Easter Ross haulage firm celebrate 40th year with workshop expansion
Sponsored Editorial with J+D Cowper
A long-established Easter Ross haulage firm is celebrating its 40th year in business by expanding its portfolio.
J & D Cowper, based in Evanton, has grown from a small organisation to become one of the major refrigeration and general haulage companies in Scotland, providing a vital link in the delivery chain taking goods from the Highlands to multiple destinations throughout the UK.
Formed by Taylor Cowper in 1984, initially providing hay and straw services to local farmers, the company later established its name specialising in the collection and distribution of chilled and frozen products.
The firm’s continuous growth since that time has also seen them invest in the cold storage sector by converting one of its existing buildings into a 300 pallet capacity store and later building the largest commercial cold store in the region with capacity for 800 pallets.
J & D Cowper is now looking to expand a third facet of its Highland offering - in the form of a maintenance and repair service - including roadside breakdown assistance, via its HGV Commercial workshop.
Director Michael Cowper said: “My father started this in 1984, on his own with a tractor and trailer, and with a lot of hard work and perseverance and making connections with the right people, and a bit of luck, he’s built it up to what it is today.
“Forty years on, we now have 24 trucks and around about 50 people employed.
“We have a large cold store for commercial use, and over the past few years we have been developing our workshop as a third revenue stream for the business.
“Prior to that we had only been servicing and maintaining our own vehicles, but we realised that it was an asset that wasn’t being used to its full potential.”
Having invested in the latest diagnostic software, infrastructure and building a team of experienced service experts, Mr Cowper believes his firm is now ready to expand its offering to commercial fleet vehicles and members of the public.
“Being within the freeport area, we see a lot of growth around us, and we believe we are in a good spot to attract customers around us.
“The view is to invest more into the workshop and expand it. We have a good core of customers who are already coming to us, but we are looking for more and we think we can offer a good alternative.
“People know us for haulage, but we are more than just that. Genuinely, we can offer a really good quality service.
“The skill set of our guys is good, and they can turn their hand to almost anything. Whether its a car or a bus, or a truck, our team are very experienced and very knowledgeable, and good at being able to figure out problems, fix them and get them back on the road.
“We also have a mobile van to do servicing on site, which is fully kitted out with the latest diagnostic software and tools, so we can come to customers and work on your vehicle at your premises. Members of the public with a motorhome, van, plant machinery and everything in-between, all are welcome to come to us.”