Eddie Stobart, probably the most famous name in UK haulage, has died at the age of 95.
Born in Cumbria, the roots of the road haulage icon’s empire began in agriculture shortly after the Second World War, when the young Stobart – the son of farmers - started buying and selling fertiliser and steadily building his business up into a 12-vehicle fleet.
During the quieter summer months his trucks were used on other work, and this led to Eddie Stobart Ltd being set up as a transport and warehousing business.
Devout Christian Eddie handed over the reins to his son Edward in 1973 making him chief executive and then later chairman and under his son’s control the business flourished.
At one point it was operating more than 2,000 lorries, had its own fan club and boasted a wealth of merchandise for ‘Stobart Spotters’ eagerly keeping an eye out on the roads for its famous green lorries, each emblazoned with a woman’s name.
By then, Eddie had stepped back from the company and sold most of his trading interests to invest in an industrial warehouse near Carlisle, where he ended up retiring with his wife Nora Boyd.
Edward sold the firm to his brother William and business partner Andrew Tinkler in the early 2000s and they looked to expand the business further, with the acquisition of Carlisle Airport to create an international transport hub as the pair pursued their dreams of ‘Stobart Air’.
The company returned to private hands when it was taken over by Culina group in 2021.
- · Edward Pears Stobart, farmer and haulier, born 18 April 1929; died 25 November 2024.
