Cullen continues to drives forward
15/07/2026
A one-stop shop for all your transport, repairs, maintenance, devanning and warehousing needs, Cullen Transport & Trailer Services Ltd (Cullen) has doubled in size over the past five years.
Established in 1965 and operating from Duncrue Street within the busy Belfast Harbour Estate, the family-run business has grown exponentially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Boasting a large fleet of state-of-the-art trucks and trailers, Cullen prides itself on its reliability, quality service and ability to adapt to its customers’ ever-changing needs and issues as they arise.
“We were there for our customers during Covid and they’ve repaid us with extra work since then,” explains Kevin Cullen, who runs the company along with his brother Paddy and sister Anna.
“We’ve doubled our number of full-time employees to 40 and have seen a big increase across all facets of the business, especially in the maintenance side of things.
“We’ve also taken on another yard beside us which has allowed us to provide an additional 30,000 sq. ft. in warehousing and storage space, and have diversified into devanning which is a process of warehouse and logistics management that uses digital technology to systematically unload loose items and shipping containers from a vehicle’s load space.”
Furthermore, Cullen has 16 trucks and 55 trailers dedicated to its transport division. As part of its ongoing replenishment programme, the company has taken delivery of three new Renault Ts from Diamond Trucks, Mallusk in the last 12 months. The latest arrival boasts a 480 Turbo Compound engine which delivers improved fuel efficiency, enhanced performance and torque, helping to reduce operating costs and CO₂ emissions. Cullen’s distinctive white and dark blue livery was applied to the new truck by Mark Lyons Graphics.
The trailers, meanwhile, are a mix of sliders, curtainsiders, double decks, low loaders and extendable step frames.
“We enjoy an excellent relationship with all of our valued and long-standing customers. About 90% of our transport takes place within Ireland. Any loads or consignments that go across the Irish Sea are subcontracted out. We specialise in curtainsider, container, flat work and night trunking,” Anna says.
Behind the wheel of every Cullen truck is a reliable, experienced and courteous driver. “Our drivers are the best in the business. They always deliver the goods,” Kevin asserts.
Cullen has come a long way since it was founded by the siblings’ father JJ as an owner-driver over 60 years ago. With the capacity to safely and efficiently transport any load to any location, the company covers all types – abnormal, groupage, full loads, part loads, multi-drop and pallet deliveries – and can also strip containers, tranship and provide storage. It services all sectors, including shipping, manufacturing, distribution, steel, timber, recycling, wholesale and retail.
In addition to running its own high-quality fleet, Cullen is synonymous with providing unrivalled, professional vehicle maintenance, covering trucks, trailers, vans and cars. The family business also runs mobile repair and servicing vans. The vehicle maintenance aspect of the business, initially started in 1991 by Paddy, with Kevin joining in 1999, has become an integral part of the overall business model.
As a modern vehicle maintenance provider with an inherent understanding of the compliance needs of vehicle operators, Cullen employ an experienced workshop and service van team of highly-trained technicians (trailer fitters, truck fitters and car fitters) to deliver all aspects of vehicle maintenance, repairs and preventative maintenance inspections both on and off site and 24/7 breakdown assistance. They utilise the latest software, tools and specialist diagnostic equipment to achieve consistently outstanding results and minimise downtime for their ever-growing customer base.
All vehicle types, makes and models can be catered for and a maintenance contract for MOTs and planned preventative maintenance can be tailored to customers’ exact requirements. The Cullens understand the importance of excellent communication with customers and their hands-on, professional, reliable and efficient service gets all vehicles and trailers back on the road quickly, providing customers with assurance that their vehicles are performing 100% and fully compliant when they leave the workshop.
Kevin adds: “Maintenance has scaled up significantly – we have five bays operating and have become a key provider of services to many commercial fleet users and a diverse range of businesses both local, throughout Ireland and in the UK. We have taken on several big contracts for local and national operators and look after the assets of many UK-based rental companies and breakdown providers.
“We specialise in diagnosis and repair of EBS braking systems and are agents for Haldex, WABCO and Knorr-Bremse. We authorised repair agents for Meritor, SAF, BPW, SDC, Cartwright, Lawrence David, Donn-Burr, Granning among others. To address growth, we’ve invested heavily in lifting equipment, freestanding jacks, column lifts, etc, as well as the best tools and all the latest diagnostic equipment for all makes and models of trucks, trailers and cars.”
The Cullens are excited about what the future holds for their thriving operation. And with Kevin’s 14-year-old son Rory showing a keen interest, it could soon become a third-generation business. They would like to take this opportunity to thank their clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as their high-calibre team for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Cullen Transport & Trailer Services
30-32 Duncrue St,
Belfast,
BT3 9AR.
Telephone: +44 28 90775588
Web: www.cullentransport.com
Facebook: CullenTransportTrailerServices
First published in Irish Trucker magazine July/August 2026, Vol 29-4