Bewick ,very interesting not many men would be so open! of how you achieved your good reputation and business .
As just a driver, I never realised how much outside finance made, or broke transport ,hauliers, when like me who worked for the BRS . back in 1970s unionised ,lazy, wanted more MONEY for less WORK, company revenue was never mentioned.
How were you not attracted to the middle east back then because you must have know about it.?
This is a very interesting read. Please carry on.
MR, Bewick, I enjoed the story up to date but it how it was , you had to make your way as you went on you should turn it ind to your life story it would be a best seller ,keep it up Dennis , Cheers Barry
Thanks for the kind words Lads ! It sure was a roller coaster ride at times but we had some great customers and a lot of the finest drivers you could wish for! Cheers Bewick.
peggydeckboy:
Bewick ,very interesting not many men would be so open! of how you achieved your good reputation and business .
As just a driver, I never realised how much outside finance made, or broke transport ,hauliers, when like me who worked for the BRS . back in 1970s unionised ,lazy, wanted more MONEY for less WORK, company revenue was never mentioned.
How were you not attracted to the middle east back then because you must have know about it.?
Wouldn’t touch the ME with a barge pole DBP ! We only started running into Europe around 1990 and then only to Holland/Germany and occasionally into Belgium and northern France. Cheers Bewick.
You must have had a few set-backs along the way Dennis?
gingerfold:
You must have had a few set-backs along the way Dennis?
Strange as it may seem “gf” once I got the first 3 years under my belt which was a tough time becoming established as a “youngster” we never had any setbacks in fact quite the opposite it was always a struggle to keep up with demands of our customers traffic growths plus I was always alive to other opportunities that presented themselves provided they complemented the operation. Cheers Dennis. 
That’s good to hear and you must have quickly made the transition from being a young driver to becoming a successful businessman.
gingerfold:
That’s good to hear and you must have quickly made the transition from being a young driver to becoming a successful businessman.
I quickly learned “gf” that the calibre of the customers we had appreciated a well written letter explaining why we wanted X or Y % increase on a particular rate schedule as you may well remember during the 70’s there was rampant inflation so some of the increases we required were “eye watering” compared to to-days low inflation coupled to a race to the bottom ! I’m not blowing my own trumpet regarding writing letters but one instance springs to mind and it concerns a customer I had in Barrow, Bowater Scott, and it would be circa 75/76 and a number of other local hauliers had piled in with the usual 2 liner letters Dear Sir " We want X% from 1st of whenever because our costs have gone up Thank You" well I was told that Jim Lamb the Bowater Despatch manager got hold of them and said your getting ■■■■ all until I get Bewicks letter which will explain in detail what the increase is made up off and why ! I kid you not ! But getting back to letter writing I always proved time and again that if I wrote a well crafted letter spelling out the reasons in detail I invariably got the increase I was asking for, OK sometimes I had to negotiate fairly robustly and sometimes I didn’t always get exactly what I wanted but usually close to the mark. Invariably most of our customers appreciated good service and the transport element of their costs were fairly low in relation to the value of their products. But by the early 90’s things were definitely “tightening” up as there was younger blood coming into some of the big buyers of transport services and these “wet behind the ears Suits” were out to make a name for themselves but again we were fortunate that our big Paper Mill customers still preferred good service to depressing their transport costs and destroying their customer service which what usually happened. Happy Days cheers Dennis.
Interesting history that your company had Dennis. I guess that it helps a lot if you can negotiate your own rates instead of being told what you will be working for like we were in the quarry side of haulage? Some of them were diabolical. One example, a major player in the quarrying/construction industry who I did work for at times (three letters starting with R and ending with C 
) phoned me one afternoon in 2002 when I was tipping in Baslow and asked if I could take four tonnes of road plannings from Sheffield to Nottingham for them post haste, I asked the rate and it was £4 per tonne but they would only pay for the weight carried and not the 15 tonne minimum rate they normally paid! I told the lass that £16 for that trip was an insult and no way was I doing it, her reply was “I thought you hired hauliers wanted the work?”. Possibly some other poor sap did it assuming he would get the 15 tonne premium? However, maybe even in the field of haulage you were involved with, the customer now sets the rate and the haulier either takes it or leaves it? 
Times change, and not for the better it seems.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
Pete.
I can understand what you say about the tipper job Dave and it wasn’t for us ! Your on about being dictated to well how’s this for arrogance Milk Marketing Board before they got cut down to size ! I think it was at their Oswestry plant or somewhere around there, well we had a motor tipping packaging from one of our customers and there bloke comes out of the office and asks our driver if we could fetch them two loads of GKN pallets ASAP from T/Park. So our Lad gets on the phone to our Traffic Office and it just so happened we had a few motors around Manchester so we say no probs and we did the job and they were ■■■■■■■ grateful at the time I’ll tell you. So a couple of weeks or so later at the end of the month we sends them an invoice for the job, our rate, and it was reasonable under the circumstances. Well what a ■■■■■■■ explosion there was, this bolshi bird comes on the phone to Milnthorpe laying the law down eh! She rants “Do know who we are we are the MMB we tell our hauliers how much to charge and we tell them when to raise the invoice” So I listens to this Cow quietly then I said "Right, I don’t give a monkeys who you are, we aren’t one of your subservient hauliers who just say “how high” when you shout “jump” so as far as I’m concerned if we haven’t got a cheque at the end of this month I will personally set about you even if I have to send the Balliffs into Thames Ditton to get our brass ! She was fit to be ■■■■■■■ tied down there was steam coming out of the phone ! She was ranting on "You’ll never work for the MMB again I’ll see to that " So nice and quiet I says I’ll go one better than that love I’ve told our traffic office that the MMB are on “the block” at Bewick Transport and was she ■■■■■■■ steamed !! I sent them a letter reminding them that as they didn’t have an account with us we required payment by the end of the month, we got our Cheque within the terms ! ■■■■■ ! Cheers Dennis.
It must have been hard work and long hours when you first started. Then even worse when things started growing so big and so fast. What did you do to relax? Did you ever get away for a holiday? Did it affect your health? I had a boss who had a heart attack in his thirties through overwork and stress.
If only I’d had the confidence to go with my own intuitions like Dennis instead of taking advice from others I would probably be in Bewick’s position now- sitting on my third million with a glass of the very best in my hand!
Retired Old ■■■■:
If only I’d had the confidence to go with my own intuitions like Dennis instead of taking advice from others I would probably be in Bewick’s position now- sitting on my third million with a glass of the very best in my hand!
And this months award of the “Wooden Spoon” goes to R.O.F
It’s interesting that you put everything in writing when dealing with your customers, and certainly “blue chip” companies, of which you had several as clients, need and appreciate that information. As I said, that is where your business sense (in its full meaning) obviously stood you in good stead.
At the moment we are coming under pressure from some customers for rate reductions, citing lower fuel prices for the reason.Yet they resisted rate increases when fuel prices were at their highest and rising every week. Back load rates have already been reduced by some companies, so if we’re busy with outbound work I’m bringing them back empty and zb to the backloads! Interestingly our “blue chip” customers haven’t mentioned rates at all. I had a meeting with our biggest customer last week at their request, (an American owned global company that made $3.2 billion profit worldwide in its last financial year), and rates were not mentioned at all, it’s all about service with them, and we give them whatever they require day or night or weekend. as a result our business with them will grow further this year.
We’ve also got a big haulier canvassing another of our large customers, offering them lower rates than us; it’s a quiet time of the year, so nothing ever changes in transport.
pete smith:
Retired Old ■■■■:
If only I’d had the confidence to go with my own intuitions like Dennis instead of taking advice from others I would probably be in Bewick’s position now- sitting on my third million with a glass of the very best in my hand!And this months award of the “Wooden Spoon” goes to R.O.F
Pete!
I have to say that Dennis saw his opportunities and seized them with both hands. At a time when customers were crying out for transport, he filled the need then went on to retain his customers by offering decent rates, brilliant service and nurturing excellent relationships with his customers. He did everything right- not like most of the current crop of “logistics experts”- and his customers repaid him with their loyalty. Can’t fault the man.
Except his roping and sheeting. Which is solely due to his tightness in not taking up my offer of the Overpriced Roping & Sheeting Course.
Retired Old ■■■■:
pete smith:
Retired Old ■■■■:
If only I’d had the confidence to go with my own intuitions like Dennis instead of taking advice from others I would probably be in Bewick’s position now- sitting on my third million with a glass of the very best in my hand!And this months award of the “Wooden Spoon” goes to R.O.F
I have to say that Dennis saw his opportunities and seized them with both hands. At a time when customers were crying out for transport, he filled the need then went on to retain his customers by offering decent rates, brilliant service and nurturing excellent relationships with his customers. He did everything right- not like most of the current crop of “logistics experts”- and his customers repaid him with their loyalty. Can’t fault the man.Except his roping and sheeting. Which is solely due to his tightness in not taking up my offer of the Overpriced Roping & Sheeting Course.
You have dug your self out of that hole quite well ROF,any way changing the subject The Gravel Run is on soon just waiting for Mr Punchard to inform us of the dates, I will treat you to a cucumber sandwich if you decide to bring the Berlingo out for a test drive
pete smith:
Retired Old ■■■■:
pete smith:
Retired Old ■■■■:
If only I’d had the confidence to go with my own intuitions like Dennis instead of taking advice from others I would probably be in Bewick’s position now- sitting on my third million with a glass of the very best in my hand!And this months award of the “Wooden Spoon” goes to R.O.F
I have to say that Dennis saw his opportunities and seized them with both hands. At a time when customers were crying out for transport, he filled the need then went on to retain his customers by offering decent rates, brilliant service and nurturing excellent relationships with his customers. He did everything right- not like most of the current crop of “logistics experts”- and his customers repaid him with their loyalty. Can’t fault the man.Except his roping and sheeting. Which is solely due to his tightness in not taking up my offer of the Overpriced Roping & Sheeting Course.
You have dug your self out of that hole quite well ROF,any way changing the subject The Gravel Run is on soon just waiting for Mr Punchard to inform us of the dates, I will treat you to a cucumber sandwich if you decide to bring the Berlingo out for a test drive
Saving my sixpences in the whiskey bottle for the fuel, Pete!
You were in at the right time DENNIS one of the main things would be you would be able to get up and down the road easier than now,no speed limiters a lot less traffic,drivers hours more flexible,and as you said good drivers with all the photos you have your story would make a cracking book I can see the front cover picture now Bewick unit pulling a Haworth bros fridge box.
I am interested to find out why the Bewick name was used, have to say it is a good choice as it looks and sounds right.