The UK’s medium-sized haulage operators are expanding in number – but not all are growing at the same pace. New figures from Motor Transport’s Fleet Data show a widening divide between the sector’s fastest-growing operators and those whose fleets are shrinking.
The number of haulage companies running between 50 and 99 trucks rose 4% to 446 between July 2025 and March 2026. However, fleet expansion has not kept pace with the increase in operator numbers. Over the same period, the total number of trucks operated by companies in this bracket rose by just 3.3% to 28,861.
Seasonal demand also played a role. Between July and the Christmas peak the number of trucks operating in the sector rose by 4.4%, while trailer numbers increased by 2.5%.
Since that seasonal high point, however, both have dipped slightly. Truck numbers have fallen by 1.1% and trailer numbers by 0.7% since Christmas.
A closer look at the 70 largest operators within this group – those running between 84 and 99 trucks – provides further insight into how the sector is evolving.
Most operators have held steady, with no change in the number of vehicles or trailers on their O-licences. But a smaller group of companies is expanding rapidly. Twelve of the top 70 operators have grown their fleets by at least 8.5%.
Four of these businesses have grown so quickly they have now moved into the next fleet category, exceeding 100 vehicles since July last year: Dowse Haulage, BP Mitchell Haulage Contractors, Denholm UK Logistics and IT Fleet Automotive.
At the other end of the spectrum, only four operators in this top 70 group have seen their truck fleets contract since July last year.
Overall, the average growth rate across the group stands at 2.3% for truck fleets and 1.2% for trailer fleets.
Fleet Data is Motor Transport’s listing of the UK’s largest third-party and own-account HGV fleet operators. Based on weekly O-licence updates issued by the Office of the Traffic Commissioners, it enables subscribers to identify operators across the UK’s eight traffic areas based on the number of vehicles on their licences and their type of operation.
Medium haulage fleets: winners and losers
Fleets between 84 and 100 trucks that grown or contracted between July 2025 and March 2026
| Company | Trucks Mar 26 | Change (%) | Trailers Jul 25 | Change (%) |
| General Express Services | 90 | 45.2 | 90 | 45.2 |
| DLG Logistics UK | 90 | 28.6 | 70 | 0.0 |
| Stevenson Bros (Avonbridge) Limited | 95 | 26.7 | 170 | 17.2 |
| Dowse Haulage | 123 | 25.5 | 138 | 34.0 |
| S.J. Messenger Haulage | 86 | 19.4 | 96 | 17.1 |
| CBW Resources | 85 | 18.1 | 103 | 33.8 |
| B P Mitchell Haulage Contractors | 100 | 17.6 | 18 | 0.0 |
| Multimodal Logistics | 85 | 13.3 | 96 | 18.5 |
| Denholm UK Logistics | 101 | 11.0 | 158 | 23.4 |
| Bulmans Bulk & Haulage | 101 | 9.8 | 106 | 9.3 |
| IT Fleet Automotive | 89 | 8.5 | 89 | 9.9 |
| Goggins Transport UK | 87 | -4.4 | 87 | -4.4 |
| Judith Angela Williamson & Partners | 85 | -5.6 | 105 | 0.0 |
| Bleach Of Lavant | 89 | -7.3 | 82 | -5.7 |
| 3D International Haulage | 86 | -16.5 | 86 | -16.5 |
