driving out congestion
Wherever you travel in the UK you are likely to see one of the fleet of blue ARR Craib vehicles transporting goods across the country from the North-east and beyond.
The one place which managing director Eddie Anderson would prefer them not to be spotted is sitting in traffic jams at places like the Haudagain Roundabout, around Aberdeen harbour and en route to and from the airport and industrial estates.
In the past 25 years Eddie and his team have built ARR Craib from a £400,000 a year business into one of the largest privately-owned road transport companies in the UK.
It now has an annual turnover of £38 million and around 340 staff operating more than 250 vehicles and 480 trailers from its bases and distribution hubs at Aberdeen, Cumbernauld and Eaglescliffe in North-east England. As well as being a hands-on managing director of a continually growing enterprise, Eddie Anderson is keen to give something back to both the industry and the area in which the foundations of the business have been built.
By playing a pivotal role in helping develop the best possible solutions for the problems which face the freight industry in the North-east of Scotland he believes he can achieve both.
He is now lending his support to the newly launched Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce transport campaign and is already vice chairman of Nestrans and also its freight champion. He is also actively involved in the Transport Association which represents national interests.
“If the region is successful, our company will be successful,” he said.
“The current level of congestion is wholly unacceptable for a city of the size of Aberdeen – and yes, it is only at peak times, but it is still unacceptable.
“Imagine the first impression for a businessman from overseas thinking of building a facility here or investing in the area.
“After arriving at Aberdeen Airport he jumps in a taxi and thinks ‘the centre of Aberdeen is only seven miles’ but when it takes him an hour to get there what does that tell him about the city?
“What does that say about the place in which he is thinking of investing?
“It is absolutely chronic. That is where transport is vital to the area – and transport in general, not just road transport.
“My interest is in improving connectivity for all forms of transport because everything is intermodal now.
“Although the company’s assets are in trucks, we aren’t purely a road transport firm.
“Our customers employ us to deliver their goods from A to B and quite frankly don’t care if they go by horse and cart or aeroplane. They are looking for us to do it the most cost efficient way, safely, and in the timescale they want.
“If it goes by air it still has to get to the airport. If it goes by rail it still has to get to the railhead. Everything goes by road at some point.”
He pointed out that the problems were both local and national.
“If you need to move your goods from here to a vessel berthed in Aberdeen Harbour and these boats cost thousands of pounds an hour, then transport delays can have significant cost implications.”
He highlighted the importance of good connectivity and said that the costs of getting some products to the south of England and into Europe could make it prohibitive and had been one of the factors which had contributed to the closure of two paper mills in the North-east – and the loss of £15 million turnover for his company – in the past five years.
“A Polish transport company can get things into the south of England cheaper than we can from here because their fuel and labour costs are so much cheaper.
“I get very frustrated at the pace of change. Multinational companies are not interested in a local council saying ‘We might do something about that in five years time’ - they want to know that things are happening now.
“That is why it is important that there are actual deliverables in the NESTRANS freight action plan and not just a wish list. They may not be earth moving but at least something is being done – and the projects fit into and complement the strategy for the region and area as a whole. Transport and freight are not stand alone policies; they are vital constituent parts of the whole area plan. Look at any region in the world which is a successful place to live and work and you will find a good transport infrastructure at its core.
“I see my role within the Chamber campaign and with Nestrans as being to unify, getting everyone moving in the same direction - including for example ACSEF and the SCDI. Working with the Chamber and NESTRANS I am trying to draw all the different threads together and ensure everyone is pushing in the same direction with one voice for maximum benefit.
“Hopefully we will be able to improve the airport congestion before the AWPR comes in and then when it does it will make a substantial difference. The third Don crossing is also vital and if we get that and the AWPR it could lead to things like the pedestrianisation of Union Street – that is where transport will make a difference and improve the quality of life in the area.
“We want to get as many people involved as possible, not to create a muddle, but to get all the input at the top, funnelled down and distilled into something purer which works for the area.
“Let’s make sure what happens for freight is right for the area and what the area as a whole does is right for the freight industry. Any business looking at investing in the area needs to see the right strategy and infrastructure in place. I think a lot of what has happened in the past, because there has not been an encompassing strategy, has been totally haphazard. It will not happen overnight, but progress is being made and I am truly hopeful that in five years we will look back and realise a lot has changed and for the good.
“Who knows maybe one day we will get manufacturing back into Scotland - if we have a stable economic platform.”
The Freight Action Plan for the area, to which Eddie referred, was developed by Freight Group within NESTRANS which he chairs.
It is now considering several innovative projects.
“We are looking at the viability of a freight receipt and distribution centre, probably on the periphery, to reduce the number of vehicles entering the city,” he said.
“We believe a large number of trucks and vans come into the city centre and shopping centres to deliver small quantities of freight. Why not consolidate at one or two points on the edge of the city and arrange for delivery in off peak time, in environmentally friendly vehicles.
“The perceived benefits are multiple – reducing congestion and pollution, and potentially self funding.’’
He highlighted how modern freight vehicles, including those in ARR Craib’s fleet are now far “cleaner” than most cars.
“Also why doesn’t the AWPR have lorry parking schemes linked to the Park and Rides? There is serious shortage of parking for large goods vehicles in Aberdeen.
“Vehicles visiting the area really have nowhere to park. Cars use Park & Rides during the day and the facilities are empty at night so why not make best use of resources and give them over to commercial vehicles. This would allow us to stop nuisance parking of goods vehicles throughout the town and a nominal charge could be levied to cover costs.”
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The Chamber is launching its transport campaign this month. As a member of the steering group driving the campaign, Eddie Anderson outlines some of the issues affecting the freight industry and their impact on the region.