Hauliers take great care in the appearance of their fleet of trucks as they are not only vehicles, but they can be many drivers ‘homes’ for a long period of time.
Attention to detail is something that many truckers pride themselves on and to say that some trucks are eye-catching would be an understatement.
Great expense goes into giving a truck that personal touch and ensuring that passers-by know who that lorry belongs too.
Trucks shows are a sight to behold as they showcase these vehicles, but they are also a great source of advertisement for these businesses as their vehicles are easily identified.
One company based in Moy, Co Tyrone who takes great pride in their vehicles is E. Conroy Livestock, which is a family run business that has been providing a wide range of services to their customer base since Eugene Conroy first established the business in 1960.
Eugene is still involved in the business to this day, but it is his sons Eoin and Eamonn that look after the day to day running of the business.
Irish Tractor spoke to Eoin about the success of the business for this month’s edition of the magazine, but first we take a more in-depth look at the history of the business.
When Eugene first established the business 56 years ago, his main focus was driving a livestock lorry, something that he continues to do to this day.
Eugene built up an extensive customer base in the local area and was a regular sight at sales and marts throughout the province.
“My father would have built up a big customer base over the years, and he still carries out work for some locals and ourselves. We would have two small livestock trucks on the roads, while Dad still buys calves here for exports to Spain,” said Eoin.
“We more or less diversified away from the livestock a few years back and although we still do a bit, the main focus would be on refrigerated haulage now.
“Nowadays, a lot of our work is done for Sawyer Transport which sees us haul chilled and ambient goods generally across to the mainland U.K.”
Eoin revealed that the work they do sees their trucks on the road seven days a week and for this to occur they need a well maintained and operational fleet.
“There are six trucks on the road, four of which are Scania and we put in a big effort not only to have them well maintained, but to have them looking well. We take great pride in the fleet and have the ‘King of the Road’ logo on the front windscreen of all our trucks.
“People recognise us more and it makes us stand out that bit more, while it is an extra bit of advertising, but the most important thing is to ensure that they trucks are always well maintained and in good working order.
“We would upgrade on a regular enough basis and we would do some maintenance ourselves, while Walter McCann would do a lot for us as well.”
The Conroy family extends well and truly beyond blood relatives as the staff are treated as family.
“The drivers we have are excellent and they take great care in the trucks and treat them as if they were their own. A few of the lads are with us a good few years and they are very experience at what they do.
“There are huge time constraints in this industry and it is essential to get deliveries done on time and to make sure that happens, you need reliable drivers and fortunately we have that.”
E. Conroy Livestock also focus on some general haulage and they have lowloader and flat trailers allowing to haul a wide range of goods and plant.
“We are looking to expand a bit more around home in general haulage. During the summer, we would draw a lot of straw, while the lowloader is also kept going.”
There are many overheads in the haulage industry and Eoin stressed that this was just part and parcel of the business.
“The diesel bill would still be the biggest issue, even though it has come down a good bit. We deal with CPI Insurance for insuring the trucks and trailers and we find them to be very good and are always there to help us in anyway.”
The success of the business is not just down to the men in the Conroy family as Eoin’s wife Lynn plays a big part too as she looks after the administration side of the business, while his mother Patricia has done her fair share for developing the company down through the years.
“This is very much a family run business. We have been going a long time now, so we must be doing something right,” smiled Eoin.
“If we can keep going the way we are and expand a bit at home, that would be our main focus for the coming year.”
E. Conroy Livestock
110 Mullybrannon Rd,
Dungannon
BT71 7ES,
United Kingdom
Phone:+44 28 3754 8735
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
