As driver retention is the burning issue of the moment for the road-transport industry, many bosses are beginning to believe that without plush cabs, drivers won't stay. But it ain't necessarily so, as illustrated by this tale of a company where the drivers have shown tremendous loyalty despite hardships that many others would not have tolerated.

Mick Aldridge started as an owner-operator in 1992, the 'Transport' part of his company's title being an elderly workhorse Scania 112 that had spent its life plying the Continent. Mick kept the wagon on European duties, working for Ferrymasters, where it gave five years of good service until he felt able to buy a 113 Topliner.

To pay for the new truck Mick found fresh work, a food distribution run by day which was double-shifted with an employed driver by night. Now with an employee to deal with, Mick's daughter, Joanne, joined him to sort out the wages, send out invoices and keep the books.

A BIG STEP

At the end of summer 1998 Mick took a huge leap of faith and traded-in the Topliner for a brand-new S-registration Scania 144 rated at 400hp. It was a big step and the financial burden caused him many sleepless nights for the best part of a year.

To pay for this new wagon, Mick hauled steel to London on a daily basis and again the engine was kept running through the night on a contract with Hales Freight, hauling to Holyhead to meet the 1am ferry. It was a big gamble, because a breakdown on either route would have upset not one but two clients. Fortunately the new truck proved itself reliable and over the next two years the Scania never missed a schedule. Although a massive financial undertaking, both Mick and Joanne say it was the best move they ever made.

(For full story see May's edition of T&D)