SHE MIGHT BE THE YOUNGEST OF THREE DAUGHTERS, BUT STEPHANIE PRICE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF WEST MIDLANDS-BASED JPE EARTH AND AGGREGATES, IS DETERMINED TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE COMPANY ESTABLISHED BY HER FATHER, COLIN, IN 1994. BULK & TIPPER HAS BEEN TO MEET HER.
If ever there was someone who spotted an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands, it was Colin Price. During the 1970s and ‘80s he was earning a reasonable living as a scrap man and demolition contractor. But then he heard about plans to build the Black Country Route, a new road between Dudley and Walsall, close to where he lived in Wolverhampton. He rightly concluded they’d need thousands of tons of clay. He didn’t have any to sell, but what he did have was a next-door neighbour who owned a quarry! And a friend who ran a small fleet of tippers. So, he went ahead and quoted for the supply of clay, and that decision not only laid the foundations for the new road, but laid the foundations for what is now a multimillion-pound quarrying and transport operation.
JPE Holdings was founded in 1994. JPE stands for Joan Price Enterprises, and was named after Colin’s wife, Joan. He bought the clay from his neighbour, and hired in tippers from local haulier Billy Singh.
GREGORY’S LININGS HAS BEEN BUSY PROTECTING CUSTOMERS’ ASSETS WITH QUICKSILVER LINING FOR MANY YEARS AND NOW TIPPER OPERATORS ARE INCREASINGLY OPTING FOR IT IN THEIR TRAILERS TOO. BULK & TIPPER FINDS OUT MORE.
For more than 30 years, Gregory’s Linings in the Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe has been a benefit for companies requiring a solution to sticking, abrasion and excessive wear across a range of their industrial equipment. Since 1989, the company has specialised in supplying and installing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), an extremely tough material with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made. Its versatility has made it a popular plastic for many industrial applications that require durability, low friction, and chemical resistance and Gregory’s Linings has utilised its properties to keep a raft of industrial machinery running smoothly, safely and efficiently.
Tom Gregory started the business, with his brother Keith soon jumping on board as well to help him install liners for customers that generally had coal plants and power stations. But as the years have rolled by Gregory’s is now far more likely to be lining tipper trucks. In fact, Tom says 70 per cent of its business these days is installing the material – brand name Quicksilver – into tippers.
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G WEBB HAULAGE CARRIES A WIDE RANGE OF MATERIALS IN BULK AND OFFERS NATIONWIDE TRANSPORT WITH A FLEET OF OVER 55 VEHICLES. ITS 32-TONNE RIGID CHASSIS TIPPERS BEAR ITS DISTINCTIVE LIVERY AND ARE A FAMILIAR SIGHT ON THE NATION’S HIGHWAYS. BASED AT ITS LONGSTANTON HEADQUARTERS, NEAR CAMBRIDGE, THE COMPANY HAS GROWN STEADILY OVER THE PAST 70 YEARS. BULK & TIPPER TELLS THE STORY.
One of the most respected names in bulk haulage must be Cambridgeshire-based G Webb Haulage. It was established in 1947 by the late George Webb senior, originally as a garage and vehicle repair operation serving the rural community. A move into tipper haulage pointed the way forward. Back then vehicle technology was at best basic, but the founder had a firm belief that the most efficient way to operate was to specify the vehicles to a high level. This often involved embracing new technologies, but only after thoroughly researching, analysing and understanding both the benefits and any potential downsides to any new development in vehicles, bodywork, equipment and operating systems.
The present-day operation is still under family control, with the second and third generations actively involved and the desire to keep improving the operational efficiency and reliability of the trucks and equipment employed continues as strongly as ever.
VOLVO TRUCKS RECENTLY GAVE THE UK TRANSPORT PRESS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK OVER AND DRIVE SEVERAL VEHICLES FROM ITS NEW ALL-ELECTRIC HEAVY TRUCK RANGE. THE EVENT TOOK PLACE AT ITS GOTHENBURG HEADQUARTERS IN SOUTHWESTERN SWEDEN AND BULK & TIPPER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE ENGINEERS, PRODUCT PLANNERS AND MARKETING SPECIALISTS AS WELL AS TESTING TWO ALL-ELECTRIC TRUCKS.
While electric vehicles will not be at the top priority of every bulk haulier in the land, these new models demonstrate just how far the technology has moved in a relatively short space of time and electric tractor unit versions of the FM and FH ranges will be going into series production in the second half of 2022 and rigid versions of FM, FMX and FH in early 2023. These new models join the existing lighter FL Electric 4×2 rigids rated at up to 16,700kgs and the bigger 4×2 and 6×2 FE Electric models rated at up to 19,000kgs and 27,000kgs respectively. At present the UK regulations only give an increase in gross weights for two and three-axle chassis to allow for the extra weight of the batteries with battery electric vehicles. Four-axle chassis and tractor units remain at the same limits as conventional diesel- and gas-powered versions, which is something of a drawback considering heavier vehicles need as many as six individual battery packs.
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THIS YEAR A JOHNSTONE HAULAGE HAS REACHED A 30-YEAR MILESTONE. IT SPECIALISES IN PROVIDING BULK TIPPER HIRE SERVICES THROUGHOUT SCOTLAND SUPPLYING TRANSPORT FOR MATERIAL REMOVAL AND DELIVERING INFILL SUPPLIES, COMPRISING A FULL RANGE OF AGGREGATES INCLUDING SAND, GRAVEL, HARD CORE, TOP SOIL AND ASPHALT. BULK & TIPPER TELLS THE STORY OF THE COMPANY’S WORKING HISTORY.
Tipper trucks aren’t known by those in the industry for their relaxing properties, but that’s because if you’re driving, planning or maintaining them, time is usually of the essence. They don’t tend to sit around for long. But if you ever get the chance to take some time out and watch them at work, it can be slightly hypnotic and surprisingly therapeutic. One lorry, one load isn’t much to write about, but if you get the opportunity to watch a squadron of them as they repeat the process over a day, it’s much more impressive than you might think. We’ve become numb to what these marvellous machines can actually achieve, 20 tonnes (well, about 19.5 these days) at a time. Whether it’s muck coming out of a building site, or Type 1 coming in, as the eight wheelers march in and out, load after load, hour after hour, great things start to take shape. This model of steady, gradual progress actually applies as a whole to A Johnstone Haulage of Bathgate in West Lothian.
FAST APPROACHING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN ROAD TRANSPORT, FIFE-BASED, WILSON STEVEN TRANSPORT IS NOW BENEFITTING FROM THIRD-GENERATION INVOLVEMENT OF ITS OWNING FAMILY. THE LATE JOHN HENDERSON HEADED TOWARDS THE FINE FARMLAND AROUND CUPAR TO MEET OWNER, IAIN STEVEN AND DAUGHTER, KATIE.
The road transport industry is never short of challenges and changes. The current shortage of HGV drivers and technicians is the tip of the latest iceberg to glance a sideways blow at haulage contractors, who are continually working full steam ahead to serve their customers. The COVID-19 pandemic brought much in the way of negative news for road haulage, but for Wilson Steven Transport it also brought a welcome breath of fresh air, in the shape of third generation, Katie Steven. Having returned from working in France at the beginning of March 2020’s lockdown, Katie has immersed herself in the family’s business. With a degree in International Hospitality Management under her belt, Katie is no stranger to hard work, customer facing roles and ‘in at the deep end learning’. These competencies have helped her progress at an impressive rate, both with running the traffic office and now behind the wheel.
Katie has obviously inherited some DNA from her grandfather, Henry Wilson Steven. Back in 1974, the former dairy farmer – who disliked his Christian name – started a transport operation named, Wilson Steven Transport.
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ME AYRES AND SONS, SET UP IN 1953, IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED BUSINESS CARRYING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE AS WELL AS COAL AND SOLID FUELS THROUGHOUT NORFOLK AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. IT USES PRE-OWNED AND SUBSEQUENTLY REFURBISHED VEHICLES. BULK & TIPPER FINDS OUT WHY THE BUSINESS USES CLASSIC TRUCKS.
You know how it is, you’re cruising along, it’s a nice sunny day, roof open, smooth jazz on the radio, when out of the blue a truck pulls out from the fuel station up ahead, that’s not unusual but this truck was. Not the usual DAF, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Volvo, MAN or even an IVECO! It was in fact an immaculate ERF EC 6×2 tractor unit with polished alloy wheels and a nice shiny vertical exhaust stack, pulling an – equally immaculate – Fruehauf tri-axle bulk tipping trailer, and for a few seconds the ‘throaty’ roar of its Cummins engine took me back to the golden age of Convoy, Smokey and the Bandit and other classic US trucking films.
My first thought was that this was an enthusiast-owned and restored, classic ‘show truck’ outfit making its way to Peterborough Truckfest, but after filling up with fuel and having a word with a couple of truck drivers, it turned out it was owned and operated by ME Ayres and Sons, based at a village called Stanhoe, near Fakenham, in Norfolk, and was indeed a working truck and part of a fleet of both working classic trucks – ERF ECs – along with some very well looked after DAFs.
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