16th December 2025
Written by Rachel Wallace
Ian Lloyd has been part of the dray team for 20 years, delivering beer to pubs across our estate in all weather conditions and witnessing many changes along the way. We caught up with Ian to find out more about his time at Robinsons - and what’s kept him here for all those years.
So, Ian, 20 years at Robinsons, what brought you here and what were you doing before?
I have always been in transport, I started driving trucks when I was 16 and what actually brought me to Robinsons in the first place was meeting my wife, Debbie. I was living in Oldham, and she was living in Dukinfield where we used to deliver and collect in my old job. We got together and then when I moved up to Dukinfield, I was looking for somewhere more local. I heard of the job through a golf friend of a friend. So, I thought why not give it a go? Here I am 20 years later - I am telling you though, those years have gone so fast! My wife [Debbie] works for Robinsons too now up at UPC in the warehouse office! She hasn’t been here as long as me though!
It’s crazy isn’t it, there’s a lot of the UPC team that have been here for a long time, isn’t it?
It’s getting that way now even. When I started a lot of the dray lads had already been here for a long time and then even now the new ones are the same. They’re kind of like ‘this is a job for life this, I am sorted now’. And it is like that; it’s a top job. If you don’t mind a little bit of graft, then it’s great. It’s not just driving anymore either like it used to be, you now drive to your job, put the beer in the cellars, do the checks and all of those kinds of things.
What does a typical day look like for you on the dray?
When you come in, in the morning, you do all your vehicle checks, make sure everything’s ok there. Then we get the paperwork done, which is changing soon as we’re going to change to iPad’s in January – which might be a difficult change going into the digital world! [laughs]. Everything is going to go onto one system now. Then, I make sure that there is someone with me to help, then off we go!
So, do you tend to have the same Driver’s Mate with you on the runs?
We kind of change around now. But the guy who I am currently paired with is also a driver, so we can take turns in that aspect of the job. It does tend to be a bit of a mix really.
What would you say you enjoy most about the job?
Probably the places we go to! We have so many pubs in lovely areas, especially in Cumbria and North Wales. It’s not like were trapsing up and down the motorway constantly, which is really nice. There is so many nice people we meet too. The social side of it too, getting to know the Pub Partners throughout the 20 years and getting to know everybody. They’re definitely the highlights.
Do you get to go on all of the routes then?
We don’t have any set routes. Each week is different. And that’s another plus as well. Its very varied. You don’t definitely do Wales on a Wednesday for example. Depending on what the run is, you can start earlier or later, but it's good because once we have completed the run, taken the empties off and sorted out the dray, you are done for the day! Sometimes, if we are doing the Abersoch run, the day can be about 10/11 hours long, so it comes in swings and roundabouts.
You have been here for 20 years now, what do you think has changed the most about your job?
Certainly the size of casks…and the amount of beer we deliver. When I started, we were doing barrels (36 gallons!) now we send firkin and pins out. Which in someways is good. The introduction of pins means that some pubs that can finish all their firkins can add something different in pins - like our seasonals. They don’t waste as much beer then!
Are there any particular challenges you face on the role?
It’s certainly much harder when it comes to the winter months. The ground when you need to put your barrels down can be very slippy and then when you are trying to push barrels and kegs down into cellar when its icy it can be make it very challenging. I know I said about how nice the routes are to the pubs but in the winter they can be horrible when it's icy! The Queens Head, Hawkshead, for example is so narrow when you come across caravans and coaches and the roads aren’t great! The little lanes in Wales too, they’re difficult. That’s why it’s great having a Driver’s Mate with you that can watch you back and stuff.
Would you say there is a favourite route that you do?
Definitely. I kind of fell in love with the place when I first went and it's Beddgelert. There's only four pubs in the village itself and three of those are Robinsons ones! So, we head to the Saracens Head first, then the Tanronnen Inn and then we come back over and do the Prince Lleweyn - those roads can be bad up the pass at the end by Snowdon. That being said, the landscape and scenery are beautiful. It’s great being the Driver’s Mate on that route so you can appreciate it all!
Have you got a favourite pub on our estate?
I would say for the scenery the George III on the estuary in Dolgellau. To stay there would be stunning (I haven’t yet – but I definitely want to!). There’s a little wooden toll bridge you can pay about 25p to go over towards Barmouth. I would say The Castle is good in town too, full of character, that’s a pub that doesn’t need a refurb! It works so well like it is. It’s not the best pub to deliver to though. There is a lot of traffic and pedestrian footfall with it being in Manchester city centre.
What piece of advice would you give to anyone wanting to join the dray team?
Well, I’m quite lucky that my Transport Manager, Sarah, trusts me to train the new starters a lot of the time. I train them in a way which doesn’t rush them. I am never in a rush to get the job done, so I always say to the new lads “please don’t think I am rushing you, take the time with the paperwork, get it right first time, then we don’t have to go back and do it again”! You know, I always suggest checking stock when they are on the dray, so they don’t have to take them off and put them back on again. What I would say to the new starters is just listen to the experience of others and learn that way! Things like the stillaging process, they will be shown different ways by different people, so I just say to find your own way of doing it that you prefer. Patience is important more than anything.
And finally, what is your favourite Robinsons beer?
Oh I definitely have to say Cascade, for sure! It’s not in all our pubs, but Trooper is pretty similar if our pubs don’t have Cascade!
A huge congratulations to Ian for his 20 years at Robinsons and a big thank you for all of his hard work! To top it all off, congratulations to Ian for winning our first ever SAFED* award (safe and fuel efficient driving) with Ian getting the most consistent high scores over the last 12 months, with an average of 98.3 across the year!
*SAFED encourages our Dray drivers to drive the vehicles in the most fuel efficient way, giving them a daily score out of 100 on the vehicle, that we record daily. By encouraging the drivers to work towards the highest score they can get, we have saved over 3000 litres of diesel across the fleet, which equates to approx. eight tonnes of CO₂ emissions reduced per year.
