“They know they can rely on us to get the job done right”
27/11/2024
Based in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Ian Hayes Haulage provides an efficient and reliable service to its customers throughout Ireland and the UK. Irish Trucker caught up with Lloyd Hayes to hear more about this thriving business which specialises in the transportation of bulk powder.
Business is good these days at Ian Hayes Haulage and the plan for Lloyd Hayes and the rest of the team at 11 Drumnacross Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone is to try and keep things that way for the foreseeable future.
Established in 1977 by Ian and Florence Hayes, the business has grown from strength to strength over the years and is today headed up by Ian and his son Lloyd.
Having run the business alongside his late wife Florence for decades, Ian still remains very much an integral part of the operation to this day with his invaluable experience counted upon day in, day out while Lloyd has taken over the daily running of the business.
Irish Trucker spoke with Lloyd Hayes recently to discuss the ins and outs of the company and the overall state of business for it at the moment.
“At present we have 13 lorries. It’s all Scania lorries that we use and there’s about 25 trailers altogether,” he outlined.
Indeed, Ian Hayes Haulage operates with a state-of-the-art fleet of trucks and tankers in order to provide their services throughout the 32 counties and the mainland UK.
Two of the 13 trucks in the fleet are used as spares in case of emergencies, and the trucks themselves stand out with their striking blue and sky-blue colours.
This year saw a new Scania 770S added to the Ian Hayes Haulage fleet, with Lloyd having picked it up from Road Trucks Ltd in Larne a few months back.
The new addition has been running smoothly ever since, as is business overall at the moment for the company according to Lloyd.
“This year the work seems to have picked up rightly,” Lloyd stated.
“We were quiet enough last year, but this year it has picked up for us with different bits and pieces which is great to see.”
One of the company’s most essential customers down through the years has been Creagh Concrete, with whom they’ve had an excellent working relationship with for some time.
One of the UK’s largest producers of concrete products for a diverse range of market sectors, Creagh continues to avail of Ian Hayes Haulage’s excellent services.
Through these services and also delivering animal feeds and other private work, Lloyd and his team manage to keep busy 12 months a year.
“We take loads into the animal feed plants and RTU in Belfast,” he said.
“We’ve actually started storing material in the yard and loading it into the tanks. The products come out of China and that’s something new we’ve started this year.”
So, all of that considered, the clear question is what has been the secret behind the continued success of Ian Hayes Haulage over the years?
How has what began as a small start-up stood the test of time and grown into what is now a thriving business with a golden reputation in the haulage industry which is rivaled by very few?
The way Lloyd sees it, much of it comes down to earned trust from the customer off the back of delivering quality work time and time again.
“I think most of the customers have been with us a long time and they know they can rely on us to get the job done right,” said the Tyrone man.
“There might only be eight or nine customers there and they don’t really change much, so they’re with us a long time. I suppose they find us reliable and we do it for them whenever they want it.”
Of course, Ian Hayes himself is always on hand to offer business advice to his son and his years of experience in the haulage game aren’t something that can’t be purchased or indeed replaced. Due to health reasons Ian was off the road for a while but thankfully he is back driving the pride of the fleet, the new Scania 770S.
As for Lloyd, he’s eager to keep Ian Hayes Haulage on the same path and its customers fully satisfied week in, week out. He is hoping that his sons Jamie and Bobby follow in the family business.
He concluded: “Once our customers are happy then so are we. They know we provide a good service, but we know that we must maintain that too. There are always issues in the haulage industry, but you just have to deal with them and carry on.”
Ian Hayes Haulage
11 Drumnacross Road Cookstown
Co Tyrone BT80 9DT
Northern Ireland
Mob: 07780 227755 (Lloyd)
07760 410399 (Ian)
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Trucker magazine November/December 2024, Vol 27-6
