H Crabtree Ltd: Make Lasting Partnerships Through a Freight Exchange

H Crabtree Ltd operates out of two depots in Calne, Wiltshire and their headquarters in New Mills, Derbyshire, and has a fleet composed of over 50 articulated and rigid vehicles. They’re a privately owned and operated business that provides a wide range of services from short haul pallet services to long haul national transportation.

Since its conception in 1961, H Crabtree has been developing relationships with a range of regional sub-contractors and partners. However, they began to recognise a need to expand their network to a national level in order to increase their haulage capability across the country— from the remotest of villages to the UK’s largest cities. This would allow them to outsource excess work they couldn’t handle internally and also to fill empty return load capacity.

Where Haulage Exchange Comes In

Haulage Exchange is the industry-leading freight trading platform from Transport Group, and H Crabtree has been using their tool for over five years.

Straight from its headquarters in Derbyshire, H Crabtree can use the tool to expand and maximise their capabilities flexibly, based on their exact operational requirements and workloads. The platform also allows them to plan on a day-to-day basis to identify ways to fill extra fleet capacity through taking on extra work as it suits them. Through this, the company handles an extra 50 loads per month on average that were identified and secured through Haulage Exchange. H Crabtree can also post excess work for other haulage companies when it doesn’t have the right vehicle to shift the load, which means it can increase its capacity during busier periods as well as take of extra work in areas which previously were unsuitable.

This is possible thanks to the access to over 3,000 transport businesses across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe that the Haulage Exchange network offers. In H Crabtree’s case in particular, through joining Haulage Exchange, they have established around 10 key partnerships with haulage companies across the UK with whom they deal directly on a regular basis. This is augmented by a wide-ranging network of haulage companies whom they use on an ad-hoc basis and that they select based on their suitability, location and the feedback they’ve received from other members.

Furthermore, Haulage Exchange’s feedback system is unique and provides valuable insight into individual members, providing detailed information based on their historical performance. Accessing this has allowed H Crabtree to make incisive decisions about who they choose to work with, and to rest easy that their new partners will perform to the expected standard of service.

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage companies with jobs in road transport and haulage work. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.