Our first Transport Manager, Luke Smith, looks back on his career in the industry

Luke Smith reflects on his career in the transport industry as he steps down from the role of Transport Manager

As we thanked Luke for his loyal and dedicated service over the last five years, we take a look back at his career in the industry and the importance of the role of Transport Manager to any passenger transport company.

Luke receives his leaving gift from the Royal Motorways Team

“It surprises me, at least as much as anyone else, to realise that it is now nineteen years since I first came into the passenger transport industry.

Luke starting his coach driving career at a young age!

My stepfather, Charlie, was a part-time driver for Harris Coaches in Bromsgrove, later, Flights Coaches in Birmingham and also worked for Midland Red in the late 1970s. When I was growing up, me, mum and later, my younger brother, were able to go along on some daytrips and even had family holidays to Italy ‘tagged on’ to when Charlie was working - all of which meant that, somewhat inevitably, I developed an interest in coaches and buses.

In my mid-twenties, having spent several years working in the CCTV and video sector as a fitter, which required a substantial amount of driving and travelling, a change was called for, and I opted to change career and become a PCV driver.

  Leap of Faith

To this day, the opportunity that Chris Dudley gave me in June 2006 to train as a driver is one of the most significant and fortunate breaks I have ever had. I can't thank Chris Dudley or praise him enough for the simple, old-fashioned leap of faith he took by agreeing to take a chance on an unknown young man whose only vaguely professional accomplishment at the time was a driving licence. There are precious few industries where that would be possible, and even fewer people like Chris.

My initial time at Dudley's was short lived as there simply wasn't a full-time job available after the initial summer rush, and having a young family I needed regular work. Parting on good terms (and hoping to return!) I was offered a job as a bus driver at Johnsons of Henley, where I worked from 2006 to 2012 and made many good friends gaining plenty of valuable on-the-road experience.

Lifelong Ambition

During this time, Charlie and I ‘bit the bullet’ and fulfilled a lifelong ambition to own and operate a classic coach of our own ‘like the ones dad used to drive’, and purchased a 1975 Bedford Y Series Plaxton Elite coach.

Charlie, Luke and his son with their classic show coach

We began to receive enquiries about hiring the coach for trips and events, which led to me studying and obtaining the Transport Manager's CPC in early 2008. An Operator's licence was applied for and granted for a single vehicle. I continued to work full time for Johnsons while operating our classic vehicle with Charlie, which we ended up keeping for nearly 20 years!

In October 2012 I was offered the opportunity to work with Kev's Cars and Coaches in Bromsgrove, where I served as Transport Manager, staying with the business for three and a half years, gaining valuable experience of managing a fleet of vehicles and drivers, and again learning a lot by working with experienced people and making more good friends.

Having never set out to be a Transport Manager for a large fleet, in April 2016 I took the decision to return to my roots in the industry and ‘came home’  to work (finally full-time!) as a driver for Dudley’s Coaches. Charlie always said to me that Dudley’s was one of the last original 'old-school' coach operators and that it would be the best place for me, and whilst he and I disagreed sometimes, he was absolutely right about that!

Lasting Friendship

It was during this time at Dudley’s that I first met a slightly unusual young man named George Preston, working part-time as a coach cleaner, and generally hanging around the place! George had travelled to and from school on Dudley's coaches, and it later turned out, had been in the same class at school as my eldest daughter. It quickly became apparent that George shared some of my interests - mainly old vehicles and the way that ‘old’ companies like Dudley’s did things, and an unlikely but lasting friendship began.

I remained with Dudley’s as a driver until August 2018, when I intended to leave the PSV sector altogether to work in the family garage business, but remained friends with all of the crowd at Dudley’s.

In 2020, when Chris Dudley took the very sensible, and well-deserved decision to retire and close his business, and George Preston was setting up what would become Royal Motorways, George approached me as possibly the only CPC-holder that he knew and asked if I would serve as Transport Manager for the proposed operation. Truth is, I had never intended to come back into the PSV sector at all, let alone as a manager. But if there is one person in the world who could persuade anyone to do anything, it's George Preston!

“See how it goes..!”

It seems like another lifetime when George and I were first putting together the application for the Operator's licence in the winter of 2020. He said we would try operating a couple of coaches for a year or two and "see how it goes...” Looking at the history, I find that less than four months later we were applying to run 5 vehicles, and by September 2021 we had 8 licences. And here we are just over four years from that initial application with two depots and up to 22 vehicles on the road on any given day.

The role of Transport Manager is a vital one for any transport business. The duties are vast and varied – from managing, auditing and reviewing compliance systems, ensuring drivers hold the appropriate licences and comply with driving hours rules to ensuring that defect reporting sheets and vehicle maintenance records are recorded and retained correctly.

It's a real testament to George's vision and drive, and to the commitment of the people who have chosen to join him on this journey, that this company has grown the way it has - that is, completely beyond the expectation that I, or probably any of us, could ever have imagined.

I especially love that we have tried wherever possible to build our operation on the same ‘old school’ approach and values that those of us who founded the business learned from our time working at Dudley's Coaches, and it gives me a lot of personal pride to have played a part in continuing that legacy.

The original Royal Motorways 'STO' outside the original Royal Motorways site on Studley Road, Redditch

It is also a privilege for me to be associated with both Dudley’s and the time-served and well-loved local coach operator that is Royal Motorways, whose name has been part of the backdrop in Redditch for many more years than most of us have been alive. I hope and trust that the original Royal Motorways’ family feel we're worthy successors to the name. I would never have imagined as a small child, when I spotted the likes of ‘STO’ and ‘499’ and ‘500X’ with their distinctive Royal Motorways livery, that I might one day end up responsible for their coaches myself.

Very responsible position

Truth be told, I never actually expected to be here with de facto responsibility for a coach operation on this scale when we started this journey. Being a Transport Manager is a very responsible position and requires a very specific skill set. It’s not a job that someone who isn’t conscientious can get away with for any length of time.

So, I could not be more pleased that Chris Dickens has agreed to take on the position as I step away from the business at the end of August. Chris has a level of professionalism, attention to detail and a warm, likeable nature which will serve him well. Drivers will like and respect him, and our customers and the DVSA (Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency) can feel confident that he is the right man to do what they need him to.

Chris Dickens takes over as Transport Manager for Royal Motorways

I am sure that with Chris in post, Royal Motorways will continue to grow as it deserves to and that he will be able to take the company forward in a way that I, as someone rather further on in my working life, possibly wouldn't have done.

It's been a pleasure, (with a fair share of challenges!) and an unforgettable experience to work with George and to watch Royal Motorways grow.  I will always be extremely proud to be a part of the company that Royal Motorways has become.”