Grandmother’s Last Truck Brings in Luck: Singh

Darrel Singh had to venture into starting a trucking company to support his family.

The Lautoka man’s initial family business was exporting vegetables to New Zealand and Australia.

After Tropical Cyclone Winston in January 2016, the prices of vegetables and produce increased and he could not sustain the business because his losses were more than what he could make. He started the trucking business, Guru Distribution two years ago.

How the business started “After Tropical Cyclone Winston, we had a lot of trouble getting our hands-on farm produce because the prices were really high,” Mr Singh said.

“We decided to close the business; we sold all our stuff and were left with one truck. I advised my grandmother not to sell it because we could do something with it and that was how we started Gurus Distribution.

“With the one truck we did removals and had contracts with some companies to carry out such work,” he said.

“We had started with one truck, now we have two.”

What they do

“We do household and office removals. Our office is based in

Lautoka but we work all over Fiji depending on our customer’s instructions.

“We are hired by companies transport materials for them.” Challenges

Mr Singh said despite the challenges they faced; they still continue to strive and would never give up.

“The main thing was getting the word out about our business since it was new, over the years our network has expanded,” he said. to

“Being a new company in Fiji is hard because people are reluctant to give contracts to new faces. “Right now, we are lucky that the fuel price is low.

“This is now our only source of income. I have never regretted stopping my grandmother from selling the truck.

“I am happy that despite the hardship we’re facing now with the COVID-19 pandemic we are okay.

Future plan

“I am planning to purchase more trucks in the future. At the moment our business is just going with the flow,” he said.

“My aim is to take the company to another milestone.

“We want to take this company further and be known for its reliable transport service for Fijians.”

Mr Singh’s advice: “Never let the circumstance you face define you. Work hard and never give up when faced with challenges.”