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reland’s economic woes have taken a heavy toll on the transport industry and nobody knows this better than Mark Dolphin, who has been forced to make some tough decisions and downsize dramatically in order to stay in business. The recession has been a valuable learning experience for the young haulier, who insists he is “happy out” as a one-man operation once again and is looking to the future with renewed optimism. In many ways, Mark is back to
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where he was nearly 20 years ago when he bought his first truck at the age of just 18. “I went to the bank to borrow £10,000 and they immediately assumed I was looking to buy a car,” recalls the affable haulier, who is now 37. “I got the loan and went out and bought my first truck. I had left school at 15 and had been working in agricultural contracting up until then. I operated as a sole trader for two years before forming a limited company in 1998. I called it
Mark Dolphin Plant Hire Ltd, which is what the company is still known as, but I’ve always traded as Dolphin Haulage.” The company’s genesis coincided with the start of the Celtic Tiger and within a few years, Mark had grown his fleet of trucks from one to six. He provided a wide range of services for the construction, heavy industry, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors, operating many routes throughout Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. But by 2008, the hard times had hit and
Dolphin Haulage (Mark Dolphin Plant Hire Ltd) Knockastrukeen, Midleton, Co. Cork. Telephone: 021 4652888 Fax: 021 4652888 Mobile: 087 2559560 Email: info@dolphinhaulage.com Website: www.dolphinhaulage.com
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