Liam Hackett Commercials is one of a kind

20/01/2022

Operating out of a spacious modern workshop on Ballina’s Killala Road, Liam Hackett Commercials is one of Connaught's premier commercial vehicle diagnostics, repair, servicing and preventative maintenance specialists. We touched base with Liam to find out more about this exceptional, industry-leading, family-run business.

Offering superb service levels and unrivalled professionalism born out of a wealth of experience, Liam Hackett Commercials has forged a stellar reputation as one of Mayo’s most knowledgeable, accommodating, efficient and trustworthy commercial vehicle workshops.

Looking after a who’s who of long-serving customers who travel in and out of the region on a regular basis, the business is essentially a one-stop shop for all commercial vehicle servicing and repair needs, with the emphasis very much on safety and reliability. As the eponymous founder confirms, preventative maintenance is critical to ensuring that vehicles consistently perform at their optimal level:

Liam Hackett Commercials provide the full range of services to all makes of light and heavy commercial vehicles (both trucks and buses) and trailers, including crash and body repairs, 13-week inspections and test preparations. They also service a range of hydraulic cranes and cherry pickers as well as offering refrigeration solutions to some of their regular clients.

Dublin native Liam is joined in the running of this outstanding family operation by his wife, Nora, who looks after accounts and administration, as well as their three sons, Paul, Matthew and Liam Jnr., all of whom are fully-qualified and –experienced mechanics.

“We are open six days a week and start at 9am but closing time could be literally any time, depending on the workload. We also offer an after hours service on a rotation basis.”

Liam has worked with commercial vehicles all his life. He served his time as a mechanic with CIE and accumulated a veritable wealth of experience working for Road Freight at their iconic Broadstone depot in Phibsboro, which was one of the largest freight garages in Ireland at the time. As well as working extensively on both trucks and buses, he also carried out mechanical handling maintenance on forklifts and container handlers for Irish Rail. After a stint with Dublin Bus, Liam was reassigned to Bus Eireann in Ballina and moved west. In total, he spent 30 years with the State transport provider before opting to set up his own business in 1999. “Having initially started out on a premises owned by Ballina Mineral Water in the Market Square in Ballina, whose fleet we serviced, we then moved to Ballina Transport’s premises in Rehins, Ballina, where we serviced their large fleet of trucks and trailers operating nationwide,” Liam recalls.

“In 2008, we relocated to our own new purpose-built premises - a 10,000 square foot workshop with three 45-foot pits and a sunken workshop. We also have two five-tonne lifts for light commercials.

Liam Hackett Commercials’ impressive, diverse and ever-expanding customer base include West Coast Express, Ballina Transport, Bus Eireann, LeasePlan, KN Networks, Eircom, Inland Fisheries, ESB Networks, O’Hora Precast Concrete, The Irish Coast Guards, Rush Travel, Dunleavy Meats, Ballina Tool Hire, PetroCourt, Mayo County Council, Barna Waste, Ballina Tidy Towns, Mullafarry Quarry, Archers Ballina and many more.

“We’re lucky to have very good clients and we try to make sure there is never a breakdown. The 13-week inspections are very important for two reasons: firstly, you can effectively use them to all but eliminate breakdowns; and, secondly, at the end of the year, you won’t be hit with a big bill for DOE preps as everything will already be sorted.”

Liam runs a range of TEXA multi vehicle diagnostic equipment, which covers cars, vans and all makes of trucks.

“My approach has always been that, when you are preparing for a test, it is not just tomorrow’s test that you think about but you should also be looking ahead to the next test as well and making sure the vehicle is going to be in a roadworthy condition long-term,” he explains. “As far as I’m concerned, any vehicle should pass the test any time it is taken off the road.”

In concluding, the founder notes that the loyalty and support of many other companies and individuals down through the years has contributed massively to the ongoing success and viability of Liam Hackett Commercials:

“Companies like Ballina Transport and Irish Rail were very good to me in the beginning. They put their trust in me and that enabled me to get the business off the ground. Since then, we’ve had great support from all our customers and it’s greatly appreciated.

“We also have a strong network of suppliers – both locally and in Dublin – who never let us down. We need stuff to come in fast and our suppliers really look after us in this regard. We carry a substantial amount of parts to cover all the main models ourselves and then have fast access to anything else that we might need.” With 50 years’ experience and a keen eye for detail and organisation, Liam Hackett is offering his customers a professional, value-added commercial vehicle service that few others can match!

Liam Hackett Commercials,

Culleens,

Killala Road,

Ballina,

County Mayo.

Tel: 096-76770

Mobile: 087-2849909

Published in Irish Trucker & Light Commercials magazine, October/November 2021, Vol 24 No 6