What Maggie did As the industry gathered at the CV
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Show in Birmingham earlier this week, news broke that Baroness Thatcher had died. Whatever your views on Maggie β let's face it, an entire generation defined themselves as being either for her or against herβ ifs worth noting her contribution to our industry.
Back in 1982, the first industry Thatcher privatised was the National Freight Corporation. It went on to be listed on the London Stock Exchange as the National Freight Consortium, giving birth to Exel, which was sold and became the DHL we know today in the UK. Post-privatisation, removal firm Pickfords was born and, to cut a long story short, BRS Parcels became Lynx Express, which was bought by UPS in 2005.
Whatever you think of Thatcher, she made road transport the industry it is today. Many became millionaires because of what she, and her government, did. You can trace a line from the birth of Exel through to the entrepreneurs that have created the names on the road today. For better, and for worse, there is a true free market when it comes to hire and reward that is not distorted by state-owned business.
That said, privatisation has left the 'assets' of the Largest road transport firms in the UK in the same state as our utilities and railways β in the hands of foreign businesses. I would argue that putting British Road Services in German and American hands was not the true intention of the Conservative government of the 1980s. Some of you wouldn't.
Under Thatcher, transport was at the forefront of a changing British society. And that is worth remembering.
Christopher Walton Commercial Motor β the official UK journal of the International Truck of the Year and International Van of the Year Awards