From farmer to owner of 12 loader cranes
Freddy Frederiksen took over his uncle's haulage business in Denmark 17 years ago and has continued to expand his fleet ever since - most recently with three new HMF loader cranes.
"The HMF cranes have been an ingrained part of our haulage business since the beginning in 1986. My uncle was a dedicated HMF customer," says Freddy Frederiksen, owner and Managing Director of Vognmand.dk.
He recently acquired two new HMF 2820 loader cranes and an HMF 7020 to keep up with the demand for his services in the island of Zealand.
"During the covid-19 pandemic, we've added seven new trucks to our fleet and three HMF loader cranes. Our customers are typically private individuals and craftsmen. They've had more time to renovate houses and decorate gardens during the lockdown which has kept us busy," Freddy Frederiksen says.
A taste for being on the road
The Managing Director grew up on a farm in the southern part of Denmark. He did a degree in agriculture as he thought he was going to take over the family farm.
But in his early 20s, he left for the United States for three months — and ended up staying for two years. He took a truck driving licence and drove around the continent.
"The US gave me a new perspective on transportation and business — and a taste for being on the road. When I returned to Denmark, I wanted to do something other than farming," Freddy Frederiksen recalls.
His uncle Arne had a haulage business in Karlslunde near Copenhagen. He suggested that Freddy started as a truck driver employed by him. The nephew worked for the business for the next seven years until his uncle retired. Freddy Frederiksen took over in 2004 and has since started operating under the domain Vognmand.dk (which means carrier.dk).
22 trucks, six children and 28 employees
The past 17 years, Freddy Frederiksen has gone from a fleet of three trucks to 22 vehicles today. He has six children and now employs 28 truck drivers and other staff members.
Freddy Frederiksen is pleased with the service he receives from HMF. Thanks to this, his 12 HMF loader cranes are always in top shape to excavate driveways, dispose soil and compost, and deliver gravel.
He also loves the interaction with his customers.
"We have hundreds of smaller customers instead of a few large ones. To me, that's a way of spreading the risk. If Mrs Jones or a local carpenter has a nice experience with our services, they tell others about it. That has kept us busy so far," Freddy Frederiksen says with a smile.