Page 24 - Issue 75

THE SECRET TRUCKER
DRIVEN THE BREADTH OF
OF
EUROPE FOR FOR PROFIT AND FOR FOR OTHERS THE THE THE SECRET TRUCKER
LIFTS THE THE THE THE LID ON LIFE IN THE THE SLOW LANE
24 24 CVDriver CVDriver May 2018
24 24 24 24 CVDriver CVDriver CVDriver CVDriver February 2017 2017 2017 April April 2017 2017 2017 CVDriver CVDriver CVDriver CVDriver 24 24 24 24 April2017CVDriver 24 24 NEWS
Like father dislike son
The biggest risk to a a a a a family business is is is nepotism as the new generation nearly always fails to truly understand the the business ethos set up by their elders
For a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a few years I I tackled the the lanes of a a a a rural county in in a a a a tipper hauling aggregates out of a a a a a a quarry It was a a a a a a classic Mineral Merchant Father and Son Limited business steeped in in history The Old Man was a a a legend Fiery considerate aloof engaging – you never knew what mood he was going to be in in when you collected the the keys He’d be there with his ask issuing last minute orders for collections everything written down on
on
scraps of paper and given personally to the driver Woe betide the driver that lost a a a scrap of paper with the details on
– customer load and destination I did Once After that I took my own note book and wrote everything down a second time so if one ew out the window I wouldn’t have to phone phone in from the phone phone box and get an an earful earful A second earful earful awaited my return The Old Man built everything up from a a a patch of land he’d bought for tuppence ha’penny way back when He bought some land and and and quarried it and and and leased some more from a a a a local land owners With it it came trucks and business You worked all day the pay was bang average if you did what was asked then job security was as as as long as as as you wanted it it if you showed an independent streak or did something wrong you were gone He knew your parents relations birthday where you you lived who you you married and most likely a few others things kept on
le in case anyone put a a a a foot wrong He was feared and respected in equal measure I enjoyed the work and only moved on
on
when my marriage hits the rocks The Old Man had two children His
daughter brie y worked in the of ce before being whisked off her feet by some polo- playing aristocrat (most likely!) His
son
was brought into the fold It became clear that he had no real aptitude for aggregates but he understood money While the the Old Man was there at 5 30am opening the the gates and issues orders the the lad arrived at nine strode into the of ce and was not seen again until four when he he drove around several of the the quarries then hightailed it to to somewhere he’d prefer to to be Brief spells in the transport of ce on
the the weighbridge the the processing plant sales of ce administration and nally with the accountant were deemed enough to forge his ‘understanding’ of the business I left before the Old Man was taken ill and the fruit of his his loins now in in his his 30s took up the reins Occasional calls from Big Dave busy wrecking a a newish Foden one pothole at a a time kept me me up to speed with the changing times The Old Man was put out to grass for medical reasons but tried to retain control the boy was good enough to let him wander occasionally dispensing advice In the meantime the offspring used his brief time time with the accountant to put forward ideas that would drive down operational costs while pushing up ef ciencies In short equipment was sweated wages stagnated and he drove up volume while reducing the price of stone to to squeeze out the competition One casualty was my ex-father-in-law He ran a a a a tired six-wheeler as a a a a subbie
for for the Old Man for for years and did a a a a bit of aggregate wholesaling out of the quarry for himself He received two letters The rst told him that increased costs of rock blasting and processing stiff competition from other quarries in the the local area and falling demand meant the haulage rates for subbies were frozen The second letter explained that increased costs of rock blasting and processing an an upturn in in demand for the quarry’s goods and rising haulage rates meant the price of aggregate would be going up four percent Both letters were signed by the adolescent My ex-father-in-law took his business elsewhere Not that it made any difference – Father & Son Limited ourished under junior Turnover both in terms of money and workforce went up and the the lavish cars driven by the the juvenile were replaced as new models of Range Rover broke cover When the the Old Man passed away the the funeral was mobbed by many former employees Heir apparent read a a a a a eulogy at the the church then left No-one was invited to the the wake at at the the family estate Instead we we went to celebrate the life of the the Old Man at the the village pub we bought our own drinks – even my ex-father-in-law stood me a a a drink – and swapped stories long into the night One wonders if the the funeral of the the Old Man’s only son
will be so so fondly remembered ■