D J Wills Haulier

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by D J Wills Haulier's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from D J Wills Haulier is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

www.djwills.co.uk

1DJ WILLS HAULIER |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

DJ Wills, based in Lanreath,

Cornwall

J Wills is a family haulage firm based in Cornwall. In

1972, the current director – David Wills – went into

partnership with his father, Ronald James Wills, and then

in the early 1980s he branched out on his own and established

the company DJ Wills Haulier. He started with two lorries and

worked for the local quarries, delivering aggregates to builders

and supplying hay, straw and feed to farmers, as well as

providing general haulage. This work was all based in Devon

and Cornwall. Over time, things have changed – something

David expands upon.

With the help of my wife, my two sons and my daughter-in-law, I have grown

the company, which currently has a fleet of 15 lorries. We employ 16 full-time

personnel and travel throughout the UK. Our main income is from supplying and

delivering hay and straw. Due to climate change and the reduced number of

farmers in Cornwall who grow this commodity, we can no longer source enough

hay and straw locally in the quantity that we require for our customers.

We decided in 2015 to expand the company to concentrate on the hay-and-straw

side of the business. We now have two depots where we can store the straw

we buy: one at Milton Keynes, and one at our yard in Cornwall. Our day-to-day

business is very much a family concern, as my eldest son, Michael, takes his three

balers to Milton Keynes and Enfield and bales the straw as it is being harvested

behind the combines.

FACTS ABOUT

DJ WILLS HAULIER

»Director: David John Wills

»Established in 1980s

»Based in Lanreath, Cornwall

»Services: Supplier to the

agricultural industry

»No. of employees: 18

»Fleet of 15 vehicles and 12

trailers

»www.djwills.co.uk

DJ Wills Haulier

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

2| DJ WILLS HAULIER

Last year, we baled 7,000 acres

of straw in Milton Keynes and the

surrounding area. Michael also has a

lime spreader. Using our local tipper

lorries, he spreads many tonnes of sea

sand and lime on the fields, and the

local farmers use sea sand for bedding

in their cubicles for their cows to lie on.

My youngest son, Richard, organises

the straw purchasing, transportation

and other flat-lorry work. He also

organises the other articulated lorry

work, with three of our articulated

lorries transporting scrap metals

nationwide. We have our local tippers

doing general haulage and supplying

aggregates, sea sand and lime

throughout Devon and Cornwall.

Employment

Our biggest concern is employing

drivers. We have been advertising

for two years, and good drivers are

almost impossible to find. We used to

employ 18-year-olds who took part

in the Young Drivers’ Scheme. This

was an excellent scheme, and the five

youngsters that we put through it

all made exceptional drivers and are

still working in the industry today.

Now, you cannot employ 18-year-

olds, as the insurance premiums are

extremely high. We were quoted

£14,000 per youngster on top of our

regular premium, with an additional

excess of £3,500 if they were involved

in an accident. Obviously, as a small

family firm, we cannot afford these

extra costs, but the insurers’ reason is

“lack of experience”. Youngsters who

are keen to come into our industry

can pay around £4,000 to obtain

their licences and then be told that

they are unemployable because of

high insurance premiums and lack

ofexperience.

We have wasted many hours waiting

for applicants to come for interviews.

The lack of good drivers is holding

our company back. Decent drivers

are the future of our company. It

would be beneficial if another scheme

like the Young Drivers’ Scheme

was introduced, as I feel it was so

successful back then and could be

again today.

Digital age

Another concern is lack of broadband,

Wi-Fi and mobile phone coverage.

We live in an area of Cornwall where

coverage for all three is very poor,

which can lose us vital customers.

Since the closure of many banks in

the local area, it is extremely difficult

to pay in cheques. We try using the

mobile banking app, but it only works

occasionally due to lack of coverage.

We are also limited to cheques under

Three straw lorries in a

layby

We now have

two depots

where we can

store the

straw we buy:

one at Milton

Keynes, and

one at our

yard in

Cornwall

“

3DJ WILLS HAULIER |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

a £500 threshold, as only these can be

paid in on the mobile app; anything

over this amount has to be paid in,

in person, at the nearest available

branch. Our drivers also waste time

trying to contact suppliers, customers

and the office while trying to find a

decent mobile phone signal. BT have

informed us that we cannot have fibre

optic broadband as we live too close

to a BT exchange. The only solution

to this problem, we have been told, is

to pay around £10,000 a year for our

own individual fibre optic line. This is

another cost that is far too high for us

to pay every year.

We are very proud of our Cornish

heritage, but our company is being

held back by the lack of investment

in communication, and we feel that

Cornwall is being left behind in this

digital age. The poor communication in

respect of all digital devices – whether

in the office or for the drivers who are

out on the road every day – is proving

to be very frustrating.

Regulatory challenges

Since we have been travelling

throughout the UK, we have noticed

the regulatory rules not being consistent

and uniform across the country. There

is an inconsistency in the way the law

is interpreted. Lorries are classified as

passing the standard in one area but

having an advisory in another, or they

might be issued with a prohibition in

a different area. Other hauliers must

come across the same inconsistencies.

We strive to keep within the law and

to keep our vehicles roadworthy and

safe, and our drivers are continually

assessed. The capital investment in

an articulated lorry or a flat lorry

with a drag trailer is well in excess of

£100,000. This is a lot to find with the

margins being continuallyeroded.

I would like to carry the company

forward for the future generations,

as I feel the hay and straw industry

is a more specialist job and needs

special training. My grandchildren are

being brought up within the farming

community and will understand the

daily struggles that people in Cornwall

face; they will also be able to continue

the culture and value of D J Wills,

offering a professional, safe service at

a reasonable cost for our customers.

Our company is

being held back

by the lack of

investment in

communication,

and we feel that

Cornwall is

being left

behind in this

digital age

“

The “wedding lorry”

for David’s son and

daughter-in-law

www.djwills.co.uk

This article was sponsored by D J Wills Haulier. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Michael Gove.

Rt Hon Michael Gove's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Michael Gove

This year's Parliamentary Review comes at a momentous time for parliament, as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom.

On October 31, the UK will leave the European Union. The successful implementation of this process is this government's number-one priority.

Three years after a historic referendum vote, we will deliver on the decisive mandate from the British people. Trust in our democracy depends on it. Until that final hour, we will work determinedly and diligently to negotiate a deal, one that abolishes the backstop and upholds the warm and close relationship we share with our friends, allies and neighbours in the EU. But in the event that the EU refuses to meet us at the table, we must be prepared to leave without a deal.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, it is my job to lead on this government's approach, should that scenario happen. Preparing for Brexit is my department's driving mission. But while I am leading this turbocharged effort, the whole of government is committed to this endeavour.

Ministers across Whitehall are working together to ensure that every possibility is considered, every plan is scrutinised and every provision is made. A daily drumbeat of meetings means that we are holding departments accountable, so that preparations are completed on time.

The chancellor has confirmed that all necessary funding will be made available. And we have mobilised thecivil service, assigning 15,000 of our most talented civil servants to manage our exit from the EU.

We will make sure that on November 1, there is as little disruption to national life as possible. Our trade relationships will continue to thrive, thanks to agreements with countries around the world worth £70 billion. Our country will remain secure, thanks to nearly 1,000 new officers posted at our borders. And the 3.2 million EU nationals now living and working among us can remain confident, with absolute certainty, of their right to remain in the UK.

Above all, our goal is to be transparent. Soon, we will launch a public information campaign so that citizens, communities and businesses are ready and reassured about what will happen in the event of “no deal”.

In my first few weeks in this role, I have travelled to ports and tarmacs, borders and bridges, all across the UK –from the seaside of Dover to the rolling green hills of County Armagh. I have heard from business owners and border officials, farmers and hauliers. They are ready to put an end to uncertainty. And they are ready to embrace the opportunities ahead.

Our departure from the EU will be a once in a lifetime chance to chart a new course for the United Kingdom. Preparing for that new course will be a herculean effort. But this country has made astounding efforts before. We can do it again.

Rt Hon Michael Gove
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster