LONG-ESTABLISHED ABNORMAL LOAD SPECIALIST WHITTEN ROAD HAULAGE IS THRIVING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE IRISH SEA TRANSPORTING A DIVERSE RANGE OF PRODUCTS INCLUDING PRECAST CONCRETE BEAMS, AS HEAVYTORQUE REPORTS.
Transporting a precast beam that is 27.5 metres long and weighs 80 tonnes is no easy task. And doing it twice in two consecutive weeks between the Republic of Ireland and the UK is even harder. When the beams have a cast on parapet, it adds a layer of complexity to the operation, too, as it means that extendable trailers, or trailer combinations with turntables, aren’t suitable and a modular trailer needs to be used instead. But this is all in a day’s work – well, several days’ work – for Whitten Road Haulage.
Starting out in Ireland, each load was taken to the port at Dublin and shipped over to Heysham. Then, over the space of a couple of days, the loads, carried on truck and trailer combinations measuring more than 37 metres, were escorted through Lancashire and West Yorkshire to their destination in Dewsbury, as part of ongoing work for Banagher Precast Concrete – one of Whitten’s longest-standing customers.
HEAVYTORQUE WONDERS IF THE NEW NATIONAL POLICE CHIEFS' COUNCIL GUIDELINES WILL REALLY LEAD TO MORE CONSISTENT POLICING OF ABNORMAL LOADS MOVEMENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
One of the most contentious issues in recent years for almost everyone involved in the movement of abnormal loads in the UK has been the greater enforcement of regulations on the movement of these loads, and in particular the different interpretation and implementation of the rules in different parts of the country.
What is considered to be legal by the authorities in one area may not be allowed in others, and many operators covering large parts of the country have fallen foul of the authorities in such areas, despite trying their best to comply with all the rules and despite being given a green light to move the same load with the same combination in other areas. Another major area of concern is the imposition of blanket movement curfews for abnormal loads in an increasing number of areas.
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HEAVYTORQUE REVISITS CADZOW HEAVY HAULAGE TO FIND OUT WHY IT HAS SCALED ITS OPERATION BACK RECENTLY AND WHY IT RETURNED TO VOLVO FOR THE LATEST ADDITION TO ITS FLEET.
It has been a while since HeavyTorque last visited family-owned Cadzow Heavy Haulage, based at Blantyre on the outskirts of Glasgow, and unsurprisingly, quite a bit has happened since we were last there. Although company founder Jim Macauley passed away in 2016, his influence and foresight remain a big part of the operation. Fittingly, our visit coincided with what would have been his 80th birthday and the latest Volvo heavy tractor unit to enter service has been dedicated to his memory.
It was carefully specified by his grandson Jack Macauley Brailsford. Though a relative youngster, Jack has been involved in the operation for many years and has great respect for his grandfather, as well as many fond memories of him. The operation is headed, meanwhile, by Jim’s daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, both of whom spent years working with their father.
PAUL O’CALLAGHAN MEETS BRIAN GRANT, FOUNDER OF ONE OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S MOST PROLIFIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATIONS, AND HIS SONS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR TAKE ON THE BUSINESS OF SPECIALISED HAULAGE AND THE COMPANY’S FLAGSHIP DAF XG+.
In Ireland, Dundrod is a place associated with motorbike racing – specifically the wild world of road racing. Since the 1920s, riders have sped along the seven mile course of the Dundrod Motor Racing Circuit in what is famous for being the fastest race of its kind. Peter Hickman set the lap record of 136.415mph in 2019, marginally faster than his record lap in the Isle of Man in 2024. Sadly, 2019 was the last year the iconic event was held, due primarily to increased insurance.
So what has this got to do with haulage, you may ask? Well, in Ireland, particularly in the northern end of the country, motorsport runs deep in haulage companies, and that’s certainly true of Brian Grant Haulage and Commercials, which is heavily connected to motorbike racing and rallying from its headquarters at Dundrod, in County Antrim.
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FAMILY FIRM RL TAYLOR HAD ITS METTLE TESTED WHEN SCANIA PROVED RELUCTANT TO GIVE IT REAR STEEL SUSPENSION ON ITS NEW HEAVY HAULAGE 8X4; AND THAT ISN'T THE ONLY STEEL IT HAD TO SHOW TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS, GIVEN SOME TRAGIC FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES, WRITES HEAVYTORQUE.
Sustaining a heavy haulage operation in a rural area is never an easy task, especially if the fleet includes a couple of 150-tonne gross outfits. Finding enough work in the area to justify the high levels of investment required can be difficult; some rural abnormal load carriers have to travel a long way from base to keep their vehicles busy. An inadequate road system, meanwhile, can create routeing problems and be hard on the trucks and trailers. Longer journey times and heavier fuel consumption have an impact on operating costs. And although traffic densities might be relatively low in some rural areas, there can be a huge increase in congestion in the summer months, often leading to embargoes for abnormal load movements at peak times.
The best solution to the problem of finding enough work in the local area is, of course, to create your own. And that’s exactly what Devon-based RL Taylor Heavy Haulage has done for some time now.
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