We are thrilled to announce we have received our FORS gold level certificate for the third year running, meaning we have reached the top level of safety and compliance.
Jempsons 
Training & Compliance Manager and FORS Practitioner Pete Verlander explains, ‘To qualify, you have to prove that you have a safe fleet, safe drivers and have reached a certain level of compliance. I am delighted to say that we have met the standards required once again.’
Here’s to the next three years!
Applications for our ground-breaking apprenticeship have been flooding in, but, don’t worry, if you or anyone you know wants to apply, you still have until the end of April. Email mc@jempsons.co.uk. Please see previous news post for more info.
WE’RE WINNERS!
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the British Gypsum Easter EPOD (electronic proof of delivery machine) competition. As an incentive to get drivers up to speed with the newer method of recording deliveries, a competition was launched to offer huge handmade Easter eggs to the winners of two categories, Overall Usage and Most Improved, with smaller eggs being awarded to eight runners up.
Results as follows:
Asa Isted won Overall Usage, with a 100 per cent score for the 34 deliveries made.
Oleksandr Zhytar won Most Improved, with a 614 per cent increase from the previous month, and completed 20 deliveries using the EPOD.
Runners up:
Allen Yardley
Andy Butler
Ben Pearce
Bob Burchell
Darren Swan
Jamie Nichols
Lee Bowles
Steve Brown
John Jempson & Son are on the lookout for enthusiastic new recruits to take up two exciting paid apprenticeships, based in the Rye yard. In a pioneering new scheme, we are offering two new roles for anyone aged 18 and over to join the team and learn all aspects of the industry – from admin and commercial vehicle repairs to forklift and HGV driving. The government-funded initiative, aided by Fleetmaster O.S.S, marks the start of an exciting new period for us and we look forward to nurturing two self-starters and seeing them develop into fully-fledged Jempsons employees.
To apply, please email Managing Director Mark Chamberlain on mc@jempsons.co.uk
In our new feature, Staff Offload, we will be chatting to members of the Jempsons team to bring you the answers to some burning questions. Ever wondered whether Jonathan Jempson has a soft side? Read on…
Jonathan Jempson, Chairman, 73
In the spirit of this month’s Valentine’s Day, what’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?
For my wife Sarah’s 40th, after a mystery drive, we ended up at The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells where, unbeknownst to her, I had arranged a helicopter to pick us up. She had no idea where we were going and it flew us back to the field at the bottom of our garden, where there was a party of friends waiting to greet her – complete with a red carpet, Champagne and a delicious lunch.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Probably an engine driver.
What’s your dream car?
The trouble is, with all the speed restrictions these days I have rather lost enthusiasm for sports cars. My first was a Triumph TR4A, followed by three E-Type Jaguars and I still have a 966 Turbo Porsche in my garage which is rarely used. When I started driving there were no limits and it was a bit more fun.
What was the biggest challenge of running the business when you were in charge?
Personnel. Managing people is difficult because everybody is different; you need to take what you’ve got and maximise the strengths and minimise the weaknesses.
What was the hardest thing about working with your father, John Jempson, when you first entered the firm?
We had one office between us and when I was on the phone he used to stand behind me and tell me what to say. I used to slam the phone down. It wasn’t easy. Eventually he started letting me do my own thing a bit more.
What was the naughtiest thing you did at school?
I was pretty good really. I didn’t fancy being beaten. However I recall once being beaten for saying the Catholic version of Latin grace. Another time I went to the cinema in Tonbridge, where I was a boarder, with a group of friends, which wasn’t allowed. I think we watched the film Never On A Sunday. One of our masters suddenly came and sat down in the row with us and never looked at us or said a word. He knew we were there but let us get away with it.
Back in December we launched a competition offering the chance to win a limited-edition Jempsons scale-model lorry, worth £140. Entries came from far and wide – with one contestant even taking part from Romania. The winner was a little closer to home, however – congratulations to Paul Bolton of Rye Harbour!
Meanwhile, we are thrilled to announce that we have raised an incredible £14,882 in the past seven months for St Michael’s Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care to the people of Hastings and Rother. The auction at our 150th anniversary bash in London raised £14,750 and, since then, donations from recipients of the new Jempsons book “A Cause For Celebration” have reached £132. We would like to thank everyone for their kindness.
We are giving you the chance to win a fabulous limited-edition Jempsons scale model lorry, worth £140. To enter, all you need to do is email amy@amy-maynard.com with your name, address and telephone number and the answer to the following question:
Who is The Voice Of Jempsons?*
Entries close at midnight on January 31, 2017. Winner will be selected at random and notified by either phone or email
*CLUE: The answer lies somewhere on this site…
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This month we grill two of the company’s longest-serving members of staff, Malcolm Sargent and Gordon Durrant.
Malcolm Sargent
Driver Malcolm Sargent, 65, began working for Jempsons in 1973
Where is the most unusual place you’ve made a delivery?
“We used to take Forestry Commission chemicals to far-flung places in Scotland. There were no mobiles or CB radios in those days. It was a bit concerning as you’d go down these tracks and just hope you were going the right way.”
Are there any breakdowns that stand out in your memory?
“My throttle broke at the Dartford Tunnel once and a bit of wire, sticky tape and an old bit of wood got it going. Sometimes Mick Dixon [HGV fitter] would come out on my breakdowns. You could give him a baked bean tin and he’d get you going again.”
Have you had any accidents?
“I was once involved in a 20-vehicle accident on the A21. There was a broken-down car in the fog and someone hit it and it caused a pile up. My lorry jackknifed. The person who was behind me sadly got killed. There was nothing anyone could have done. It made me wary for a while but you just accept that these things happen if you spend so much time on the road. You see lots of accidents over the years.”
Have you had any memorable incidents during your time with the company?
“We used to do a lot of wide loads from an engineering firm at New Romney. The company then went into liquidation and we had to rush down to get our equipment. I managed to get in but the gates were welded shut by officials and Jonathan had to come and get me out!”
A last word…
“I’ve been very happy at the company. I’m not going to say I’ve loved it otherwise people will think I’m exaggerating and my street cred will be gone!”
Gordon Durrant
Driver Gordon Durrant, 66, began working for Jempsons in 1972
Where is the most unusual place you’ve made a delivery?
“I once took Colt Houses to a remote Scottish village called Killin. I’ve also driven on the continent – Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Spain. I would be away for two or three weeks at a time. I once took Barry Brignell [now-retired General Manager of Jempsons] along for his holiday. He had some time off and asked to come with me. He probably wanted to check up on me!”
What’s the strangest consignment you’ve delivered?
“I remember taking fish meal for animal feed to Robertsbridge. It absolutely stank. You could hang your overalls on the outside of the lorry and you still couldn’t get rid of the smell.”
How many miles have you driven for the company?
“About two and a half million [this equates to about 100 times around the world…]”
Are there any breakdowns that stand out in your memory?
“I blew two tyres in the Olympic Village once after catching them on a roundabout. We used to be able to change a lorry tyre by ourselves with a jack but now, with health and safety, you aren’t allowed.”
A last word…
“It’s been a good company to work for. And there have only been two occasions when there were hold-ups with my pay packets – the bank’s fault, of course!”
This month we catch up with the two lucky winners of the MAN “66 Legends” truck competition, Peter Wood and Bryan Oliver.
Employees were invited to enter a contest for the chance to drive two of the trucks secured by Jempsons that were produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 World Cup victory and MAN’s centenary. Entrants had to supply some general employment statistics as well as explaining, in 50 word or less, why they should drive one of the World Cup trucks.
Peter, 48, who began working for the company in 2000, chose to share his memories of his time as a boy out with his father in his cab when he worked for Jempsons.
“I have been coming to Jempsons since I was seven. I remember the first 240/280 MAN lorry bought second hand. On school holidays I’d go to work with my dad, doing nights away in his first sleeper cab. Lots of great memories! Not too many other drivers remember the first MANs,” he wrote.
He was surprised to discover he’d won. “I’d been badgering Stephen [Parker, British Gypsum Contract Manager] to tell me who’d won. It was a shock when I found out. The only things I’ve won in the past have been drinking competitions,” he laughs.
Meanwhile, Bryan, 43, who has worked for Jempsons for 21 years, submitted a little ditty, as follows:
“There once was a driver called Bryan
Who was always moaning and crying.
Said his wages were crappy,
But he’d be happy
With a shiny new truck,
He’s not lying!”
“I was really surprised to win and am very proud to be driving the 66 Legends vehicle. People often comment on the personalised registration,” says Bryan.
Peter Wood
Bryan Oliver (left)
In other news, the rest of the Jempsons team are also victorious as they have all just been signed up for a corporate Benenden healthcare plan, the main benefit being that if they experience waiting times with the NHS they can be seen privately. Managing Director Mark Chamberlain says, “It’s the first time the company has offered a benefit of this kind and we are really pleased to have joined up.”
