Hauliers wanted
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OVERNIGHT Bag, the express delivery company which took British Rail to the Office of Fair Trading after it was chased off Motorail trains, is planning to switch to road freight entirely.
The London-based company operates a parcels service between London and Edinburgh, with onward distribution at both ends, It used to send its vans by the Motorail car-carrying service, but British Rail refused to continue carrying the vans because they competed with BR's own freight services.
The company's managing director, Edward Lacoste, took his case to the OFT in 1982, and it criticised BR for adopting anti-competitive practices. In the meantime, another BR subsidiary, Freightliner, offered to take over Overnight Bag's traffic.
Business has now grown to provide Freightliner with £100,000 business a year, and the fleet has doubled from eight to 16. Freightliner carries around two to three container loads of Overnight Bag traffic north every night and returns with about one a night.
Freightliner also provided the company with a small office building within its King's Cross terminal in London.
But uncertainty over the future of the King's Cross terminal, following the loss of a large contract with the London Brick Company, and doubts about whether either of the other London terminals at Willesden and Stratford could meet its needs has led Overnight Bag to consider a new policy. Mr Lacoste told CM he is looking for a road haulier prepared to handle the LondonEdinburgh trunk traffic, preferably one with warehousing spade and accommodation for a small traffic office.
He believes that the present level of business, which has been achieved by recommendation rather than advertising, will grow over the next 12 months. '
But if he cannot find a suitable haulage partner, Mr Lacoste is considering using his fleet, which now includes Leyland Roadrunner 7.5-tonners, for the trunk runs.
Mr Lacoste may be contacted on 01-833 3871.