New ownership for the Leicester and Derby franchises of Speedy Freight, the UK’s leading provider of urgent or sensitive transport, will bring up to 40 jobs and the most responsive service for local business says general manager Gary Sawyer.
Sawyer, who took over the Bolton, Wigan and Oldham franchises two years ago and broke network records for turnover, growth and service levels, says he sees exactly the same opportunities to contribute to the local economy in the Castle Donnington area.
“We are recruiting now for up to 30 drivers – mostly of small vans,” says Sawyer. “We will also be taking on up to nine office staff over the coming months.”
Speedy Freight transports any cargo which is urgent or requires special or immediate handling – for instance, legal documents with a deadline, urgent airfreight coming into East Midlands airports during the night, or that just-in-time parts delivery without which a production line will stop.
“We have access to 4,000 vehicles around the country and we can deliver anything from a contract to the essential part for a grounded aeroplane,” says Sawyer. “It’s a concierge service for your freight – we collect within 60 minutes and we will take your item immediately to its destination anywhere in the UK or Ireland. We don’t take on other freight – that vehicle focuses on delivering your item and only yours as safely and as quickly as possible.”
Although 80% of Speedy Freight’s consignments tend to be suited to smaller vans, it also has access to larger commercial vehicles between 7.5 and 44 tonnes, to suit any type of freight.
Speedy Freight drivers typically own their own vehicles but are thoroughly vetted by the organisation. When clients request transport Speedy Freight immediately identifies the most local driver, with a suitable vehicle and availability, at the right price.
“It’s a very cost-effective service for customers who need things doing fast,” says Sawyer. “We all have those occasions where something needs to get there now – and our system guarantees clients that premium service with only a marginal extra cost compared to a planned, shared-platform logistics service which would typically deliver within 48 hours.
“In fact,” he continues, “some of our customers are major brands such as Argos who use Speedy Freight for all their shipments of customer orders into Sainsbury’s stores.”
