Owens buys Celtic Couriers

Llanelli-based group buys Celtic Couriers to complement existing services in its home nation

Owens strengthens Welsh base

Llanelli-based Owens Group has acquired Celtic Couriers Holdings Limited (CC) for an undisclosed sum.

The Palletforce member, which provides transport, warehousing and distribution services and runs a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles, said the purchase is driven by a plan to further expand its services in South Wales and to meet “significant” growth.

It added that the deal will complement its express delivery and pallet network services.

CC, which is also based in Llanelli, is a member of the APC parcel network and Fortec and was acquired in 2015 by Gareth and Cindy Jenkins. CC will continue to be operated on a standalone basis within the Owens Group.

This is the second acquisition Owens Group, which is a member of Palletforce, has made in four years. In 2018 it bought Manchester-based BTS Haulage.

Huw Owen, group MD of Owens, said: “I have always been impressed with the reputation that Celtic Couriers has in the market for customer service and I believe that Gareth and Cindy have grown the business based on the same ‘family business’ values and principles as we have always had within Owens, focusing on excellent customer service.”

DPD doubles EV fleet with Maxus

Will you be king of the swingers?

Time is running out to join us at the Commercial Motor Golf Day, which takes place on 22 July at Lambourne Golf Club, Burnham. The competition is made up of 25 teams of four, and it is almost full to capacity. The format will be a four-ball, full-handicap Stableford competition, and the best three individual scores per hole per team will count. A cost of £700 (plus VAT) per team includes green fees, a golf-related gift, lunch and dinner with inclusive drinks and prizes.

“Our golf day is a fantastic opportunity to meet up with current and potential clients, while also giving you the chance to take home the Claret Jug of the haulage world!” said Road Transport Media’s divisional director Vic Bunby. To book your place, or find out about hole sponsorship, email: vic.bunby@roadtransport.com

DPD has agreed a deal with vehicle manufacturer Maxus for 750 of its e Deliver electric vans, which will double its total UK EV fleet.

The deal, which includes 500 long-wheelbase 3.5t electric vans and 250 of the smaller e Deliver 3, means that DPD’s total EV UK fleet will be almost 1,500, with plans to extend that to over 1,700 EVs on the road by the end of the year.

The parcel giant has purchased both the 72kw and longer-range 88kw versions of the e Deliver 9, giving the vans a far greater range than anything previously available in the UK. The 88kw version can cover over 200 miles on a single charge.

The e Deliver 9 will also star in DPD’s first ever UK TV advert to help communicate the firm’s clean, green parcel deliveries.

X2 slips in to nab ADM oil distribution contract

X2 (UK) has won a £4.5m contract for the distribution of packaged oils across the UK and Ireland for manufacturer ADM in Purfleet.

The 4PL said the three-year contract would simplify ADM’s current multi-haulier solution by providing a single management function, with X2 overseeing the planning, optimisation, customer booking in, delivery, systems administration, warehouse coordination and supplier payments.

The agreement covers chilled and ambient distribution.

RHA prepares for battle in Kent’s Brexit war on HGV drivers

The RHA has accused Kent County Council (KCC) of “an abuse of process” following its attempt to permanently ban HGVs from stopping on roads in the county.

A temporary ban introduced in January in seven Kent boroughs was widely criticised, with Logistics UK complaining that both the DfT and the council had failed to consider the welfare of lorry drivers.

The move was seen as necessary to avoid lengthy post-Brexit queues when the UK exited the European Union. Truck drivers pulling up to take any break other than a 45-minute rest face a £150 fine.

But KCC has now launched a consultation to make the draconian order permanent and prohibit vehicles over 5 tonnes from waiting on any road in the boroughs of Ashford, Maidstone, Swale and the districts of Canterbury, Dover, Thanet and Folkestone & Hythe.

In its response, the RHA said the council’s strategy was “total hypocrisy” and encouraged hauliers to respond to the consultation, which ends on 3 July.

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