D.Cain & Son: The North West’s Hiab Specialists

D.Cain & Son is a family run company managed by four directors Darren, Anne, Darren, and Leanne. The company was founded in 1999 by Darren and Anne Cain. At the time, Darren was already a highly experienced professional in the transport industry, starting out as a crane driver, progressing into the buying and selling of containers alongside Anne, and later purchasing wagons to transport said containers.

This ultimately culminated in D.Cain & Son taking over the transport for Speedy Space in the North West of England and gradually establishing itself as one of the most reputable haulage companies in the region.

As of today D.Cain & Son is known to offer an impressive range of services to the transport industry including the movement of abnormal loads which can be supported by our own private escort vehicles as and when required. Full site surveys including method statements risk assessments and lifting plans, a various range of hiab vehicles for hire,4x4 towing vehicles for hire Arctic with flat bed or stepframe trailer for hire and small flatbed vehicles for hire and the Installation of site accommodation and various equipment into peculiar places ie warehouses or access restricted areas.

All services are provided to the highest standard with the firm enjoying a large volume of repeat business as a result of the strength and reliability of its solutions.  Serving a testament to the strength of D.Cain & Son's services is the feedback provided by a number of the firms key clientele, including the likes of Ainscough Hire, Wernick Hire, Wernick Power solutions, Container cabins, Lion Containers ltd, Stuart energy, Nixon Hire, Containers Direct, and many more.  Mike Walker of Wernick Hire explained: "I have worked with D.

Cain & Son since 2008 - mainly via AVDanzer and recently with Wernick Hire. During that time they have been (and continue to be) our preferred haulage contractor for our site accommodation installs and dismantles. I have always found them to be highly professional in their attitude and actions- with no job being to challenging for them to tackle.

Lines of communication between their team and myself are always clear and open. Site visits for potentially difficult projects are carried out by either Darren or Dan - with accurate solutions invariably put forward & actioned. 

"Documentation for individual lorry loaders/ lifting equipment/ fall arrest/ operator competencies/ safety critical medicals are carried with each vehicle and promptly emailed over on request. I have found their operators to be equally professional and courteous- with many of them building up excellent relationships with our client base (which includes BAM, Wates, GMI, Eric Wright, John Graham amongst others).

In conclusion I would not hesitate in recommending D. Cain & son Ltd to carry out lorry loader/ haulage work." Concerning the firm's infrastructure and associated capabilities, D.Cain & Son maintains a sizeable fleet of some 30 trucks (a combination of DAF, Scania, and Volvo), including everything from 7.5t Hiabs to articulated Hiabs.

Of the firm's 30 trucks, some 27 of these vehicles constitute Hiab lorries (complemented by 2 x artic flats and 1 x 7.5t flat), leading to D.Cain & Son making its name as one of the North West's foremost specialists in Hiab transport. The firm's Hiab fleet ranges from 6t per meter to a 99t per meter, with the main source of work covering the transport of site accommodation, machinery, plant, and site materials.  D.Cain & Son pairs this expansive fleet with an equally expansive network of skilled talent, with all operatives trained to CSCS, ALLMI, NPORS, and CPCS standards, equipped with extensive PPE (hard hats, hi-viz clothing, safety boots, goggles, masks, hearing protectors, inertia reels, and safety harnesses), and continually trained to ensure the highest standard of service.

All lifting equipment is also tested and certified on a regular basis, with the firm maintaining a range of accreditations to further bolster assurances to clients - FORS and CLOCS accreditation in particular. These assurances have had a significant impact in allowing the firm to compete for works and develop relationships within an increasingly safety conscious industry.

On the environmental front, D.Cain & Son understands the importance of tackling its environmental footprint and operating in the most conscious manner possible. Although the firm has always displayed a commitment to environmental considerations, these efforts have certainly been scaled up in more recent years, with the last two seeing the company update 95% of its fleet to the Euro 6 emissions standard.

As a result, 29 of the firm's 30 trucks now meet the Euro 6 emissions standard, with the sole exception (a Euro 5 7.5t) due for replacement by the end of 2024.  Going forward, D.Cain & Son plans to expand the business in a sustainable fashion, with plans already in place to grow operations over the next five years. Alongside commercial growth plans however, D.Cain & Son also plans to further reduce its carbon footprint with further investments to modernise and improve the fleet.

We'll report further on the exact nature of these investments in future issues of Transport & Logistics as and when we know more.     

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