Interviews

Motortransport.co.uk brings you in-depth interviews with the movers and shakers of the road transport industry in the UK. Learn from the best and the brightest to get ahead.
From entrepreneurs to chief executives of the most influential hauliers; operators and 3PLs in logistics – including Eddie Stobart; Yodel; DHL and Wincanton.

Interviews

Ryder on track with Hill Hire integration

March 28, 2012 Justin Stanton

Ryder Europe vice-president and MD David Hunt’s claim that “Ryder is full of the joys of spring”,  is not what MT expects to hear as we meet to discuss the integration of Hill Hire. But like the company he works for, Hunt can pull the occasional surprise. Ryder’s big surprise last year was the £151m acquisition of Hill Hire, announced the day before its 40th birthday in the UK (MT 13 June 2011). This takeover created a rental and leasing […]

Interviews

The great car adventure – John Harvey part 2

March 12, 2012 Steve Hobson

John Harvey recalls Tibbett & Britten’s (T&B) time in the car industry as a “great adventure”; he does not regret moving into the sector, but wishes T&B had exited sooner as he tells Justin Stanton. Ultimately, the Ford contract forced Harvey to announce T&B’s first profit warning just two days after announcing the annual results in 1995, where the outlook had been bright. “The analysts asked: ‘how deep’s the hole?’ and I said: ‘I have no idea.’ That spooked everybody. Again […]

Interviews

Interview with a legend – John Harvey part 1

March 12, 2012 Steve Hobson

A legend, a pioneer, an inspirational leader – just some of the names John Harvey has been called. Justin Stanton caught up with him for an indepth interview. Just about any aspect of transport, logistics and supply chain management you can think of, Harvey has been there, seen it and done it via his stints at Unilever, SPD and Tibbett & Britten (T&B) – and he probably did it first. He was awarded the CBE in 1992 for his services […]

Interviews

Kuehne + Nagel stays on growth track

March 8, 2012 Steve Hobson

Kuehne + Nagel’s acquisition of international groupage specialist RH Freight in March last year caught many in the industry – including Motor Transport it has to be said – by surprise. But it was all part of the Swiss-owned global logistics business’ long term strategy, as Glenn Lindfield, KN’s senior vice president  for contract logistics in North West Europe, tells Steve Hobson Unlike some other logistics firms who spend big money promoting their brands, family-owned Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + […]

Interviews

French Connection

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Norbert Dentressangle’s acquisitions of Christian Salvesen in 2007 and TDG in 2011 made the French group’s UK logistics operation a £1bn a year business, representing almost a third of group turnover, and silencing critics who had questioned the company’s commitment to the UK. […]

Interviews

Taking a cool approach to ambient distribution

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

While Fowler Welch-Coolchain (FWC) has built a successful business in chilled distribution, the company is now looking to expand into bigger – and arguably more profitable – ambient markets. A glance at the business card handed over by Nick Hay – installed as MD in November 2010 – reveals the ‘Coolchain’ has been quietly dropped, although the logo still resembles a basket of fruit and flowers.

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Interviews

Keeping the shelves stocked

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Sainsbury’s is Britain’s third largest grocery retailer  (behind Tesco and Asda), turning over nearly £23bn in the year to 19 March 2011 and making a pre-tax profit of £827mn. Despite buying 24 stores from the Co-op in 2009 in the north and Midlands, Sainsbury’s stronghold remains the south east of England, and if it is to challenge for top slot and fend off the threat of fourth placed supermarket Morrisons, it has to expand its footprint outside this  most affluent […]

Interviews

Big game hunter

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

When Peter Backhouse was appointed CEO of contract hire specialist Fraikin in May 2010, he set out a clear vision of where he wanted the company to be. 18 months on he gives Steve Hobson a progress report. Since his arrival at Fraikin after two years in charge of Bunzl Healthcare and 11 years at Ryder, CEO Peter Backhouse has repositioned the company from a straightforward contract hire and rental firm to a big game hunter, capable of taking on […]