(^32) August 2019 Truck & Driver
BRIARWOOD VOLVOS
transport is a necessary
cost rather than a
profit-making machine.
This gives us the benefit of being
able to spec the thing.
“We have to have a big cab
but I work on a maximum height
of 3.9 metres. I try to get
everything under that. Volvo was
able to spec us an air kit that
resulted in exactly the same
height as the physical steel
Globetrotter cab, so we got the
trucks with the chassis height of
a standard 3.7m, which is brilliant
for us. Hitting trees and so on is
common on farm lanes.
Short wheelbase
“We have also specced them
with the shortest wheelbase
possible, which is three metres
- 20cm shorter than the standard
Volvo tag-axle arrangement – to
try and keep the overall length
down. All of our trailers are
rear-steer, our longest is 12m,
and all are flats or dropsides. Also,
they all have Palfinger truck-
mounted forklifts on the back.
“Our lorries go out with the
truck-mounted forklifts on the
rear 95% of the time because we
offer the fact that we can
self-offload, which means the
guys on site or the farmer can
carry on without any disruption to
their work. And it can be put
exactly where the customer
wants; for example, if they want
the roofing or cladding or some
of the components we sell
putting in the back garden, we
can take it on the forklift if the
artic can’t get there. The least bit
of hassle we can give to the
customer, the better.”
Being flexible to a customer’s
needs is crucial to Briarwood
and having a fast turnaround on
orders is a fundamental part of
the business, which is another
reason for having a large and
well-specced fleet.
“We don’t just sell roofing
sheets but everything you can
think of for a farm or equestrian
building. Basically, everything
we supply I guarantee to
our customers that I can
get it to them within
five working days
and we are the
only people in
the country that
can do that,”
Janes
explains.
“The key to
that is
stockholding.
We are the
largest stockists
of everything we
sell in England
and in our main
fibre cement range in
Europe. We don’t need
to be but it pays dividends.
People know that at any time ofthe year, however big the project,
I can deliver it to site – and if it is
wanted quickly I can do it this
afternoon because the product is
here. It’s just a matter of arranging
the transport, and that’s where
having our own fleet is crucial
because we can be very flexible.
Our transport planner will speak
to all our customers on personal
terms and is able to fit in around
our customers’ needs.”Recruitment
Briarwood’s well-appointed fleet- and the Volvos in particular –
have helped with recruiting
drivers, something that is a
struggle for Briarwood, as it is
throughout the industry.
“I had been struggling to
recruit drivers but as soon as we
put some pictures of the new
Volvos on our Briarwood
Facebook page, CVs were
arriving in the inbox,” says Janes.
“Recently we have taken on
two drivers who came in with
their CV, based on the fact they
saw our tractor units at the
weekend and said they want to
work for that firm. It is fun work
for them – we don’t go to the
same places all of the time, it
isn’t like a milk tanker with the
same drops and collections
every day. Farmers don’t want a
new farm building every month.
“Every day they do on
average three deliveries, but
others may do a full load to
Lancashire. Some drivers only
work 4.5 days a week as they
reach their 48-hour limit. On a
Friday it is running home. But I
think nothing of seeing them on a
Saturday morning in the yard
washing their vehicle and
polishing the wheels. They love it.
“If they take pride in their
vehicle, they take pride in their
work. Because they are the
representative the farmer sees,
they can do a lot for our business
reputation either way. If the driver
falls out with the farmer, the
farmer isn’t going to buy anything
from us again – so it won’t matter
how much it costs or the quality
of it or how good the service is,
they don’t want to buy, it’s as
simple as that. It can take a few
years to recover from that.
“It is a big deal for us. We
have very good drivers now and
that is down to our fleet.”Both new Volvos have full air suspension and special medium-height chassis