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- - Stobart (https://www.truckandbusforum.com/showthread.php?t=981)

Brief history -

http://www.roadtransport.com/StaticP...ie-stobart.htm

Add £110 milion contract over 10 years with Nestle for seasonal confectionery warehousing.

stobbart drivers new trucks new uniforms,who needs mon:eek:ey.

Stobart Group has signed a three-year contract, worth £12m, to provide warehousing for Danone Waters UK.

http://www.roadtransport.com/Article...or-danone.html

This is the first time the Stobart Group have ever decorated the full trailer, thus highlighting our commitment to supporting Cumbria Tourism."

http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/late...-on.5272540.jp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Western SMT (Post 5202)

This is the first time the Stobart Group have ever decorated the full trailer, thus highlighting our commitment to supporting Cumbria Tourism."

http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/late...-on.5272540.jp

Genious idea! Rolling billboards, part of your running costs being paid for by advertising!!

Not a new idea Chris, buses have been doing it for years.:)

Andy. ;)

I've looked through the gallery .....but can't find any Stobart truck in the OLD livery!
....is it me???

Ian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr-Tomcat (Post 5369)

Not a new idea Chris, buses have been doing it for years.:)

Andy. ;)

Yes, but a good idea to put it on Wagons!!

Stobart is negotiating with rail infrastructure group Network Rail over surplus or redundant rail lines, or land which would support new freight terminals.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...2534-24200055/

stobart,bought. southend airport.last december.to create an air frieght and rail terminal,depot.hoping to fly frieght directly into. london city airport.my question is? is it a good or bad thing. Stobart having the monoply on the British transport industry.instead of the old nationalised .British Road Serviceces. will it become.Stobart National Road Services.Daventry was his first rail terminal ,a few year ago.they have come a long way since then.

In an ideal World (!) all transport would be provided by the State and run 'economically' to provide options for the public (remember RedStar and luggage-in-advance?).
Sadly, the motivation to make things work didn't seem to prevail and these facilities failed (whether by poor management or intransigence of the workers).

Entrepreneurs have evolved that have established themselves (and seem to be swallowing-up competitors).

Amalgamation of road transport with rail and air connections makes sense and removing barriers by incorporating these facilities within one umbrella organisation offers potential cost savings - if only through central accounting.

The danger (IMO) is that, without good local management, factions will become complacent (because of having a 'monopoly') and cease to operate efficiently, (possibly raising charges to compensate) leaving customers without worthwhile 'logistics'.

I have no knowledge or experience of any Stobart operation (other than to see their vehicles on the roads and see photographs here) so my comments are purely speculative.

Operators attempting to compete (especially during recessional times) might have difficulty in remaining competitive and solvent.

G-CPTN. Very good response.regards.

As long as (Stobart) operates effectively and efficiently (and the necessary funding is available - either from income or investment for continued acquisition and expansion) then things will probably flourish, however the economic downturn will affect all eventually and pruning and closures will be inevitable.
To some extent, a nationalised industry might continue longer whilst losing money. For private organisations it will depend on the strength of the backing and their confidence to ride-out the storm.

(British Airways is said to be losing £1 million per day . . . )

my concern is ,what will happen if or when Stobart have the monopoly.will they dictate the way the transport industry will go.i.e haulage rates[under cut thier competitors],fuel prices [buying in bulk,as they do now].as smaller firms cant keep up with firms like Stobart..also things like supermarket work,i am sure most firms would like to give the in house transport to a third party.as they do a lot of work for tesco,now.regards.

Once any operator has an absolute monopoly they are free to raise charges to whatever they consider the market will pay (until independant operators see the gap and set up in competition).
Of course the economies of scale may permit lower rates to be charged (thus stifling competition).

I doubt that Stobart are interested in local low-volume movements, and probably concentrate on long-term contracts.

cheer,s, good comment.

Two questions, where did the original Eddie Stobart go and is he still involved in the running of the present Stobart company-- sorry 3 questions, where did these 2 guys get the cash to take over Stobart, surely the way this company has flurished in such a short time they must have some influential backers behind them-----I know when I was in business Stobart was the most hated company on the road, undercutting rates and backhanding firms to get business, one man haulage companies could`nt compete and many went under over Mr Eddie in the 60s & 70s.

Quote:

Started by 'Steady' Eddie Stobart in the 1950s as an agricultural business in Cumbria, the company was incorporated as Eddie Stobart Ltd in the 1970s as a haulage firm, eventually passing to his son, Edward Stobart. After a series of complex takeovers, the Stobart company has developed from a haulage company to an intermodal logistics company, achieving a stock market listing without an IPO through a reverse takeover of the Westbury Property Fund. Following the step down of Edward in 2003, the Stobart family is now represented in the business through Edward's brother William Stobart.

From:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stobart_Group

Quote:

The business was started Started by 'Steady' Eddie Stobart in the 1950s as an agricultural business in Cumbria. His son, Edward Stobart Junior, was born in Cumberland in England on 21 November 1954 at his parents' house just outside Hesket Newmarket near Carlisle. He was one of four children, with an elder sister Anne, an elder brother John and a younger brother William. He was always called Edward to avoid confusion with his father Eddie. He was very interested in lorries, and when he left school, he started working for his father's contracting business delivering agricultural material in the region. By 1970, the company consisted of three main parts: Fertilizer, Haulage and the Farm shop. The various parts were eventually split up between the family members, with Edward having haulage and the name, Eddie Stobart Ltd.

Quote:

By 2002 the company was experiencing financial difficulties caused by the fuel crisis. In 2001 the haulage business had posted its first loss, with the fan club making more money than the haulage business.
In November 2003 Edward Stobart sold the group to his brother William and his business partner Andrew Tinkler, who together owned a civil engineering company that specialises in railway maintenance, WA Developments, based in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.

Quote:

In August 2007 the Stobart business gained a stock market listing through the reverse acquisition of Westbury Property Fund Ltd, a commercial property and ports company.
Westbury acquired Eddie Stobart Ltd. from W.A. Developments International for £138M, which was recouped by the sale of £142M of property to W.A. Developments International. The renamed Westbury group then became the stock exchange listed Stobart Group Ltd., with Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart becoming substantial shareholders CEO and COO of Eddie Stobart Limited respectively. The Stobart Air operation, owners of Carlisle Airport, remained outside the enlarged group, still owned by WA Developments.
With the Westbury takeover Stobart gained the Port of Weston in Runcorn. At the same time as the Westbury merger it was announced that the "O'Connor Group" was also being purchased by Westlink, at the time a wholly owned business of Westbury. The O'Connor Group operates a truck fleet of approximately 90 vehicles, offering transmodal road rail services at the 'inland port', Widnes Intermodal Rail Depot.
In March 2007 Westbury had also acquired AHC – a rail terminal operator and storage, facilities handling and transport business – operating on a site adjacent to the O'Connor terminal. Westbury also operated a joint venture, Victa Westlink Rail, between its Westlink subsidiary and Victa Railfreight[

Quote:

n August 2007 the Stobart business gained a stock market listing through the reverse acquisition of Westbury Property Fund Ltd, a commercial property and ports company.
Westbury acquired Eddie Stobart Ltd. from W.A. Developments International for £138M, which was recouped by the sale of £142M of property to W.A. Developments International. The renamed Westbury group then became the stock exchange listed Stobart Group Ltd., with Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart becoming substantial shareholders CEO and COO of Eddie Stobart Limited respectively. The Stobart Air operation, owners of Carlisle Airport, remained outside the enlarged group, still owned by WA Developments.
With the Westbury takeover Stobart gained the Port of Weston in Runcorn. At the same time as the Westbury merger it was announced that the "O'Connor Group" was also being purchased by Westlink, at the time a wholly owned business of Westbury. The O'Connor Group operates a truck fleet of approximately 90 vehicles, offering transmodal road rail services at the 'inland port', Widnes Intermodal Rail Depot.
In March 2007 Westbury had also acquired AHC – a rail terminal operator and storage, facilities handling and transport business – operating on a site adjacent to the O'Connor terminal. Westbury also operated a joint venture, Victa Westlink Rail, between its Westlink subsidiary and Victa Railfreight[

Quote:

In May 2007 the Stobart Group was the subject of controversy when it reportedly offered bonuses to its Carlisle based drivers to work in Livingston in Scotland, to transport goods for Tesco who were in dispute with its distribution centre drivers and facing disruption to their supply chain. The Stobart drivers refused to cross the Livingston picket line.

Quote:

On 4 April 2008 controversy emerged surrounding the proposed developments to Carlisle Airport. In response to 63 apparently overly restrictive planning conditions placed on the development plans of Stobart Air, Andrew Tinkler apparently intended to move the Stobart haulage and warehousing operation out of Carlisle, and move them to Widnes, as a contingency 'plan B', asserting the redevelopment under the proposed condition would not be completed in time. By 8 April talks had proceeded, and centred on ten disputed points. On 10 April it was announced that Andrew Tinkler and Carlisle City Council leader Mike Mitchelson shook hands on a revised list of conditions for the plan. However the plans were called in by the Government and Andrew Tinkler withdrew the application. Subsequently a revised application was submitted and a decision was due in December 2008.
Planning permission was granted in December 2008 for airport expansion and other developments including a resurfaced runway and new terminal, a major transport and distribution facility for Eddie Stobart Ltd, along with a joint headquarters building.

Planning permission given for Carlisle Airport development:-
http://www.englandsnorthwest.com/inv...velopment.html

ceylon 220.i agree stobart,was the most hated man .all the driver,s i knew hadn,t a good word to say about 'steady eddie'.he put some small firms out of the game .by under cutting rates.[ALLEGEDLY].once again ,there were alleged ,rumour,s that the mormons were behind him financially.i know i joke about the stobart driver,s.but thats all they talked about when parked up.new uniforms and the new lorries they were going to be driving.never talked about pay rates.regards.:rolleyes:

i believe the stobart group have signed a contract. with a german firm.to transport perishable goods by rail .to the u.k.from europe.?so cutting down on road transport.stobarts want to cut their carbon footprint.so nothing to do with profit then.?:rolleyes:

The next major step from Stobart, which is developing sea, air and rail freight business alongside trucking, is a chilled rail service from Spain to the UK further reducing the number of lorries on the road.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...oad/article.do

The Stobart train left Dagenham last Friday (23rd Oct) carrying empty pallets and trays and was scheduled to arrive in Valencia on Sunday evening.

The train is scheduled to leave Valencia on Tuesday on a two-day trip to the company's railhead in Dagenham, east London. It will carry 30 refrigerated containers crammed with tomatoes, lemons, oranges and other fruit and vegetables.

Thank-you for that - I look forward to hearing of progress on this.
I know that 'we' are primarily interested in Trucks (and Buses), but, though I've spent my working life in the road transport industry I've always held the belief that rail should be an integrated part of the distribution network.
Over the years I've followed the abortive attempts to establish Roadrailers:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadrailer and also attempts to carry semitrailers on railcars - but the restricted 'gauge' (clearance height) of the UK rail system proved to be a stumbling point I believe.

As an aside I find the 'video' (actually time-lapse stills) on:-
http://www.stobartrail.co.uk/ interesting to watch.

There's also a video on the opening page of:- http://www.stobartgroup.co.uk/ though I haven't found any reference to the Valencia train. I presume that all the refrigerated containers are self-contained but do they draw the power needed from the train electrics rather than having 'donkey' engines? I wouldn't expect Eurotunnel to permit the use of donkey engines.

What happens when 'fridge trucks (reefer road trailers) travel through the tunnel? Do they get to plug-in to on-board electric?

Interesting time-lapse video G-CPTN

Quote

A crucial element was obtaining pledges from both the French and Spanish rail networks that the train – which will be carrying perishable goods – will not suffer major delays.
"We can't have it being shunted into a siding and then forgotten about," said Stobart. "Getting promises that this won't happen has been vital in setting up this operation."

“There has been a real change of attitude from the companies we deal with in recent months, suddenly they all want to know if they can have their goods carried in an environmentally sensitive way and, in particular, if they can have them moved by train."

It would be interesting to learn of how the train will negotiate the Channel Crossing.

I don't suppose that you can just turn up and pay a toll to drive through the tunnel.

The train seems to have arrived ok –

The 60-hour, 1,100-mile journey, in conjunction with fellow road and rail operator DB Schenker arrived at the Ford Dagenham railhead with 30 containers - the equivalent to 30 truckloads.

The long-term plan is to move the trains' destination to Widnes, where the Stobart Group has built a new cold store.

http://www.transportintelligence.com...om-spain/5636/

Thanks for the update.

Stobart has begun trials of a system that will allow regional haulage firms to bid for work from the logistics group's jobs.

http://www.roadtransport.com/Article...bart-work.html

Quote:

Stobart's market share is less than 2%,

Is that all? :confused:

Stobart has done a deal with global pallet and container company CHEP to back load pallets onto its Spanish-bound train.

http://www.roadtransport.com/Article...-to-spain.html

i see stobart,have ordered 800 new scanias,both right and left hand drive.R series 440 bhp.6 by2.twin steer,high line cabs and 4 by 2 standard cabs.also added 30 new scmitz cargobull reefers to its trailer fleet. how would you like to pay sir.cash or cheque.:)

Well, there's either good money to be made in transport - or the people providing the money can't get better rates for it elsewhere.

Quote:

Westbury Property Fund Ltd, a commercial property and ports company.
Westbury acquired Eddie Stobart Ltd. from W.A. Developments International for £138M, which was recouped by the sale of £142M of property to W.A. Developments International.
With the Westbury takeover Stobart gained the Port of Weston in Runcorn. At the same time as the Westbury merger it was announced that the "O'Connor Group" was also being purchased by Westlink, at the time a wholly owned business of Westbury.
The O'Connor Group operates a truck fleet of approximately 90 vehicles, offering transmodal road rail services at the 'inland port', Widnes Intermodal Rail Depot.
In March 2007 Westbury had also acquired AHC – a rail terminal operator and storage, facilities handling and transport business – operating on a site adjacent to the O'Connor terminal.
Westbury also operated a joint venture, Victa Westlink Rail, between its Westlink subsidiary and Victa Railfreight.
On 10 March 2008 the Stobart Group announced the acquisition of "James Irlam Logistics - Formerly James Irlam & Sons Ltd", one of the largest independently owned road transport logistics providers in the UK.
In April 2008 the group announced the purchase of the William Stobart and Andrew Tinkler owned partner company WA Developments, which had been advising Stobart on the redevelopment of the inland port operation in Widnes and potential port operation in Runcorn, and an option agreement to purchase Carlisle Airport controlled by WAD International through Stobart Air.
At the beginning of June 2008, WA Developments was renamed Stobart Rail and became responsible for all the railway activities of the group.
In July it was announced that the group had taken over the chilled and ambient goods distribution operations from the administrators of Innovate Logistics Limited, saving the jobs of around 1,300 Innovate employees.

From:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stobart..._Property_Fund

See also:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisl...bart_Group_Ltd