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Irvine, North Ayrshire-based Maxi Haulage has seen an increase in both turnover and pre-tax profit as business continues to grow.

Despite increasing pressure on margins, pre-tax profit for the year ended 30 September 2013 jumped 30% to £1.84m, compared with £1.42m the year before.

The haulage business also posted a 10% increase in turnover to £47.2m (2011/12: £42.8m), despite an increased cost base and pressure from customers to keep its prices low.

The operator said that it is continuing to invest in its fleet of trucks and trailers to support business growth, and now operates a fleet of more than 700 trailers.

Since the beginning of the last financial year, the company has added 64 trucks, a mixture of artics and rigids, and 145 trailers to its fleet.

The upgraded fleet includes Volvo FH and FM12 tractor units, along with some Renaults and Dafs, group chairman Gerry Atkinson told Motortransport.co.uk.

It has also added new curtainsiders, double-deck box trailers, stepframe trailers to the fleet. One 14.65m longer semi-trailer and 15.6m longer semi-trailer from Lawrence David have also been put into operation.

He added that the firm is also developing a third depot in Warwick, adjacent to its Wedgnock site, which will include five loading bays.

In addition, it has been given the green light to extend its Bellshill site to provide 20,000ft² of warehousing, a large area of undercover trailer loading space and an external traffic office to handle increased Scottish volumes.

Turnover at parent company Maxi Caledonian, which encompasses construction division Maxi Construction, grew 12% to £56m (2011/12:£50m), while pre-tax profit increased by a quarter to £2.13m for the same period, recovering after a near-50% drop in the 2011/12 financial year.

Maxi Caledonian group chairman Gerry Atkinson described the period as “another tough year” for the firm.

“Everyone worked very hard to provide the best possible service to our customers and clients, achieving good growth and an excellent result in current market conditions,” he added.

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