Harry Monk:
Sorry to hear that Goaty, I’ve been diagnosed with heart failure and told that I have a 1 in 3 chance of being dead in 12 months time, and a 1 in 2 chance of being dead in 2 years time, I’m just waiting for DVLA to revoke my HGV licence now, so at least you’re not alone!
+1
Make sure as somebody said Harry, get a second opinion.
My brother in law while he was in his early seventies had a few heart problems and his regular doctor said “I am sorry but there is nothing that we can do for you”. My sister made him go to see another ‘younger’ doctor and he said “if you were my father then this is what I would recommend”.
After a few tests and some new drugs he lived well into his eighties.
So forget the H.G.V. and have some more quality time with that narrow boat, you have earned it.
Has Anyone Ever Been In A Situation Where As An Operator You Cannot Cover Your Work Due To A Lack Of Staff (Competent Or Otherwise) And Contemplated Termination Of Contracts Or Business Closure?
If You Have, How Did You Come To The Decision To Close/Continue, And Why? Any Regrets? Things You Would Have Done Differently Perhaps?
There’s also operators that actually can’t afford to pack up properly as they don’t have the money to pay out what’s owed .
Best wishes Harry that’s a hard one to have hanging over you.
Thanks for the kind words everyone. Much appreciated.
I’ve 12 month ban and a subsequent medical to do apparently. Tbh atm I’m sick of the sight of bloody lorries. Got a unit and 2 trailers to rehome now.
Goaty:
I had a stroke in March and a TIA 2 Saturdays ago. So HGV entitlement reset to 12 month ban again ffs.
Prior to the TIA we’d trimmed down to a unit and 2 trailers. But we’ve decided to finish and go travelling for a tear or so. No idea what comes after that tbh.
Sorry to hear about all your hassle Goaty, hope everything works out for you .
Harry Monk:
Sorry to hear that Goaty, I’ve been diagnosed with heart failure and told that I have a 1 in 3 chance of being dead in 12 months time, and a 1 in 2 chance of being dead in 2 years time, I’m just waiting for DVLA to revoke my HGV licence now, so at least you’re not alone!
To be honest. I’ll be glad when DVLA do get on with it, at least I’ll be able to pack the whole lot in and spend the last few months narrowboating.
I would be lookin for a second opinion on that Harry,if ma experience over the last few months with my health has taught me one thing it’s do not be scared to speak up, do not just sit back and accept whatever they say. Some of the younger docs now are a lot more clued up with new techniques and ideas and in a lot of ways are probably beter to deal with that the old duffers that are set in there ways.
Best off luck to Harry and Goaty for the future, I turned seventy in May this year and running two artics and one 7.5 platform wagon with Fassi crane.
One driver went off sick, another driver said he was getting too old for heavy work
he’s only 60 started another lad really keen and said he was going to make me a fortune good worker, excellent driver and experienced in driving diggers and various plant, three months later he asked for a few days off to go a a stag do, foolishly I subbed him £250 and he’s never returned to work, by sheer coincidence as I’m typing this he messaged me and asked if I was in the yard.
I thought I’ve had enough of this and I put the vehicles and trailers into auction, I’ve just kept the 7.5 tonner for my own use for farm implements and my own collection of vintage tractors. I have never been so happy it was a weight of my shoulders.
I’m going to farm auctions and generally doing what I want to do.
A good friend of mine who was running two artics is calling it a day. He just can’t make it pay and it was making him ill with all the hassle and worry. As another poster has commented I agree that the days of the owner driver, and two or three vehicle outfits are numbered, unless they work in a specialist, niche market. I’d go even further and I think that many medium sized firms have a dubious future. These family firms have been the backbone of the industry for decades but the big players are getting more and more dominant.
In this weeks Commercial Motor was an article about a company that is intending to be a big player in bulk transport via a combination of winning contracts and buying existing companies - they’ve already bought two. The management seems to comprise of accountants… I found the comment 'that tenders are now so complicated, that small firms don’t have a chance of winning ’
My biggest customer is a blue chip and about 13 years ago they went out to tender for the contract we held with them. I think we kept the contract because our work is complicated and the customer didn’t really ask the right competitors. The tender was complicated back then, what it would be like now, I wouldn’t like to contemplate.
Different idiots
Bulk Logistics Group. Bought WG&H Horsley and Hare Bulk Haulage. 9.4 million fund for acquisition. The other two parts of the group are J&J Ward and DH Pearson. The group was formed last year by Michael Ward of J&J Ward and former corporate financier Andy Castle. Finance director come from Ernst & Young.
It’s increasingly difficult to find a way to give encouragement to wannabe ODd.
You mean I take it, by the reference to buying up small companies in the field of operation , just like what happened not long after deregulation in the bus industry. Experts in extracting every last Farthing from the assets. " That’s a valuable looking piece of real estate, we’ll put some houses on that in a couple of years time."
The type that will be first up against the wall when the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tooting eventually get into power.
I don’t know, but I’d guess you’d be right cav . If somewhere has got land and you can consolidate everything into less yards, you have some nice land to sell off along with the economies of scale that us small fry hauliers cannot hope to achieve.
But tbh, money isn’t all of the issue; it’s the change from a business where like as not the boss knew each driver and vice versa and there was a feeling for how the business was doing, an intangible connection to your customers, staff and trucks. You don’t get that with a spreadsheet, you get another soulless corporation where everything is built around KPIs and driving down costs.
@ Goaty&Harry and anyone else who’s feeling receptive -
The most effective thing for overall blood health that I’ve found is Cayenne Pepper Tincture, followed closely by high strength Refined Fish Oil. Pine Pollen, and it’s tincture, are also very helpful for overall health. Please Google and thoroughly investigate.
Have to admit that I don’t eat crap and gave up tabacco ten years ago, but still attribute feeling better at 65 than 25 years ago to the above.
Drug companies will never market something they can’t get a patent on, and you can’t patent something you cannot synthasise, infact sometimes they will do exactly the opposite.
