Tomás later joined his Dad when he got his HGV Licence and began driving, following this Tomás successfully completed a transport managers course and got his transport CPC. Joined by his brother Gerard some years later this truly became a family business and has been nurtured and grown dramatically since.
Their aim is to provide a first class service consistently to the businesses they work for, some of those including Waterford County Council, Glaxo SmithKline, Glanbia, Coillte Teo.Tomás and Gerard deal with everything first hand so that all customers are assured of a top class service and immediate decision making.
Primarily the business is involved in the transport of raw materials and finished goods, with a strong focus on working with local businesses but of course as a transport provider they have clients all over the country.
Providing a full range of transport options to companies from Flatbed to Bulk Liquid tankers. Dungarvan Transport also has a waste collection permit for the south east region and has applied for a waste collection permit for the whole of Ireland which will allow them to facilitate their customers on a nationwide basis with the transport and collection of waste products.
The future development doesn’t stop there. A logical development to the transport business; in 2006 Dungarvan Transport decided to develop a HGV Maintenance business because of the heavy investment made in their own garage regards equipment, man power, computer systems, traceability and record keeping, they then set up Munster Truck and Trailer Services.
This business has grown substantially and now employs four people full time. A 4 bay workshop and brake testing rolling road, diagnostic equipment for trucks and buses for EBS and ABS downloading and fault finding are also available. Recently Dungarvan Transport has been awarded the tachograph calibration installation certificate by the NSAI and are also fitting speed limiters to trucks, buses and vans. As part of this business they have set up a sandblasting and spray painting workshop and this is currently up and running. This business is set to grow as people, rather than investing in new equipment, machinery and trailers will look to refurbish.
“Our business like any other is continually evolving and developing we are always trying to grow the business and develop relationships with new customers” says Tomás.
“There are certainly many challenges amidst all this growth and development. Seeing the transport industry going through a very hard time at the moment, there is huge over capacity in the transport industry in Ireland. This business is very capital intensive and deprecation is a huge cost in such a business because of the continuous replacement of trucks, trailers, garage equipment. One of the most difficult things about managing a transport company especially in this current economic climate is managing our costs both fixed and operational” he admits.
There are certainly rewards though and this is what keeps the Horgan family business going on a tough day; the most rewarding part is seeing the business you have built up over the years and the good reputation you earn from your customers.
The drivers have a huge part to play in growing the business by being courteous to customers and making sure that their goods are collected and delivered with a clean truck, no damages and safe cautious driving.
What is a typical day like for Dungarvan Transports directors? A standard day would include first thing in the morning to check all the trucks on the tracking system and to make sure they are going according to the schedule. The tracking system allows Tomás to see exactly at any point in time the exact location of all the fleet, the speed it is travelling at, the time the journey commenced and the time of arrival at the destination. Tomás says “If everything is as planned at this stage no action needs to be taken for example if a truck was running late, i would ring the customer in advance to tell them the situation. This system allows me to plan the next run for the drivers and a lot of time is saved by not having to make 18 separate phone calls. I can then plan the next loads and then the messages are sent to the drivers via an onboard messaging unit in every truck. Other daily activities would include dealing with customer requests for deliveries, collections for that day and the next day. Like all other business owner/ managers, I would then spend the rest of the day meeting with customers and suppliers etc. Myself and Gerard would also consult every day regards maintenance schedules.”
Tomás has lots of great advice to fellow entrepreneurs thinking of setting up a business, he recommends “they should do as much market research as possible”. He also suggests they “try and get an accountant and someone with a lot of experience in your chosen sector to join you. You have to make sure you have your costing right both fixed and operational. Don’t rush into setting up a business until you have a business plan that both you and your accountant and bank are happy with. As set up costs and working capital requirement are usually very substantial and very often if the business is not successful all this money can be lost. Check out credit terms and conditions with customers and suppliers”.
His own business philosophy “is to focus on the customer. At the end of the day they pay the bills for your business. Try to achieve what the customer wants and when they want it.
”A quote from a very successful business person that has always stuck with Tomás which he tries to adhere to is “work smarter not harder”. It makes sense if you get caught up in day to day stresses of the business as it is very easy to lose sight of your original aim and of course always try to look to the future.
Dungarvan Transport’s office, transport business and garage business are all based in Garryduff, Colligan just five miles outside of Dungarvan.
For further information about the services on offer, please contact Tomás and his team on 058 68855 or email info@dungarvantransport.ie or view websites www.dungarvantransport.ie & www.truckrepairs.ie
Dungarvan Transport is a long term member of the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber. For further information about the above business, or generally about the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber, please contact telephone number 058 45054 or email; jenny@dungarvanchamber.ie
