14 | PROFILE
Brian Cunningham Transport expands operations at home and away
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odest y prevent s Br ia n Cunningham from boasting about the progress made and success achieved in his transport business over the past decade. The Belcarra, Castlebar native fi rst cut his teeth in haulage with a local Cash N’ Carry, delivering goods to retail outlets and hostelries around County Mayo and beyond. Th is led to Brian purchasing a used Iveco Ford EuroTech in 1999, imported from the UK. But it was not a straight forward plan as he had to trade-in his car and obtain the remaining balance through the bank. The only recognizable features from then to now are that Brian has earned a few grey hairs and that the distinctive colour scheme on his trucks remain prett y much the same. At fi rst general haulage services were provided to the agricultural, construction, engineering and manufacturing industries. The business grew quickly and was incorporated in 2003 when the transport operations of Lough Conn Milling Company (Crossmolina) was acquired. Container transport became a specialty during that period. Currently Brian employs 30 staff and operates a fleet of 20 tractor-units and 70 trailers and two Shunters. “We are specialists in container transport and operate a container handling and storage facility at our depot in Castlebar. We work with all the major shipping lines and have the ability to handle and store laden and empty containers enabling us to minimize empty running, thus creating a more effective and efficient supply chain for our clients. Our fleet of trailers includes Gensets for the transport of temperature-controlled goods. We also provide a container blanketing and repair service to our customers should they require it,” explained Brian. As with most businesses starting off, mistakes were made and lessons learnt but Brian has come through the little acorns to strong tree period and is now working on adding muscle to the branches.
FLEETTRANSPORT | MAY 15
Pictured at its stand at the FPS Expo in Harrogate, Yorkshire last month are Adrian Cunningham, Carl Williams, Operations Director UK; Ian Tennant and Brian Cunningham.
“Th is is being done through diversification both at home and over in Britain.” Diversification into tanker haulage was significant to the company’s growth strategy. “Our fleet of tankers are capable of carrying a large variety of bulk liquids including ADR products. All tankers are insulated and have steam coils to provide additional heat to products if required,” added Brian. The company expanded further and in 2011, moved into the UK, concentrating on developing the bulk tanker business in both markets. The UK operational headquarters moved from Widnes to a specialized depot at Ellesmere Port (Cheshire) earlier this year and the company has recently achieved ISO9001/2008 accreditation as well as acquiring Waste Collection permits
for the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and France in addition to the Irish permit, which has been held for some time. Presently the company is in the process of establishing a new depot in Dublin, located close to the Port and together with housing a container and ISO tank handling and storage facility and equipped with a recently acquired SMV Konecrane Reach Stacker, it will provide a vital link to connect the Irish and UK operations. Investment in vehicles and personnel has helped Brian Cunningham Transport progress up through the ranks from small operator to significant player in the West of Ireland. He keeps his fleet consisting mainly of Scania and Renault Trucks fresh as over 60% of the truck line-up less than three years old. The company’s