Welsh haulier in recruitment drive as £1.1m fleet investment pays off

Powys-based haulier Speed Welshpool is on the hunt for new drivers after investing £1.1m in its fleet over the past year.

Part of the Palletways network, Speed Welshpool has doubled its fleet of HGVs to a total of 22 along with 22 trailers and eight vans.

The company said the investment is the biggest in its history and marks a huge leap from five years ago when it operated a fleet of just ten HGVs.

“Ploughing £1.1m into the business for new equipment is something that few operators in our area can boast about," said Speed Welshpool MD George Edwards. "This is by far our single largest investment and demonstrates our commitment to better serve our customers and staff.

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“These are exciting times for Speed Welshpool; profits are up, we’ve recently acquired a contract that a haulier operated with our largest customer and we’re on target to exceed in excess of £5.6m turnover this year.”

The company hopes the new vehicles will help it attract new drivers: “It’s well-known there’s a driver shortage in the industry and that’s why we need to do all we can to attract and retain the best staff through the provision of market-leading equipment and infrastructure," Edwards continued. "We trialled a number of vehicles and listened carefully to the feedback from our drivers when we chose these new models. The new additions offer drivers a well-equipped, comfortable and modern working environment and we’re sure they’ll whet the appetite and interest of drivers to come in an enquire about jobs.”

Speed Welshpool is one of over 115 independent transport providers in the Palletways UK network.