Stobart spends 19m on fleet
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• Cumbrian haulage giant Eddie Stobart is investing £9m in new trucks, despite losing several contracts over the past year.
Scania dealer Graham Commercial of Carlisle is supplying 155 trucks at a rate of up to 25 a month, starting this week. Some of the vehicles are replacements; others will expand the fleet to nearly 1,000 vehicles.
Spokeswoman Debbie Rodgers says extra drivers will be recruited to cope with increased business: "We have picked up more new business and have seen increases from our existing customers as well."
One of the latest contract losses suffered by Stobart was to Scottish rival WH Malcolm. It involved delivering beer bottles for United Glass of Harlow (CM 21-27 June). Rodgers says: "It sounds bad that you have lost business but it depends what is behind it all."
She adds that the new work won by the company more than outweighs any lost contracts.