is drawn for Roadstone Provinces, who we have been working with since I first started the business,” said John.

“The biggest Roadstone plant we work out of is Galway, while we also haul materials from the Athlone, Boyle, Cam, Kilchreest, Castlemaine and Castlebar plants. They are a good company to be involved with and we have a great working relationship that we hope to continue for many years to come.

“We were also involved in a lot of the work on the M6 motorway between Galway and Athlone, which was recently opened. This involved hauling road making materials to the site on a daily basis.

“There are a number of smaller quarries and other companies that we work for. These include Galway County Council, Murray Timber, E.C.C, R.M.S Oranmore, Gouldings, McKeown’s Quarries, Oliver Donlon Developments and Irish Cement to name just a few.

“We also haul commercial timber, salt and all types of road making materials as well as readymix concrete, stone, sand and gravel. We have a good customer base, many of who have been with us many years now.”

To provide all these services, John Kenny Haulage has a wide range of trucks on the road, which are all kept in pristine condition and well maintained.

“There are four artics, four readymix bottles and four tippers here, while we also have a couple of spare trucks for emergencies. The fleet is kept relatively new. We used to source out the maintenance, but in a bid to cut costs during the current recession, we have started doing all our own maintenance work.

“The trucks are mostly Hino and DAF with the latter being bought from John Guilfoyle Trucks in Tipperary. I find that these are the most reliable for the work that we specialise in. I also bought a brand new Renault in 08 and I’m pleased with the way that has performed.”

John admits that business has slowed considerably, but he has been around long enough to know how to get through these tough times that have affected everyone in the country.

“Things are fairly quiet at the minute. I suppose it’s the same for everyone at the moment. It is hard to know when the economy will pick up again, but I think it will be the same for the rest of the year. We just have to tighten our belts and get on with it. We’re fortunate to have a loyal customer base that has supported us down through the years.”

John feels that the last budget really hit the haulage industry very hard following the implementation of a carbon tax on diesel that has left hauliers stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Hauliers have suffered from the introduction of a carbon tax as we have to pay for that when it should be the customer that has to pay. We intend to negotiate with the main contractor for the reimbursement of those costs and they in turn should pass it on to the customer.

“This business is hard enough to compete in without extra problems. The price of diesel has risen considerably, while the rates have gone down if anything and this has certainly not helped the industry. It is a continuous struggle to keep our head above water and it is imperative that something is done about this in the very near future.”

John admits that his job is made that bit easier by the fact that he has a hard working staff on the books, some of who have been with him for many years.

“There are 12 employed here and I must say that they are all very good at their jobs. A few of them have been with me for many years and it helps everything to run a lot smoother when you have such experienced drivers on the road. Eileen O’Grady looks after the administration and has been doing an excellent job for the past 11 years. My wife Maura and family have been extremely helpful in the success of the business.

“They have built up a good rapport with the customers and I generally keep the same drivers working with the same customers as they have come to trust them.”

With 20 years experience in the industry and having built up such a substantial customer base, John Kenny Haulage looks set to be around for some time to come through the good times and bad.

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