David Simon Transport celebrates 10 years
07/01/2025
Celebrating 10 years in business, David Simon Transport Ltd is an exceptional general haulage company based in Castlebaldwin, Co. Sligo.
To mark the milestone, owner-operator David Simon recently took delivery of a stunning new Scania 660S Tag from Westward Scania. Finished in the company’s trademark Mediterranean Blue, this unit is loaded wall-to-wall with spec and is finished to David’s usually high standard. The first port of call for the new truck was the 2024 Full of the Pipe Truck Show in Mondello Park where it took third place in the Best Tractor Unit category.
“’Full of the Pipe’ was its first outing,” David confirms.
“I picked it up from Westward Scania in Strokestown on the Friday evening and headed for Mondello on the Saturday.
“It has since been put to work doing a variety of work. It’s a ‘jack of all trades’ in the sense that it can do any job. The 660S is a six-wheel tag plated for 65 tonnes. It’s performing very well and is the fourth new Scania I’ve bought off Westward since 2016. I purchased the last three from Kevin Concannon who is always a pleasure to deal with.”
The new arrival takes pride of place in a small fleet which also consists of a 2015-reg Scania R560 and a 2003-reg Scania 164 480 that is used as a spare. David is also running two curtainsiders, a flat trailer and a timber trailer.
The affable Sligo man chooses Scania every time due to their reliability, flexibility, fuel efficiency, comfort, power and unrivalled back-up service.
“Since I started driving trucks, I’ve always had a soft spot for Scania. The first truck I bought back in 2014 was a 2006-reg Scania R480 and I’ve stuck with them ever since. I bought my first new one, an R450 top line, two years later from Westward and have never been let down,” he says.
“There are no bad trucks on the market nowadays, but the difference with Scania is their aftersales and knowledge. Scania have an excellent dealer network across Ireland, even in the remotest of locations. We’re lucky to have Westward Scania and Cawley Commercials on our doorstep.”
The majority of David’s work involves transporting goods via curtainsiders, fridges and flat trailers across Ireland and sometimes further afield to the UK and Europe. He recently branched into timber transport which added another string to his bow.
“I started off doing traction work which still contributes to a portion of our business, but have diversified a good bit since then. You need to be flexible in this business or you won’t survive. The Covid-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge we’ve faced to date. We were doing a lot of fridge work for the hospitality sector which stopped overnight.
“Thankfully, we had work in other sectors to fall back on and sustain us. We’ve recently got into log transport which is another service we now provide. It’s very specialised work which we’ve adapted well to.”
As a small company, David Simon Transport is able to offer customers a more personalised service than larger haulage firms can.
“We pride ourselves on our personalised service which many customers prefer. There is only one point of communication with us. We enjoy close and trusted relationships with all our clients. We place a strong emphasis on attention to detail. It’s all about volume and numbers with the bigger hauliers. Our business model isn’t like that at all. There is just myself and two other drivers who the customer deals directly with.
“No job is too big or too small. We can carry out deliveries to any part of the country, from a house delivery to a multinational company. Flexibility is key.”
The Sligo operator is fully-licensed and insured for European cargo transport. David and his drivers are also ADR qualified for the carriage of dangerous goods by roads. This ensures all your hazardous ADR cargo is handled safely and legally.
David Simon Transport has come a long way in a decade thanks to a willingness to diversify, hard work and a passion for trucks.
“My father works in sales in the transport sector. He sells truck parts and I was in yards all across the country with him when I was younger. That’s where my interest in trucks came from. I drove for a few local hauliers before eventually going out on my own. I always wanted to have my own business and it’s lovely to think that we’re still here and going strong after 10 years.”
Offering a personalised, professional, dependable, trustworthy and value-for-money service, David would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as his drivers for their dedication, hard work and expertise. He is also grateful for the support he has received from his family over the years.
Here’s to the next 10 years of this top-class logistics solutions provider!
David Simon Transport Ltd
Castlebaldwin,
Co. Sligo.
Telephone: 087 613 3716
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: /davidsimontransport
First published in Irish Trucker magazine November/December 2024, Vol 27-6
