Dennis I like that little bit you wrote about Bibby’s especially the last bit of how you started with a four wheeler and ended up doing the total transport requirements the like of which I doubt exists in many places today, usually you find you work for a company for a while sometimes for several years and every thing is running smooth as butter, the rates are good and you have a good working relationship and the company relies on you to do your best for them sometimes not even having to quote for various jobs even if not the norm as you almost know amical agreement will be reached on the rate. My nippers call these periods of work bubbles, they are there for a while then they burst and along comes another one and seems the way it works.
During my time at the helm it was no different but sometimes when you do lose a good job you did not realize how good it was till you no longer have it but the really gutting bit is that when the company who took over only lasts a short time as they had no idea on costings and find its not viable at the rates they quoted, the best bit is when the customer comes back and asks if you can help them which is an ideal opportunity to raise the rates a little.
Remember reading in a transport publication in the late 90’s which said that within 10 years there would be about only ten major transport operators in this country with a few smaller companies on the peripheral either subbing for the giants or muddling along and in truth that was a fair assessment of the situation today but big is not always beautiful and there are a few companies who still want service and are prepared to pay for it, cheers Buzzer
