McKay’s Transport closes after 43 years
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McKAY’S TRANSPORT of Montrose is to close its doors after 43 years of trading, CM understands.
Continuing challenges in the chilled transport sector and ever-increasing operating costs have convinced brothers Brian and David McKay that now is the right time to retire, as both have been involved in the business since the 1960s.
The McKay family did not wish to comment further.
John William McKay founded John W McKay in 1953 and he initially provided livestock transport services to the local farming community.
The firm’s signature temperaturecontrolled services started in the late 1950s, with an insulated Commer rigid working out of Scottish beef producers, AMCO in Aberdeen. Subsequent volumes to Smithfield Market increased year-on-year and the company opened a traffic office and yard in Shoreditch,London to organise backloads.
Christian Salvesen bought the John W McKay operation in 1969, but John McKay soon returned to haulage after acquiring two local contractors.
McKay Transport re-entered reefer work about 30 years ago and provided a UK-wide service for a number of key suppliers in the food and fishing industries.
The firm, which traded as McKay’s Transport but was registered as Watson's Garage (Montrose), ran a fleet of 13 MAN/Mercedes-Benz tractor units that hauled a mixed-type trailer fleet with 13.6m fridge vans.
It holds an O-licence valid for 20 vehicles and 30 trailers.