A reliable, compliant transport solution for Tarmac

About Tarmac

Tarmac is the UK’s leading sustainable building materials and construction solutions business. Their innovative products and solutions help deliver the infrastructure needed to grow the UK economy and help to create a more sustainable built environment for the country’s long-term future.

A team of 5,500 people operate across 350 sites. They produce a range of products such as aggregates and cement, whilst also providing highways maintenance and infrastructure services.

The transport solution that keeps delivering

On average, we transport a minimum of 20 loads a day for Tarmac. If one of these loads is delayed or not fulfilled, that has a direct impact on sales and the production line. A reliable and consistent service is therefore vital. We pride ourselves on consistently surpassing service targets and David Carrick, Tarmac’s Packing Plant Manager, explains what this means to him:

It is my job to keep things moving and I need hauliers who make that easy to do.

Out of all the hauliers we use, Pollock is one of the easiest to deal with. We know what we are getting and the service is always good. If loads have failed or you haven’t been able to fulfil a load, you tell us. (Though to be honest, these are few and far between.) Likewise, if we need to change something, we tell you and you have the scale to be able to adapt and accommodate accordingly. This flexibility is very valuable to us.

Putting safety first

The Pollock drivers collect from Tarmac sites on a daily basis, so it is vital that they share the same commitment to safety excellence as the Tarmac team. To help ensure this happens, we work collaboratively with Tarmac to ensure our drivers understand the specific safety standards of each site. David tells us more:

There has to be a lot of control around compliance and health and safety. We share best practices with you to help ensure your team is up to speed and you do a really good job of ensuring they are. The whole team have a positive attitude towards health and safety.

Occasionally there may be a non-conformance but when there is, we discuss and resolve it. There is no blame culture, just a discussion on how we can keep improving. I think that is because we share the same high expectations. It means we are on the same page and can collaborate really well.

A partnership that just works

We have worked with Tarmac since 2020 and in that time our partnership has grown significantly. We asked David what the key ingredients are to our successful working relationship.

Reliability is key. That and communication. I have a single point of contact who I know is always available to support me. If we need to make changes to the schedule, they will facilitate us. If we change our compliance policies, they take it on board and roll it out so everyone is aware.

It is straightforward working with you. I know what I am going to get and you genuinely do make my life easier.

Always looking to the future

Our partnership approach is one that always looks forward. We make sure we understand the goals and vision of our customers and design a transport solution that is always well positioned to support those aspirations. David summarises how this translates for Tarmac:

We continually build and improve on what we’ve got. Our partnership always moves forward and never goes back.

A recent example of this is discussions around alternative fuel sources and how we can work together to achieve our net zero targets. It is hoped that in the coming months we can implement a solution to reduce our CO2 output.

The working relationship we’ve built is really strong and I know that Pollock will always offer opportunities to help us continue to evolve.