O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage nears closer to 80-year mark
12/05/2025
2025 marks the 78th year in which O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage in Hospital, Co Limerick has been specialising in the transportation of heavy and abnormal loads for its customers. Irish Trucker spoke with its Managing Director Jimmy O’Neill to hear more about this third-generation family company which is renowned for the excellence in its work.
These are busy times at O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage and, as the record-setting abnormal load specialist continues to operate its superb service throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. Whether it’s a glass of Guinness, a box of stainless screws or even a bottle of wine, Jimmy’s mobile could ring to move some abnormal loads the same week and get all things into order.
Right now, the company employs a total of 17 staff, with eight trucks and 30 trailers making up a fleet which Managing Director Jimmy O’Neill describes as being “updated all of the time”.
Operating out of Hospital, Co Limerick, O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage is a family-run business which has become renowned for its excellence in heavy and abnormal loads for nearly eight decades now.
The company’s origins date all the way back to 1947 when Mick O’Neill first came to Hospital from Graiguenamanagh and, since that time, it has set numerous records when it comes to the longest, widest and heaviest loads to ever be transported on roads of this country.
Irish Trucker caught up with Jimmy O’Neill recently to discuss the ins and outs of this third-generation haulage business, and its overall hopes as a company for 2025.
“Business is good for us at the moment. We can’t complain here,” the Treaty County native outlined.
“As it stands, we do have a lot of stuff on for 2025 and the year itself looks promising. So, hopefully things will stay that way and we’ll continue providing an excellent service to our customers.”
The quality of service never comes into question when it comes to O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage’s work for its customers.
Fast-approaching 80 years in business, the company is known nationwide and through-out Europe for operating with a vastly experienced management team and equipment operators.
Add that to the capabilities of its specialised haulage equipment and you start to understand how and where O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage’s remarkable longevity as a company comes from.
The Limerick-based firm can carry out a broad range of haulage needs and also find a cost-effective solution to every transport problem.
This past October saw the company’s brilliant work recognised on a national scale when it was named ‘Specialised Sector Haulage Operator of the Year’ at the annual Fleet Transport Awards.
Another string to O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage’s bow, Jimmy himself joked on the award success saying “It was about time”, before also adding: “It was great to see it”.
Down through the years, the company has grown its services to the point where it is now recognised as one of the country’s most trusted abnormal load specialists.
As it stands, services at O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage include conducting route surveys, obtaining necessary permits, removal of obstacles (temporary or permanent), liaising with Police/Gardai and the organisation and management of third-party equipment, such as cranes, etc.
Continually updated, the fleet in the yard in Hospital is a combination of Volvo, Scania and DAF trucks, while the 30 specialist trailers are made of both hydraulic and air suspension and have interchangeable and extendable components.
As well as that, O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage uses its own maintenance service on its equipment.
It’s an approach which Jimmy adopted down through the decades in order to ensure that all of the equipment is serviced and maintained to the very highest standard, and with its own brake tester and shaker facility of course, it will be ready and available once it is needed by the client.
With that considered, the clear question to ask is what has been the key reason for O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage’s continued success over the past 78 years?
As Jimmy himself sees it, efficiency and reliability are two factors which have gone a long way when it comes to the longevity of this third-generation heavy haulage operation.
“I suppose, it’s basically one to one and they all know the drivers by name. They have the drivers’ phone numbers and everyone is in contact with each other,” stated the Managing Director.
“Everything is delivered as it should be delivered, no scratches, no dents and no delays. Everything’s on the button.”
He added: “It’s also the personal touch that we provide. We always deliver for the client on time, and I never say ‘no’ to them and the client is very happy with things that are handled by us. We’re always on time and the experience and the equipment is delivered scratch free, which is vital these days.”
Following in his father’s footsteps, Jimmy’s son Michael has been running the operation alongside his dad for the past couple of years now.
Having worked as an engineer with Intel beforehand, Michael made the choice to stay at home rather than emigrate to Australia a few years back and will soon enough be overseeing the entire business himself, as the torch gets set to be inevitably passed.
Looking ahead to the future for O’Neill’s Heavy Haulage, Jimmy hopes that his son can take the same kind of fulfilment out of it in years to come.
“I hope my son can enjoy his life out of it as much as I have enjoyed my life out of it,” he said. “I started it as a hobby because my father was into trucks and I was into trucks, but the hobby is now a nightmare because you must deal with police, and you must deal with permits and everything else. Etc., Now you have Brexit as well.”
Here’s hoping for better times ahead.
O'Neill's Heavy Haulage,
Hospital,
Co Limerick
Tel: 061 383 114
Fax: 061 383 022
Mobile: 087 2575 358
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Trucker magazine March/April 2025, Vol 28-2
