Heavy haulage is a highly specialised sector. Transporting abnormal loads – generally over 44 tonnes – by road involves very specific equipment, expert knowledge and work that is often closer to an engineering operation than haulage in the everyday sense.
J. S. Clayton (Plant & Equipment) Limited, in Liverpool, has operated a heavy haulage division for around seven years. The firm started life in the early 1990s and for several years used outside contractors to transport equipment, such as excavators, around the north-west of England, where it has the bulk of its clients.
But rising costs and a lack of reliability led boss John Clayton to set up an in-house heavy haulage operation, which now takes on assignments for external clients that involve transporting equipment all over the country.
John was introduced to Dyne Solicitors Limited through the Heavy Transport Association (HTA), for both heavy hauliers and manufacturers of heavy haulage equipment, in which John Dyne is closely involved.
Over the last 18 months or so, he has consulted John Dyne on both specific and general regulatory matters, including overloading issues, and says: “I have nothing but praise for John and Dyne Solicitors.
“Working with John has been a real eye-opener and we have learned a great deal. He has made us more aware of the law and as a result of that, we have looked at areas where we were potentially vulnerable and have changed certain things.”
Drawing on John Dyne’s expert advice and experience allows issues to be tackled before they become problems and gives John confidence that as a company, if a problem does arise, it will not be of its own making.
John also appreciates the regular seminars that Dyne Solicitors offers, both as a way to keep up to date with current issues and as a sign of his firm’s commitment to staff development. He says: “It gives us more credibility with clients when we can show that we are regularly updating our knowledge.”