Mart in fight about its livery
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• An owner-driver with more than 10 years' service with Eddie Stobart is fighting the company's decision to terminate his contract following a dispute about the livery he uses on his truck.
The Carlisle-based haulier wrote to Andrew Harley, from Selby, North Yorkshire, in February this year, stating that he was in "serious breach of the agreement", since any trucks put up for sale should first have the Eddie Stobart livery removed.
But Harley, who had not sold the truck but was using it himself on other work, claims the clause is not relevant. He had in any case removed the stickers, and the truck was booked in for a respray. Meanwhile, he was paying another driver to service the Stobart contract with another leased truck.
"I feel like I've been victimised," says Harley. "They should not have been able to get rid of me for no reason."
Harley, with the help of a solicitor, has succeeded in recovering the money owed to him for work carried out in January and February, as Stobart had originally backdated the termination to the end of last year.
Harley's driver has since been taken on as an employee of Stobart, but Harley wants compensation.
George Percival, ownerdriver manager for Eddie Stobart, declined to comment, saying the matter was in the hands of solicitors.