Stobart searches for ‘franchise partners’
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By Christopher Walton EDDIE STOBART has revealed plans to appoint ‘franchise partners’, effectively owner-drivers, on a ixed monthly fee driving a Stobart-liveried vehicle in the company’s uniform.
An advertisement in a national newspaper last week called for “reliable owner-drivers” with a Class 1 licence, preferably a Transport Manager CPC and based in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Midlands. The franchise partner must have a start-up cashlow of £12,000, but Stobart provides a fully maintained tractor unit, including tyres, road tax and insurance as well as fuel and uniform.
A Stobart spokesman says: “The franchisee partner scheme is open to all drivers with a Class 1 licence and is an opportunity for them to maximise their earning potential by operating their own tractor unit under the Stobart brand. Stobart has used ownerdrivers and contract hauliers within its leet for more than 30 years; we are just looking to increase those numbers. The scheme will allow us to offer them regular work on a pay-per-load basis. We’ve had a positive response so far and are now going through the selection process.” The scheme is open to existing owner-drivers and anyone looking to start their own businesses – including trampers recently laid off by the irm (CM 15 December).
One owner-driver tells CM: “The directors pay themselves, lay off trampers, then put an ad in the paper looking for idiots to become self-employed owner-drivers on tramping work.
“If Stobart can’t make tramping pay, then what chance has an owner-driver got after they’ve paid the lease on a new truck, fuel and insurance? That won’t come cheap if it’s a fully maintained and livered Stobart truck.” Another owner-driver tells CM: “If Eddie Stobart can’t make tramping work on a drivers’ wage, then why would it work for an owner-driver?” • Eddie Stobart was yesterday (25 January) set to be the irst operator to run a longer semitrailer on UK roads commercially as part of its contract with Tesco, just before CM went to press. It is understood that the truck (with SDC-developed trailer), will have been driven by Mark Dixon, who was one of the featured drivers in the Channel 5 TV show Eddie Stobart Trucks and Trailers.