TPN-EXTA-004 (1)

The Pallet Network has signed Basingstoke-based CWM Transport as its owners look to diversify in the wake of the pandemic.

The two-year-old company, which provides full-load haulage between depots for major logistics groups, such as Fedex/TNT and Amazon, went live on 14 September.

CWM director Carl Wood said drops in freight volumes during lockdown highlighted the importance of diversifying from the full-load haulage the company specialised in.

“During lockdown we were still delivering for major customers but the only network we saw on the motorways was TPN. That told me which network to call,” he said. “And a very profitable call it was.”

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“I worked as a driver for 20-plus years after leaving the army, and I’ve been in and out of many hubs. Some of the networks aren’t very professional at all. By contrast TPN’s hub operation is very well organised.”

CWM has another five vehicles and two trailers on order for September delivery.

“We believe strongly in investing in the right tools for the job, and performing to a very high standard,” Wood continued. “Palletised freight distribution will be a different skill set for us, but TPN’s onboarding procedure is so thorough that we’ll all be completely familiar with every aspect of it by the time we start.”

TPN MD Mark Duggan said: “We are very pleased to welcome such an agile and energetic young company to the network. I have no doubt they will be an asset to TPN and we in turn will set them up for success.

“Covid has shown us that the right pallet network can provide a lifeline not only to its haulage partners but also to those customers whose volumes fell below full-load levels. We have always believed that network freight should be one part of a wider haulage portfolio for most of our partners because that offers them and their customers’ maximum resilience and security.”

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