JSRyanFreight moving through the gears
12/02/2026
It’s onwards and upwards for midlands-based, industry-leading, award-winning family business JSRyanfreight Ltd., which – specialising in refrigerated transport and groupage - continues to grow in terms of daily activities, fleet size and the number of personnel on board.
Recently voted onto the national board of the IRHA, hands-on proprietor John Ryan has a very clear vision of how the future of Irish haulage can be safeguarded and underpinned. When it comes to all things haulage, the Laois man has most definitely been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.
With an ethos focused on providing high-quality services, John has overseen the growth of JSRyanFreight into one of Ireland’s premier refrigerated transport / groupage specialists, operating a stunning fleet of Scania trucks paired with Schmitz fridges and curtainsiders.
A big advocate for the critical importance of enticing more new talent into the industry, John took up a position on the national board of the IRHA in September, 2025, and this is one of the issues he will be firmly focused on pushing in his capacity as a voice of the Irish haulage industry.
“I’d been on the council for Laois for more than six years and was voted onto the national board of management at this year’s AGM. It’s only a new position so we’re only getting started really, but there will be a meeting every fortnight and there are a number of pressing issues I’ll be bringing to the fore,” John told Irish Trucker.
“This is an industry that I’m very passionate about and I believe there is a huge career pathway there for young people to get onto. We have to do everything we can to open that up to more people.
“One of my drivers’ sons asked if he could come down to the yard and wash some trucks a couple of years ago and I said ‘of course’. He absolutely loved it and he’s with me now part time and is a brilliant young fella to have around the place. He has it in his head now that he is going to have a career in transport, but he never would have known that unless he came down here in the first place and got an insight into the craic and camaraderie that’s here.
“There’s so much going on in a transport yard and so many opportunities for people with different skillsets. We need more youth in the industry and more has to be done to promote it and encourage them to get involved. To this end, I held an open day for the local school earlier this year and we brought in the LCA students to show that what the industry is like from the inside.
“Haulage is not just about driving big dirty trucks and being away for long hours on the continent. In groupage, for example, there are very sociable hours and it’s almost 9-5. Outside of the actual driving, there are also opportunities in warehousing, office work and the mechanical side of things. There’s a massive career path and it’s a varied one, so we have to get that message out there.
“College is great, but it’s not for everyone. I left school at 16 and never went to college, although college has a lot to offer too in terms of transport management and how to run a business. Haulage is a very exciting industry and there are openings for all kinds of people, young and old.”
The genesis of JSRyanFreight goes back to 1982 when John’s father Paddy started out with one van under the Midland Couriers banner. Today John oversees a magnificent fleet of 24 trucks and up on 40 trailers. Investment in the ever-expanding fleet is ongoing, with additions inside the past twelve months alone including a game-changing Scania G410 with ten-metre, rear steer, urban trailer and tail lift, an 18-tonne rigid, a third double-decker, standard curtainsider, four magnificent Next Gen Scania R450s, a third urban trailer and twelve state-of-the-art Schmitz refrigerated trailers.
“We buy everything from A&M Commercials, who have been our supplier of choice for more than ten years now,” enthuses John, who has been shortlisted in the Regional Transport Operator of the Year and Refrigerated Transport Specialist categories at the 2025 Haulier of the Year Awards. “We have built up a fantastic relationship with A&M Commercials and that’s totally down to the unbelievable service they give us. They are always keen to do you a turn at any time day or night and we wouldn’t pass them because they are absolutely brilliant.
“We’re operating at full capacity. We don’t buy lorries to park them up. We have 32 drivers and a lot of the gear is double-manned, around the clock. We operate 24/7 and the business currently breaks down about 60:40 between refrigerated transport and pallets.”
Key clients on the refrigerated transport front include Aldi, Lakeland Dairies and Tirlán, while the move into groupage has seen the fleet size almost double in less than three years: “About two and a half years ago, we got back to our roots. My father started out in the courier business and we partnered up with Ace Express in April, 2023, covering Tipperary. We’re now with PalletXpress, providing overnight next day pallet distribution in Laois, Offaly and Tipperary,” John points out.
The more things change the more they stay the same and to this end service remains at the front and centre of everything JSRyanFreight does: “It’s always been that way since my father started out in ’82. He built the business around service and that’s how we have continued. Service is everything, and providing a personal touch … whether it’s one carton, one pallet or a full load, they are all treated the same.”
Paddy is still very much involved in the family business, as is John’s 15-year-old son Johnnie – the third generation. Skilfully operating his drone, Johnnie runs the popular Jsryanfreight Tiktok channel and has a massive interest in and understanding of the practical side of the business.
John leads by example and is very much the archetypal hands-on owner, who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, be that sweeping floors, washing trailers or jumping behind the steering wheel when required at short notice. “There’s nothing I’m not prepared to do but I’ve built an excellent team around me and that takes a lot of the pressure off.
“I’m a huge believer in bringing youth into the company and into the industry. We have two fully-qualified mechanics in the workshop and two apprentices. Liam looks after the testing and mechanical side while the office is open from 5:30 am until midnight. Our operations manager Alan is there from 5:30 until 3 and Stephen takes over from 3 until midnight. I’ve delegated a lot of responsibilities to a skilled, experienced, knowledgeable and flexible team, and they have me well covered.”
Finishing on the theme of welcoming fresh blood into the industry, John concludes: “I’ve started a lot of new drivers of all ages – from young lads not long out of school to older men who fancied a change of career. One man got his artic licence at 55 and he’s still here. My longest-serving driver Dominic gave ten years to my father in the ‘nineties and is back with me for 16 years and counting.
“Drivers aren’t easy to get these days but we’re lucky to have so many good ones and we all work well as a team. Things are going well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough business, not least with prices going through the roof, but whether you laugh or cry, it’s all the same, so you just have to be positive and solider on.”
JSRyanfreight Ltd.,
Rosehill,
Castletown,
County Laois.
Tel: 083 1228010
Email: [email protected]
Web: jsryanfreight.com
First published in Irish Trucker magazine January/February 2026, Vol 29-1
