From Cranes to Creative Challenges: Keld likes Constant Development
Born into the business - and still wants to have his feet on the ground
In a small town of Northern Sealand (North of Copenhagen, Denmark) you will find the family business Bjarne Hansen & Søn Transport ApS, home to a handful of HMF cranes. Here we visited the company's charismatic owner, Keld, who happily shares his personal experiences as a haulier and contractor.
In his own words, Keld was born and raised in the business. He has been driving a crane truck since the age of 16 - before he even had his driver’s license - but that really wasn't a big deal back then. It was a different time, when the business was run by his grandfather and then his father. Today, he owns and runs Bjarne Hansen & Søn himself - but fortunately not alone. True to tradition, the haulage company remains a family business, with his two sons working as drivers and crane operators, and his daughter managing the planning of the company's journeys. The whole family lives nearby, so there are always four of them on call at any time.
‘From the time you call us, it takes a maximum of an hour before we have found the right equipment and are on the spot,’ says Keld. But when you live so close to your workplace, it can be challenging to distinguish between work and leisure. That's why Keld adds with a laugh: ‘My kids once told me to stop driving because I never came home - I just love driving a loader truck!’
Although the family business has grown to a certain size, Keld doesn't want to be a sedentary desk manager; "I don't want to just sit in the office. I want to get out on the road and get my feet wet.’
He wants to take on many different tasks and is convinced that variety makes for an exciting workday. He believes that turning down new challenges, is a shame. He would rather utilize the opportunity to think outside the box.
It's important to vary your everyday life
To Keld, setting course for unknown shores is not foreign territory. There aren't many people with the same courage to experiment with new technology and innovative projects as him - he just can't help himself. For the entrepreneur, it's important to vary his workday with different types of tasks.
He remembers one time when he was called out to a scenario that he rarely forgets; the emergency services asked for help to rescue a horse that had fallen into a deep river. Keld, for whom no task is too big, drove off armed with courage and his HMF 2220 crane. After several attempts, he finally managed to free the horse, which was exhausted from standing in the winter-cold river for 4 hours.
‘In emergency response, there are no rules - anything can happen!’
As Keld describes it, you have to dare take a risk in order to develop. He is willing to invest in versatile equipment to overcome even the most unforeseen challenges; defective cables, storm damage, salvage of fishing boats, fire, and rescue - Bjarne Hansen & Søn is always on call. That's why he has built a versatile lorry with hook-lift, which can drive with a sludge vacuum, salt spreader, and an ordinary tipping body. With this adaptable vehicle, the family company can tour the roads regardless of the seasonal wind and weather.
Bjarne Hansen & Søn operates all over Denmark, but most of their jobs are placed in the local area, where the locals are happy to work with them. Most people actually prefer Keld and his crew to take care of things rather than having huge contracting companies from outside suddenly infiltrate small village communities - and Keld values that close relationship. That's why he always makes a virtue of listening to the customer and working together to find a satisfactory solution.
When we visit Bjarne Hansen & Søn, they are working on a large-scale project for a local customer whose field is right next to Søborg Lake, which is involved in a major project. The lake was drained in the 1940s but is now being restored by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency to improve biodiversity in the area. Keld and his team are moving soil from various environmentally approved landfills to the customer's field in order to raise the entire lake shore. It's an extensive task and there are many hauliers on the job. On that day alone, four different trucks drive back and forth with 14 tonnes of soil per truckload. Bjarne Hansen & Søn has already been working on the project for two years, and it will continue for a long time to come. Fortunately, Keld finds this exciting because he gets to follow the development along the way and be part of the process from start to finish.
"We're very keen to do this kind of specialized work because it's great to be able to offer trucks, cranes and earth-moving equipment for it - we like to be challenged!
There are no bad days
Although Keld likes excitement, development, and variety, he has fortunately sworn to one constant in his business: HMF cranes. He emphasizes the cranes' simplicity as a great quality in combination with their compact physics. Technically, he thinks it's an advantage that the pistons are not too high and that the hose routing is well packed so that nothing ever gets stuck. This is also why he almost never has any challenges with his HMF cranes, which in total count a 2820K, a 3230K, a 5020K and a 7020K - "and it would be strange if I didn't also order a 9520,’ Keld says with a laugh. He adds that he also has a 7020 on the way with a 5-axle chassis. The forward-thinking contractor wants to be at the forefront of the future, where he foresees potentially more guidelines regarding the CO2 footprint of the haulage industry. Therefore, he sees the benefit of a larger chassis that can move more cargo at a time, rather than having many vehicles on the road at the same time.
Keld's impressive collection of vehicles also includes a vintage truck from 1964, which is occasionally aired at various vintage events. In addition to the vintage truck, Keld also has another vehicle that he likes to bring to rallies; a mobile pub with a fridge, draught beer dispenser, and room for 30 people, so he can always start a party in an instant. "You only live once,’ says Keld, waving his arms contentedly inside the small mobile pub.
With his collection of vehicles, variety of tasks and desire to develop, the Northern Sealand haulier has managed to crack the code to a working life where, in his own words, he never has a bad day.