It’s taken me ages to think of what to post to this thread and I’m still not sure that I’ll get it right but I just want to wish Albion the best of luck with whatever she decides to do next. I know where she is coming from, one of the reasons I packed up myself was that the Old Man retired at Gregory’s and the next generation took over: they had no interest in “West Country family values” and every interest in maximising profits at the expense of everybody else.
I’m not comparing myself to Albion, who grew her company way beyond my piddly one-truck operation, just saying that I can dig where she is coming from. And that as she is probably one of the best quality posters on this forum, I will simply wish her the best of luck in her next life project.
I’m not trying to offend anyone Gidders . Of course there are people with various business degrees and common sense and experience, I have no quibble with them.
The people I do struggle with are those with no experience, who are put into quite senior positions and then apply this one size fits all strategy. The ones that have done transport degrees applying supply chain theory are the real lunatics.
I don’t spell out what I do since I signed a bit of paper saying I wouldn’t, but most of you know it’s explosives and high value. So I get Muppets telling me that they’ve asked DHL and they can do the job for 8k less. No…you can’t put 1.1D on the tunnel, in fact you can only get into Esbjerg, and you can’t stop so you need to relay, and have you got the permits and the licenses, and have they informed the authorities, and have you booked escorts… I actually asked one of them if they thought they made loo paper.
Harry, we both know your timing was wrong, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It’s been fun most of the time, plenty of headaches but I’ve enjoyed sorting out the trouble, met some great people, seen some strange places and had the pleasure of employing some of the best staff anyone could ask for, but when it gets to the stage where you are permanantly annoyed, not sleeping, then you have to step back.
I’m taking steps to ensure that my lads are in the best place they can be when the new supplier comes in. They’ll be lucky to get them and I know the competitors and they are OK, so I’m not overly worried.
PS Harry, one of Mr A’s and my thoughts were to get a narrowboat and I haven’t written it off as an idea, though only for trips out, but you have been warned!
I was thinking only the other day that it would be nice to meet good friend. Thought not with Mr A, he died nearly 5 years ago without ever getting the chance of a retirement. Another good reason to get out because you never actually know what will happen.
albion:
I was thinking only the other day that it would be nice to meet good friend. Thought not with Mr A, he died nearly 5 years ago without ever getting the chance of a retirement. Another good reason to get out because you never actually know what will happen.
It would be lovely to meet you and please forgive my error, I didn’t know
I agree about another reason for getting out. I had a cancer scare and that cinced it. Closed the company, divorced my ex and now do what I want to do. I am sure it’s not everybody’s cup of tea but it works for me
albion:
PS Harry, one of Mr A’s and my thoughts were to get a narrowboat and I haven’t written it off as an idea, though only for trips out, but you have been warned!
Well, I believe you are north-west based, and I’m planning a trip to the Lancaster Canal next year via Liverpool so if you want to pop along for the day to have a nosey around sometime in mid-late April then you’re welcome.
Don’t worry GF, I don’t expect people to follow my personal circumstances.
Harry , I live a few minutes from the ‘sea’ end of the Bridgewater, so not far from the Leeds-Liverpool if that is the one you are heading for. Since I will have more time on my hands then, I may well take you up on that.
Well I’ll have some work to do in May/June relating to the business side of closing/almost closing the business. Accountant may advise leaving it and just doing the occasional delivery with my van to keep it live and register a loss. If it’s one of my two favoured subbies, then they’ve already indicated they want me to be around for a few weeks to help them out.
After that I have a three part list of things I do now but would like to do more of, erode the book mountain, walk the dogs more; things I used to do but stopped that I can restart, volunteer dog rescue transport, dress making; things I’ve never done, garden design qualification, partly be a use it interests me and partly because I think it could turn into a micro business, fancied trying gliding, might buy a small narrowboat as I live near a canal, actually take a proper holiday and generally pester previously retired hauliers about what they do, any regrets etc
albion:
Thought I’d nick and adapt Goaty’s post announcing him winding up.
I’ll have been in business for 28 years next February, which quite surprises me as I just thought I’d get a van and see what happened. No plan, no thought other than it was far more fun working for myself than for someone else. Took some chances, took hold of one opportunity that came by and wrung the life out of it and from that came two depots and currently 25 staff.
Around two years ago the culture at my main customers started to change and it’s continued exponentially. As one of the long time employees said, it used to feel like a family, now I’m just a number.
Now I’m real old school, I think if you want to tell someone what to do, you need to have a solid understanding of the job. My TM and Ops manager used to drive for me before taking over the running of the Southern office and there’s no chance of getting anything by him. I might only have driven puddle jumpers, but I’ve been around the UK and Europe in my time. The customer used to have a similar approach, but now there are a lot of mid 20s people come in with their shiny business degrees but no real experience of life or work and now it’s all about jumping through hoops with a shed load of irrelevant data, policies, blah blah, which proves how well you do the job. I find this odd as we have a 100% delivery rate, barring weather, ferry changes.
There’s been a lot of issues, too many to go into, but when I told the two managers that I wanted to tell the Customer I wanted to quit, they both said I don’t blame you. They have both tired of the incompetence.
Staff have been told now and my competitors know something is happening. I’m hoping the staff will TUPE over and I’m being very accommodating with the Customer and giving advice on putting the tender together purely so I can hopefully steer them to one of the better suppliers, both in terms of professionalism and as someone that my lads will be OK working for.
It’s very hard to tell people that have worked for you for over 20 years that you have decided to go, but it would always happen one day.
No idea what I’m going to do next. Probably stupid enough to start again
Sorry A, I very rarely come on here and the only reason I am on now is because I am trying to research who in our part of the world uses subbies. (Looking for a mate who has 3 tractor units) It seems wrong to me that a clearly well thought of and respected employer is moving on, as already stated by others though, this industry seems to be infested in charts, corporate ’ speak’ and all the other ■■■■■■■■ that dribbles out of the mouths of the sharp haircut crew
There is always a brew available at Beaver towers, I will instruct my butler to provide the finest china for you. (It’s actually an assortment of cups obtained from previous employers, obviously the vast collection is housed in a seperate building on the estate )
I wish you every bit of available luck in the future mate in everything that you do. Including moderating my posts which is probably a stressful enough job in itself
Another two weeks Frangkais, but we will be 28 years old, close on half my life , that’s a scary thought!
And thanks EB, might take you up on the coffee, so long as I don’t have to drink from every mug from every previous employer; my age the bladder isn’t what it was .
I have to say this year is dragging, can’t wait for May 3rd. Customer said can you run until August. I said No Deal
albion:
Another two weeks Frangkais, but we will be 28 years old, close on half my life :shock: , that’s a scary thought!
And thanks EB, might take you up on the coffee, so long as I don’t have to drink from every mug from every previous employer; my age the bladder isn’t what it was .
I have to say this year is dragging, can’t wait for May 3rd. Customer said can you run until August. I said No Deal
. Of course there are people with various business degrees and common sense and experience, I have no quibble with them.
If it’s one of my two favoured subbies, then they’ve already indicated they want me to be around for a few weeks to help them out.
Sorry A, I very rarely come on here and the only reason I am on now is because I am trying to research who in our part of the world uses subbies. (Looking for a mate who has 3 tractor units) It seems wrong to me that a clearly well thought of and respected employer is moving on, as already stated by others though, this industry seems to be infested in charts, corporate ’ speak’ and all the other ■■■■■■■■ that dribbles out of the mouths of the sharp haircut crew 
)