Brian Yeardley on a high after customers return

West Yorkshire international haulier Brian Yeardley Continental (BYC) said the tide is turning for UK hauliers trying to compete on the continent, after a number of customers it lost several years ago returned to the company.

MD Kevin Hopper told Motortransport.co.uk the return of such customers was the result of demand for reliability of just-in-time logistics practices by manufacturers.

While UK hauliers cannot compete on the continent on price, said Hopper, they can still win business based on service.

“What English hauliers have in our favour is quality and reliability, and the manufacturing industry in the UK and on the continent is starting to see that too,” said Hopper.

“It’s OK being cheap, but if you’re delivering two or three days late, the cost to a factory’s production can far exceed the small haulage cost saving,” he said.

Hopper added that the company had spent “a fortune” investing in vehicles and staff to compete successfully in Europe.

Among the latest arrivals are five new Euro-6 Mercedes-Benz Actros 4x2s delivered earlier this month (pictured), part of an order of 14 new tractors placed with Mercedes last year, costing the firm more than £1.2m.

Hopper said the company had also invested nearly £200,000 in eight new triaxle trailers this year, and would be placing an order for another 20 this month, costing £440,000.