The national chairman of the Road Haulage Association says the only way his haulage company will survive is by continuing to grow through acquisitions and offering customers a range of services. Willie Oliver, MD of Coleraine, Ireland-based Oliver Transport Services, was speaking to Commercial Motor following his purchase of long-established haulier PJ O'Kane Transport last week.
Oliver says the move effectively doubles the size of his fleet and enables it to expand into GB work. He says: "We reckoned the easiest option was to take over a business that was already doing that. There's a bit of a recession on in the south [of Ireland] at the moment."
O'Kane Transport carries out abnormal load transport as well as reefer work. All 18 staff retain their jobs and Oliver says he has no plans at the moment to lose the O'Kane livery: "It takes a long time to build a good reputation in this business and O'Kane Transport is a perfect example of this." He also says he is still in the market for further purchases:
"We are going to let this settle down first. But our intention is definitely to grow. The only way forward in this industry is to grow to survive. There's still some good work out there, which people will pay a realistic rate for. Our attitude is to look for that good work, provide a good service and get a good return." The purchase price is undisclosed.
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