Darren Drinkwater on three decades with Jet
January 8th, 1996. It’s a date that Darren Drinkwater will never forget – his first day at Jet Plant Hire. An Evesham lad, Darren started out by driving lorries, with occasional shifts on the company’s road planers.
For Darren, his career was inspired by his Dad who was a lorry driver. He would travel across England, Scotland and Wales, accompanying his dad on work trips during the school holidays from the age of five. He remembers those days fondly: “They’re great memories and I loved getting to see new places and the variety of his job. I knew that I’d like to do something similar when I grew up.”
Darren spent twenty years on the road for Jet, the UK’s leading road planing contractor. “It was everything I imagined it would be when I was growing up and, funnily enough, those trips out with my dad equipped me with plenty of skills that came in handy for my own career.”
For the past eleven years, Darren has been a key figure in the business, where he is currently Contracts Manager. “I’m essentially the link between the office and the guys on the road who are out there delivering the work every day. The most important part of my role is my relationship with our customers, offering advice on the best solutions for them, whether that’s helping with planning or selecting the best machinery.”
Unsurprisingly, Darren has worked on countless jobs since he started out at Jet. “There are some that I’m particularly proud of – our work for Miles Macadam in particular. They do specialist surfacing and our jobs with them have gone from being in just one area to fifteen over the years. It’s a business relationship that’s evolved very well over the years and they trust us to get the job done in the right way.”
There’s been plenty of change since Darren started out in the industry some 31 years ago. “I think customer priorities are the biggest change,” he says. “It used to be that every decision was very much based on costs. However, now there are other factors to consider such as prioritising sustainability.” Jet’s renowned for its extensive commitments to the environment, including using pioneering fuel-efficient modern technology. “It’s amazing to see how the equipment we use has changed over the years. Jet has always been ahead of the game”, Darren notes.
31 years is a long time to spend at a company. The key question, then, is what keeps Darren at Jet? “It’s several things, I think… they trust you with the freedom to crack on and do the job well, they genuinely care about everyone in the team and they’re just good people to work for. Initiatives like Jet School (Jet’s training school) are also brilliant and I like that we’re doing our bit to prepare this industry for the future.”
Life at Jet is busy, with Darren’s role often taking him across the country to meet customers. He recognises that taking time to relax is important too, but his passion for his work is definitely evident in his spare time: “I actually have an old lorry that I’ve restored, the same model that my dad used to drive. I take it to vintage shows around the country and I really enjoy maintaining it and just tinkering with it.”
There’s one person that Darren thanks in particular for the opportunities he’s had at Jet during his successful career: “Sean Witheford. He’s always kept that family feel in the business, even as we’ve grown. He’s just a good boss and I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if he hadn’t given me the opportunity in the first place.”
