The new trucks, featuring the manufacturer’s Digital Vision System, which replaces the wing mirrors, are supplied on three-year contract hire deals.

They join a fleet of 120 trucks and 220 trailers at Walkers Transport's Manchester depot, from where they will distribute goods through The Pallet Network and carry out general haulage work nationwide.

Walkers Group praised Alliance Group for providing it with used trucks to temporarily replace the haulage firm’s DAF CF fleet, at no additional cost, following the end of its lease contract with another company, whilst it waited for the new vehicles to arrive.

Paul Clarke, Walkers Transport, fleet director said: "They went the extra mile for us and provided nine trucks free of charge so that we weren’t rushed or panicking and could maintain our business operations.

“And when the new trucks arrived, Asset Alliance Group provided training for our drivers about the Digital Vision System on the new DAFs because it’s totally different to what they have been used to before.

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"Asset Alliance Group’s fleet engineer went over the finer details and took time to ensure everything was right for us. We’re grateful for the extra service.”

The DAF XF 480 trucks, which boast large cabs with a range of driver comforts, are specified with smart safety features including City Turn Assist and Electronic Park Brake. As part of the order, a ninth XF 480 will join the haulier’s fleet in December.

Clarke said: "The key change for us was going mirrorless. It’s a great system, our drivers love it, and we expect it to increase fuel efficiencies in the long run. These stunning new trucks also present a really strong image for the company and will help to grow our reputation around the UK.”

It’s the first time Walkers Transport has partnered with Asset Alliance Group – and Clarke said he is impressed with the level of service.

“The pricing and vehicle stock availability were important factors. We ordered in May and the trucks were ready in our yard in their livery on 1 September. That’s an exceptionally good turnaround time. I’m confident we will do further business with Asset Alliance Group as renewals come up at other depots."

Jim Agnew, Asset Alliance Group national key account manager, added: "This was a great team effort. We had a flexible approach from the outset to support Walkers Transport’s transitional position and by evaluating the needs of their business we were able to provide a great solution that exceeded the customer’s expectations.”

With bases in Lichfield, Manchester and Leeds, Walkers Transport offers a comprehensive range of transport services for distribution in the UK, Ireland and Europe, as well as warehousing, storage and inventory management solutions. In September, the company won the Customer Care accolade at the 2023 Motor Transport Awards.

The post Walkers Transport upgrades fleet with eight DAF XF 480 tractors appeared first on Motor Transport.

The Exeter-based general haulage firm, which transports palletised goods across the south of England and to the Czech Republic, has added the bespoke semi-trailer to its fleet to improve the loading and unloading services it offers to customers.

Macano owner Miri Papaj said: "The Modulos galvanised chassis doesn’t bend when you have two-and-a-half tonnes on the back of it and the galvanised forklift adaptation is top quality.

“This Euroliner is like the Rembrandt of the trailer market. It’s a beautifully made thing. That’s why I keep going back to Schmitz Cargobull.”

The semi-trailer is designed to meet a range of customers’ needs, with a chassis which allows increased load-bearing capacity, a sliding roof and power curtains offering versatile loading options.

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Papaj said; "We now provide much more flexibility to customers at the point of loading and unloading pallets of goods, offering additional transport services with the forklift unit. It has really added value to our business operations.”

The Euroliner joins Macano South West’s growing fleet of vehicles that includes two other Schmitz Cargobull trailers, a MAN tractor unit and a Mercedes Actros L truck.

Commenting on Schmitz Cargobull, Papaj added: “The customer service is excellent. This is our third trailer from them, and the build quality is second to none. It is helping to promote our reputation as a haulier because it looks so good on the road.”

Schmitz Cargobull regional manager, Geoff Ward, said: “This specially adapted trailer demonstrates our capabilities to produce bespoke vehicles to meet the requirements of ambitious independent operators like Macano South West. We’re delighted that Miri’s business is reaping the benefits of this special Euroliner.”

The post Devon haulier hails new Schmitz Cargobull Euroliner as work of art appeared first on Motor Transport.

The Chorley-based business has seen its vehicle fleet, customer base, revenues, head count and assembly facility all grow during the year.

The company said that it had grown its fleet by 49.7% to over 500 vehicles in just 12 months, aided by an active UK highways sector.

Blakedale has also seen revenues rise by 50% in line with fleet and customer growth. Meanwhile the overall headcount has grown to 40 colleagues with technician numbers doubling to cope with the growth in Impact Protection Vehicle (IPV) assembly and repairs.

The company has taken on an additional industrial unit next to its current 20,000 square foot facility in Matrix Park, Chorley where it is establishing a new parts office, storage, and HGV servicing area to support its IPV assembly line and repair businesses. The unit has also freed up more space to grow its road marker post business.

Managing director Jon Taylor, who joined the company in July last year, has also overseen a fleet expansion and reconfiguration which has seen the company increase its offering to five different vehicle types based on customer needs.

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These include traffic management safety cars, electric car derived vans, crew vans, 3.5-tonne Light Truck Mounted Attenuator (LTMA) urban crash cushion vehicles and 3.5 and 7.2-tonne traffic management vehicles.

Taylor said: "We have seen our trading customer base rise 40% by rolling out our services to Northgate’s existing fleet customers and gaining new accounts.

"We have expanded our fleet accordingly and have a strong order bank of several hundred new vehicles. The fleet expansion has led to a number of customers trialing cars, vans and trucks for the very first time.

He added: "It has been a positive 12 months. We have invested in and delivered growth across all areas of the business while retaining Blakedale’s excellent reputation in the traffic management sector.

“We have also bolstered our team with the appointment of Tony Richards as our new head of fleet operations who has joined operations director Gareth Brown and sales director Dave Staiano in the leadership team. The business is well set to capitalise on the continued growth of the highways and traffic management sectors,” Taylor said.

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Sitra Group was launched in 1962. It employs approximately 1,150 people across 11 countries including the UK and operates a fleet of 700 owned trucks and over 2,000 trailers and containers, including liquid and powder food tankers.

The group, which last year reported a turnover of €165m, is largely owned by the Saelens family, with investment company Creafund holding the balance of shares since 2021.

The purchase of Abbey Logistics Group, which boasts an annual turnover of £75m, sees Sitra Group add nearly 600 staff and a fleet of 325 trucks and 550 trailers to its operations. Sitra Group has pledged that Abbey will continue to operate under its own name and livery. An Abbey Logistics spokesperson told MT that the company has no plans to make any staff redundant or to close any depots.

Abbey has been majority owned by private equity firm NorthEdge Capital since 2016, following a management buyout (MBO), led by Steve Granite, former chief executive and current chairman, who is to take on an advisory role at the company, following the acquisition.

Granite said: "Since our MBO we have successfully transformed Abbey from a £45m turnover family business to a £75m market leader and refocused the business on its core strengths as a specialist tanker operator in the UK.

"We are proud of how the business has grown, not just in revenue but in market share and maturity, to become the UK’s leading food tanker operator.

"With the unwavering support of NorthEdge and a great working relationship between the board and the investors, the business is now in great shape, and I am delighted to see it end up in the ownership of another family-owned business in Sitra Group who will undoubtedly develop the business and it’s people even further."

He added: "I would also like to say a huge thank you and well done to the employees of Abbey who have worked tirelessly to make Abbey the market leader it is today and I’m confident that being part of the Sitra Group will have a positive impact on our people and loyal customers.”

David Patten, Abbey Logistics Group MD, also welcomed the deal. He said: “I have worked with Sitra as a supplier during my time as a customer in Europe and I hold the company and its people in high regard.

"It is an exciting time in Abbey’s history to once again be part of a family-owned business and I am over the moon to be joining the Sitra team. This is great news for our employees and customers.”

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Jon Pickering, Northedge partner and chief investment officer, said: “We are proud to see Abbey joining forces with Sitra, another market-leading business with a strong commercial and cultural fit.

"Throughout our partnership, management have worked tirelessly to build a high-quality leadership team, retain and grow a blue-chip customer base, continuously improve operational efficiencies and develop a market-leading approach to talent attraction and retention to support scale.

"Abbey is now well positioned for future growth as part of Sitra, continuing to deliver world-class service to its customers, and we wish the whole team the best of luck in their next chapter.”

David Saelens, Sitra Group chief executive, said: “Sitra Group is delighted to announce the acquisition of Abbey Logistics Group. It is a milestone in Sitra’s history to acquire a renowned, well-established company like Abbey.

"Together with our partner Creafund we have been working almost a year on this deal and to now welcome the whole Abbey family to the Sitra group feels like the cherry on the cake.

"It was a great pleasure to work closely with Steve, Dave and Matthew who are truly professionals as well as the other members of the Abbey management. We have not only aquired a great company but we also welcome some of the best individuals in our industry.

"We are very much looking forward to welcoming and introducing every Abbey member in our organisation. Abbey will continue to operate under its own name and colours and Sitra is not intending to change whatsoever to the well-working organisation that Abbey is today.

"Since Creafund’s entry in Sitra Group, the size of the company has more than doubled and we are getting close to €300m turnover with over 2,000 employees, on course to our ambition which is to reach the €500 million milestone by 2026. Please allow me to thank everybody who was involved in making this deal happen “

Kenneth Depuydt, partner of Creafund added “We are extremely pleased to accelerate the strategic growth plan of Sitra by adding Abbey to our ambitious Group. We truly value the professionalism, the entrepreneurship, the reputation and all stakeholders, including all employees of Abbey tremendously.

"We hence warmly welcome Abbey as part of our Group and look forward to further consolidating the food logistics market together."

Abbey was advised by KPMG and DWF and Sitra was advised by EY.

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The new partnership, which will involve a full, phased transfer from the existing provider from next month, will cover service, maintenance and repair for the group’s light and heavy goods vehicles, as well as cars, plant and ancillary equipment.

Announcing the deal, Travis Perkins said Zenith was selected in a competitive tender based on its overall value, including the ability to provide more overnight servicing, up to 30%, which the group said will minimise downtime and improve availability.

The group added that Zenith's servicing network closely matched Travis Perkins' nationwide operational footprint, which it said will help improve efficiency, save fuel and reduce carbon emissions in line with its commitment to reduce the carbon emissions of its fleet by 80% by 2030.

Travis Perkins was also impressed with Zenith’s call handling expertise, which it said has "strong resources and large scale teams, and the technical expertise of their front line support staff."

Travis Perkins HSE and fleet director, Richard Byrne, said: “Following a thorough review, we are excited to work with Zenith, and have found in them a partner that we believe will provide our branches with excellent service and which shares our belief in great customer service, efficiency and sustainability.”

Zenith commercial division chief executive, Martin Jenkins, added: “We’re delighted to have been selected by Travis Perkins as the fleet management partner for its 3000-strong fleet.

“With more than 30 years’ experience in fleet management solutions, we have long-standing relationships with the UK’s largest fleets – all of which rely on our industry-leading knowledge and service levels to achieve business objectives.

“This continues with Travis Perkins plc, and I’m confident our technology-led solutions will minimise vehicle downtime, boost vehicle availability, and ultimately help to ensure the company maximises its investment in its large commercial fleet.”

The post Zenith wins five year fleet management deal with Travis Perkins appeared first on Motor Transport.

The new 15,190 sq ft facility is located in Stafford, on the Beacon Business Park. It is the latest addition to the group’s parcels network and part of the DX Express division, which provides highly secure, tracked deliveries to both business and consumer addresses.

the group said that the depot will provide further capacity and improve operational efficiencies, by reducing stem mileage and carbon emissions, as well as enhancing customer service levels, which it said is a key focus for the group.

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It added that this latest opening is part of the group's ongoing major capital programme in the business as management "continues to drive the group’s growth and development."

Paul Ibbetson, DX Group chief executive, added: "The opening of the Stafford depot means that we have now reopened 13 of the 15 depots that we took on from Tuffnells’ Administrators in late June.

"It increases the capacity and capability of our Express Parcels operation, which is growing strongly, and delivers further efficiencies, environmental and customer service benefits.

“Expanding and improving the depot network underpins the continued successful delivery of our growth plans, and we look forward to reporting on further openings over the forthcoming months”.

The post DX opens thirteenth of 15 former Tuffnells depots appeared first on Motor Transport.

However the company revealed this week that it is seeing better times this year, with record volumes which it says are higher than at any point during COVID-19, adding that it is heading for the "busiest peak period in our history."

Reporting its results for the year to 25 February 2023, the parcel delivery giant said that whilst revenue remained virtually unchanged at £1.464m (2022: £1.465m) pre-tax profit tumbled by 56% to £51m (2022: £117m).

The company attributed the profit fall to economic and political factors in the period resulting in “significant inflation, higher interest rates and a weakening of consumer confidence.”

The year also saw greater volatility in customer demand which the company said was driven by continued economic uncertainty and the impacts of the cost of living crisis.

Its strategic review of the results said the company was also hit by the "anticipated post pandemic channel realignment, as physical stores were not subject to lockdown closures this year. As a result, parts of the online retail market have softened compared to previous years.”

Other pressures reported by the company included rising energy, fuel and wage costs, a continuing shortage of resources driven by Brexit and the pandemic, the cost of moving a number of Evri depots and the opening its new Barnsley superhub.

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The end of the Covid-19 lockdowns, during which parcel volumes had soared, also took its toll on the company. The review said: “Parcel volumes were broadly flat year on year against tough comparatives when physical shops were closed and volumes were up around 70% on pre-pandemic levels. This represents outperformance against a market which declined in 2022/23.

It added: “These factors, volatile consumer demand, resource shortages and rising costs have presented challenges across the parcel delivery industry, which have been further exacerbated by the disruption caused by the continued industrial action impacting Royal Mail during 2022/23.”

On the upside the report noted that, despite these challenges, Evri had driven new growth by winning new business and expanding into new markets, which “offset the unwinding of Covid lockdown volumes and the impact of macro-economic conditions on volumes in certain market segments.”

Looking ahead the company said it had continued to perform “robustly” despite challenging market conditions with volumes steady, despite a declining market.

The review concluded that the company remains confident it will see further growth driven by new volume pipelines and aided by “wide ranging” cost savings.

However it also warned that it is “not immune to the macro-economic conditions impacting customer demand and input cost in the short term.”

An Evri spokesperson said: "Our revenue and volume performance last year was robust and we outperformed the sector, a trend which continues as we win new contracts and grow our business into new areas.

"We are currently experiencing record volumes – higher than at any point during COVID-19 – growing at high double-digit rates and we are on track for the busiest peak period in our history.

" Our performance this year has enabled us to increase our investment in customer service and Christmas preparations including the recruitment of an additional 6,500 colleagues.

"The business has tripled in size over the last five years and is expected to double in size again over the next five years, boosted by last year’s opening of our super-hub in Barnsley and as we benefit from the rise of the marketplaces such as Vinted and Etsy.”

The post Evri sees “record volumes” this year after 2022 profit plunge appeared first on Motor Transport.

Keith Talbot, 62, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, was given a 28-month disqualification from driving at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 5 October after pleading guilty to drink driving.

The court heard how Talbot was driving a lorry on the A38 heading towards Branston in February when he collided with a stationary lorry parked in a layby, causing large amounts of goods to be spilled over both carriages.

Talbot provided a positive roadside breath test of 158mg and was arrested at the scene.

The legal limit is 80mg.

As part of his sentencing, he was also ordered to pay court costs of £135, a surcharge of £114, attend 20 days of rehabilitation and carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

PC Martin Randle of Staffordshire police, said: “Talbot put other road user’s lives at risk while driving under the influence of alcohol.

“We welcome the court’s decision to ban him from driving. Our roads have no place for such dangerous and reckless behaviour which could’ve easily resulted in serious or fatal injury.

“We are pleased Talbot will not be able to be behind the wheel of a vehicle again for a significant amount of time.”

The post Drunk HGV driver gets 28-month ban appeared first on Motor Transport.

Latest financial results, for the year ending 31 December 2022, showed that chilled food supply chain business Fowler Welch increased turnover by 23% during the period to £201m, from £163m in 2021.

Pre-tax profit increased from £4.6m to £12.4m, although the business pointed out that almost £2.7m of this was an exceptional profit from the disposal of joint venture Integrated Services Solutions.

In February 2022, Fowler Welch acquired Robert Burns Logistics, in order to boost its presence in the fresh logistics market.

It said this purchase had allowed it to increase its scale and expertise in the sector, which had accelerated growth.

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Meanwhile, fellow Culina subsidiary Great Bear Distribution saw revenues and profits soar in 2022; turnover increased at the UK ambient 3PL by 16.4% to £399m and pre-tax profit more than doubled to £42m, compared to £17.7m in 2021.

In late 2022, the decision was taken to transfer the warehousing activity of group undertaking Eddie Stobart over to Great Bear and the firm said this had allowed it to expand its storage portfolio, which would help with further growth.

“The company is well funded and financially robust, so the directors are confident the company is well placed to meet the challenges of the ongoing economic climate and market conditions,” it said.

Culina Group itself reported a 37.8% increase in pre-tax profit, to £5.7m in 2022. Turnover increased by 43% to £88.3m, which it attributed mainly to increased recharges following the acquisition of Stobart umbrella company Greenwhitestar Acquisitions in July 2021.

The post Culina Group companies report soaring revenues and profits appeared first on Motor Transport.

Long-term employee Stuart Dean has been made portable movements operations director.

He joins the board along with newcomers Paul Allon, who has been appointed the company’s finance director and Dominic Yeardley, commercial director.

The trio join CEO Peter Brown, MD Colin Moody and logistics director Carl Andrew.

Neill & Brown added that finance director Ian Halder will retire after 13 years at the company.

“These senior appointments have been made as the initial stage of a broader succession strategy and we expect them to play a significant role in increasing our stronghold in the UK, European and worldwide logistics industry from our base in the Humber,” said Brown.

“I would like to publicly thank Ian Halder for his hard work, commitment and sound advice, and wish him a very happy retirement.”

Allon, who has more than 15 years’ experience across the manufacturing and construction sectors, said: “I am very excited about working with the senior team at Neill & Brown.

“I want to build on its history and excellent reputation, which extends from the Humber across the globe, to enable further growth over the coming years.”

Neill & Brown started in Hull in 1917 and today employs nearly 150 staff across its Hull sites.

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