Railway Road Haulage Services


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1920   Pickfords is taken over by the Hayes Wharf Cartage Company Ltd.

 

1934   The Hayes Wharf Cartage Company is taken over by the Big Four railway companies.

 

1948   British Transport Commission is formed on the nationalisation of the railways.

 

- Railway Executive

- Hotels Executive

- Docks & Inland Waterways Executive

- Road Passenger Executive

- Road Haulage Executive

- London Transport Executive

 

1948   The British Transport Commission’s Road Haulage Executive included brands such as Pickfords, Wordie, Carter Paterson, and Hays Wharf Cartage. These later formed the basis of British Road Services.

 

1962   The British Transport Commission is abolished.

 

                        - Railway Executive > British Railways Board

                        - Hotels Executive > British Transport Hotels

                        - Docks & Inland Waterways Executive is split

                                                - Docks > British Transport Docks Board

                                                - Inland Waterways > British Waterways Board

                        - Road Passenger Executive > Transport Holding Company

                        - Road Haulage Executive > British Road Services

                        - London Transport Executive > London Transport Board

 

1964   The BTC’s Road Haulage Executive becomes British Road Services after the break of up the British Transport Commission. It had several divisions: British Road Services Ltd, British Road Services Parcels (BRS Parcels Ltd), Pickfords and Containerway & Roadferry Ltd.

 

1969   British Road Services become the National Freight Corporation as a global logistics & moving services company.

 

1969   Freightliner Ltd is transferred from British Rail to the National Freight Corporation and becomes their Freightliner Division. The Sundries Division of British Rail is also transferred to the National Freight Corporation to become their National Freight Carriers division. However British Rail retained their Red Star Parcels local delivery service until privatisation in 1995, when it was subject to a management buyout. In 1996 it was acquired by LYNX Express Ltd. 

 

The NFC, composed of Freightliners Ltd, (which had been operating since 1965) and National Carriers Ltd (NCL), was to take over the total assets of BR's collection and delivery service, the subsidiary companies within the Transport Holding Company, and British Road Services Parcels (BRS Parcels). On 1st January 1969, NCL Ltd and Freightliners Ltd joined the NFC which by 1975 controlled approximately 60 companies, nearly 1,000 depots and 25,000 vehicles.

 

1971 A nationalised asset was also lost when the NFC sold the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company; the BRB was interested in acquiring the company, but the Government had other ideas and sold it to European Ferries.

 

1982   The National Freight Corporation is privatised and subject to a management buy out. Its subsidiaries included: British Road Services, National Carriers, Roadline UK, Pickfords Removals, Pickfords Travel, and Tempco International.

 

The NFC had assets valued at £100 million, with its principal subsidiaries being BRS Parcels, National Carriers, Roadline UK, Pickfords Removals, Pickfords Travel and Tempco International. These companies employed 26,000 people, possessed 18,000 vehicles operating from 700 locations, and was Europe's largest single freight company; it had also won approximately 10 per cent of the UK road haulage market. The company was sold to its management and the National Freight Consortium plc was established on 19th February 1982. Roadline UK later became Lynx Express Ltd. In 2005 Lynx Express Ltd was acquired by UPS.

 

1989   The National Freight Corporation is floated on the London Stock Exchange and becomes the NFC PLC.

 

1999   National Freight Corporation PLC sells its NFC Moving Services Group (Allied Van Lines, Pickfords and Allied Pickfords) to North American Van Lines. It becomes known as Allied Worldwide and includes brands such as North American Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, Pickfords and Allied Pickfords. With its remaining subsidiary being Exel Logistics NFC PLC is renamed as Exel PLC.

 

2000   Exel PLC is formed by the merger of the National Freight Corporation PLC and the Ocean Group PLC.

 

2002   North American Van Lines and its subsidiaries becomes part of the SIRVA Group. This includes brands such as Allied Pickfords, Pickfords, etc.

 

2005   Exel PLC is taken over by DHL (a subsidiary of Deutsche Post World Net) and now operates as DHL Exel Supply Chain.

 

RAILWAY ROAD HAULAGE SERVICES

 

SIRVA Group

www.sirva.com

 

UPS

www.ups.com

 

LYNX Express

www.lynx.co.uk


DHL (Excel Supply Chain)

www.dhl.com


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