On 25 March 1997, Michael Donoghue, Managing Director of Somerset-based haulier Langdons, watched while eight of the firm's articulated prime movers and 28 of its curtain-sided trailers were sold at auction. The bidding was brisk because the equipment was relatively new and in good order. When the hammer descended on the last lot, the sale had generated ???284,000 plus VAT. Langdons had become too much of a threat for there not to be a certain amount of schadenfreude among some of the company's competitors attending the ...
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On 25 March 1997, Michael Donoghue, Managing Director of Somerset-based haulier Langdons, watched while eight of the firm's articulated prime movers and 28 of its curtain-sided trailers were sold at auction. The bidding was brisk because the equipment was relatively new and in good order. When the hammer descended on the last lot, the sale had generated ???284,000 plus VAT. Langdons had become too much of a threat for there not to be a certain amount of schadenfreude among some of the company's competitors attending the auction, but there was also much sympathy for Michael, who was well known in the industry and well liked. Eleven years earlier Michael had led a management buyout of Langdons and had then overseen the transformation of an unprofitable jobbing transport business which operated an assortment of hired and obsolete equipment and was heavily dependent on owner-drivers. With its new vehicles and smart livery, Langdons' reputation for reliability meant the firm was soon picking up too many major contracts for the ease of mind of its competitors. This book follows the company's success and tells how Langdons achieved it.
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