Noticed a couple of heavy haul units (or maybe the same one twice!) in Explore colours in the last week. What is it with Stobrats and other 3PL providers and other conglomerates outside transport? Every ■■■■■■ is trying to eat every pie they can see. Wincanton doing mixers and hiabs for builders merchants as another example. British Gas do electricity and plumbing is another. And of course a key part of their attempts at dominance is “contolling costs”.For costs read wages. It’s not just driving that’s dominated by half trained kids these days, it’s everywhere. Peanuts anyone?
I’ve spotted one too, a grey Actros SLT and a very tasty looking unit.
I don’t expect it to be out competing for other people’s business though. Explor’es main work is moving their own product to building sites and then backloading Select plant hire and the whole brand is a Lang O’Rorke / WS Transportation / Select Plant Hire joint venture so I think its mainly own-account stuff.
As far as I’m led to believe, stobart’s only input with Explore are providing the tackle, basically they hire from Stobart.
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This is a 50/50 company between Select Plant Hire (Laing O’Rourke) and W S Transportation (owned by William Stobart son) I understand they have purchased three new Mercedes Titan 250ton 8 wheel tractor units to do the work for Weldex Crawler cranes,this work had been done for many years by Heanor Haulage,however the manager at Heanor left and took several of the drivers( £4 per hour more )with him to Explore.I wonder how they can make the work pay as the rigs cost £400k .(£8000 per month hp)
Heanor was a good company with many years of practical experience but they are old school and all there fleet was sold by Malcolm Harrison Auctions.
I wonder how long William Stobart will keep supporting W.S (3.9m loan)seeing as W S turned over 18m and made a pre tax profit of 72k on there last accounts.
Must admit I came back a couple of times in week and was suprised to see Canute brick / block wagons parked in yard , no idea what tie up is there .