McAuliffe Trucking Co celebrates 55 years on the road
03/03/2025
Celebrating 55 years in business in April, McAuliffe Trucking Co Ltd continues to go from strength to strength as demonstrated by its nomination for no fewer than five awards at the 2025 Irish Fleet Awards and a big win for Orla McAuliffe.
The Castleisland, Co. Kerry-based family business was a finalist in the following categories: Woman in Transport of the Year; Specialist Haulage Operator of the Year; Best Livery; Refrigerated Specialists; and Regional Transport Operator of the Year. The nominations highlight the company’s outstanding contribution to the Irish transport and logistics sector, and underscore the McAuliffe family’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence, innovation and community engagement.
The awards were presented at the Johnstown Estate Hotel in Enfield, Co. Meath on Thursday, October 10 last and McAuliffe Trucking Co didn’t go home empty-handed with Orla McAuliffe scooping the prestigious Woman in Transport accolade. A trailblazer in the industry, it capped a memorable year for the young director and transport manager who celebrated her 30th birthday in the same month and married Thomas, who is also involved in the business as a driver, in December.
Orla’s success recognises her significant influence in a traditionally male-dominated industry, where she has continually driven McAuliffe Trucking Co to new heights. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its operations, enhanced its service offerings and reinforced its reputation for reliability and customer satisfaction.
“I was absolutely delighted to win the Woman in Transport Award. It was my first time, so it meant a lot, as did the other nominations we received,” Orla says.
“None of this would be possible without the amazing team I have around me. We have 30 staff on our books between drivers, mechanics and office personnel, and we’d be nothing without them. Many of our drivers have been without us for over 30 years which speaks volumes.
“Even after all these years, they remain highly-motivated and always have the company’s best interests at heart.”
Specialising in livestock transport, liquid transport, refrigerated and bulk transport, McAuliffe Trucking Co runs 21 trucks and 30 trailers. Most of the trucks are DAF, with four Scanias and a new Volvo FM13 500 making up the rest, while the trailers are a mix of tankers, bulk trailers, livestock trailers, refrigerated units and curtainsiders. The fleet has been regularly showcased at truck shows around the country and are always immaculately turned out. The airbrushed trucks have a different theme which adds to their uniqueness.
“It’s only our second-ever Volvo,” Orla says of the latest addition to the fleet.
“We bought it off Micheál Walsh in McCarthy Commercials in Clonlara and are very happy with it. It is one of three trucks we have dedicated to our farm-to-farm milk collections. We also bought our last Volvo off McCarthy Commercials way back in 1999. In addition, we’ve taken delivery of two new DAF XG530s from DAF Truck Services (Cork) in the last two years.”
The company is closely aligned to the family’s pig farming business. Orla’s father and McAuliffe Trucking Co managing director Mike McAuliffe operates four piggeries in the Castleisland area and is also CEO of the Truly Irish brand which was created a number years ago by a group of pig farmers who decided to bring their own brand of pork to the market to improve the quality of Irish pork products. Orla’s older brother Shane is also involved in the piggery enterprise which employs 20 people.
“My grandfather Jack McAuliffe had a pig farm before branching into haulage in 1970,” Orla explains.
“He started drawing whey from Kerry Co-Op (now Kerry Group) in Listowel with a Bedford truck and tank to his own pig farm. The business grew from there and he bought two new Hino articulated trucks on the same day in 1975.
“We still draw whey between Kerry Group’s creameries in Newmarket, Charleville and Listowel, and continue to enjoy an excellent working relationship with them after all these years. We also collect milk from dairy farms in the North Kerry and West Limerick areas for Limerick Liquid Milk and North Cork Co-Op.
“Whereas the tankers we use for drawing whey are our own, the milk tankers we use for the Limerick Liquid and North Cork Co-Op collections belong to them. We also have two Pezzaioli livestock trailers for transporting pigs.”
Jack McAuliffe sadly passed away in 1992, leaving his son Mike to take up the reins at just 28 years of age. McAuliffe Trucking Co has continued to grow and its trucks have become a familiar sight throughout Ireland and Europe.
“We transport hanging sows to Germany every week for Truly Irish and send pigs to Rosderra Meats in Roscrea and Staunton’s Foods in Timoleague, West Cork every day. We also send pigs to Kepak in Cavan and are involved in beef farming in Castleisland. We work closely with Allmed Logistics and Virginia Transport on backloads from Germany,” Orla adds.
The award-winning transport manager caught the trucking bug at an early age and worked in the office during school holidays and after she finished college. She always saw her future in the family business and holds rigid and articulated licences, having obtained both before the age of 22. Orla studied Business with Marketing in college and also obtained her Transport Management certificate from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in 2018.
“It’s handy to have the licences as I’m able to go out and relieve some of the drivers when the need arises. If they’re ‘out of hours’ and only up the road, I can bring the truck the rest of the way. It’s also nice to be able to get out of the office every once in a while.”
Orla welcomes the fact that more women are now involved in the transport industry than ever before.
“It’s refreshing to see more women involved in driving and transport management. While it remains a male-dominated industry, I have never once been looked down upon because I’m female. I’d like to see more women becoming HGV mechanics. They are very thin on the ground.
“Trucking is in my blood and I hope to play my part in keeping the family tradition alive for many more years to come,” she concludes.
Here's to the next 55 years!
McAuliffe Trucking Co Ltd
Fahaduff,
Castleisland,
Co. Kerry.
Telephone: 066 7141933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mcauliffetrucking.com
First published in Irish Trucker magazine January/February 2025, Vol 28-1
