How to reduce the risk of cargo theft

Based in Milton Keynes, Samuel Luica joined The Exchange in April 2021. 

When he first joined CX, it was just Samuel and the two drivers he employed. Samuel managed the office while his drivers completed jobs on the road.  

Now, two years later, Samuel still manages his office – but his business is bigger. To show for it, this year, Samuel made 96x his initial investment on the platform.

Approach 

Samuel first heard about The Exchange by chance. He needed a van for the day, and he ended up renting one from a satisfied CX member.  

“He had some success on CX and recommended the platform to me,” Samuel reflects. “I researched The Exchange on the internet and got on the platform.” 

He recounts that the platform was “very busy – back when I joined,” and the CX Driver app quickly helped him reduce dead miles on his return journeys.  

Results

“We started with 3 vans,” Samuel says. “And now, in 2 years, we’ve got 9 vans and one lorry.” 

He adds that he’s also “very happy” with the profit he’s made over the last two years. “We got our money back in a very short period of time – I would say within the first month.” 

Part of Samuel’s rapid-fire growth is down to a large network of clients. Samuel’s favourite thing about the platform is the huge opportunities new businesses get to work with a selection of transport companies. 

And with over 3,000 positive reviews – and no negative reviews to date – Samuel has clearly mastered the art of delivering outstanding services. 

“My goal was to become a trusted haulage company. To show people we are a company you can trust and [that we] can offer people a very good service.” 

The Exchange’s feedback system works doubly in Samuel’s favour – especially when he’s the one picking companies to collaborate with. 

Conclusion

With steady contacts and high-quality feedback, Samuel’s built his business off the foundation of hard-work and a willingness to connect. 

“To be honest, I’m surprised by how quick we’ve grown,” Samuel reflects. “I didn’t expect to grow so quick in such a short period of time, and I didn’t really expect to get a lorry within two years. It was a surprise to me.” 

When asked to think about the future of his business, Samuel is as optimistic as ever. 

And, in Samuel’s world, building a logistics business is simple.  

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MPC Couriers joined the Courier Exchange back in October 2016.  

Back then, managing director Martin Coulson was new to the industry. He joined CX as an owner-driver, getting to grips with the job all while driving his rented van all over the Midlands.  

After a few years of making a decent living as an owner driver, Martin quit the road and became a freight forwarder.  

MPC Couriers currently boast 551,446 in sales figures – and that’s in just half a year.

Martin explains his journey from owner driver to freight forwarder over the past 7 years. 

Approach 

An entrepreneur at his core, Martin started on the Exchange with no real logistics experience.  

“I built everything up and learned the trade from scratch.” 

But, although he had no experience, Martin had a clear idea of where he wanted to be.   

“I had to go on the road to learn the logistics as a courier driver because I’ve never done it. I was also looking at the customers. I cover the lot now.” 

Martin dove (or, rather, drove) into the role of owner-driver with enthusiasm. Driving for a few years taught him everything he needed to know about transport and logistics. Networking on the Exchange helped him build a strong number of trustworthy and reliable, from haulage carriers to big shippers.  

“It’s all been technology and learning the trade. I’ve joined networking clubs, which you meet customers through. It’s all been using technology and building that up.” 

“And I’ve used the platform as much as I can,” he adds. “In my backloads. In my business when I didn’t have any work. And now I’ve come off the road, I use it to sell jobs.” 

Results 

Today, MPC Couriers have access to over 47,000 vehicles UK-wide and the 2022 UK Transport award for ‘Most Trusted Same-Day Courier Service – UK and Europe’.  

MPC Couriers are also proud to sponsor ‘Square Peg Activities’ – a charity that helps families with disabled children get the inclusive care they require.  

And MPC Couriers’ growing sales figures reflect this. 

“When I started making a grand a week, I thought “bloody hell this is good!” Martin exclaims. “Then the figures went up to 5 grand a month to 7 and a half. Recently, it’s been more like 24 to 25 grand a month. It’s just grown so quick – it’s growing very quick.” 

“When I take on a customer, I promise to take all the hassle out of transport. I look after everything and everyone. It’s a little niche I’ve got,” he adds. 

Martin’s ‘little niche’ is on track to “making a million quid in sales figures this year.” 

Conclusion 

Martin’s happy to report that he’s scaled MPC Couriers into a bigger business. And with a bigger business comes bigger opportunities. 

“We’ve got a lot of big companies we work with. I’m growing my business through the website, customers, and referrals. One of my customers advertises on prime time TV. I’ve got a Ministry of Defence contract with Eurosonics. I’ve done a bit of ADR work too. It’s just growing year, in year out.” 

Martin also acknowledges his loyalty to the platform that helped to expose his business to larger networks – and gave him the opportunity to advance his career. 

MPC Couriers’ success is especially encouraging to anyone looking to start fresh in the transport industry. 

And, finally, Martin’s parting words are encouraging to anyone looking to build their business on the Exchange.

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SN Transports set up shop in 2018. Back then, the company’s only employees were managing director Arbaz Saadat and his uncle. The pair joined CX shortly after their business began, initially operating with just one van.  

Four years on, things have changed. SN Transports has grown into a formidable 20 truck-and-van fleet. They now operate on the Haulage Exchange – and are known as one of the biggest transport businesses in Lancashire.  

Just this year, SN Transports have made 219 times their renewal price. Arbaz talks us through his journey since joining.

Approach 

Arbaz first learned about the Exchange through a friend.

After taking a leap of faith, Arbaz partnered with his uncle, taking on deliveries part-time. But after a month or so, Arbaz began to see possibilities in building his courier business on CX – and later HX – full-time. 

He adds, “I knew there would be potential from the beginning. Still, it was hard to build a network at first. I had to take cheap work at the beginning. Honestly, if people think it’s easy, it’s not. You have to build your own business and network.” 

And, after a few months, Arbaz started to make “excellent cashflow” from his business. 

Results

Arbaz started with one van. His goal was to grow into a small fleet of three or four. What he didn’t expect was the massive and rapid success he’s seen since joining the platform four years ago. 

“Now we have twenty vehicles in our fleet, trucks and vans. I didn’t expect to have so many. I didn’t expect to get an office, a yard, and a storage facility either. Nothing like that,” he admits. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve progressed in this industry.” 

When asked about the key to his success, Arbaz credits giving his clients a good service. SN Transports boasts 3669 positive feedback on delivery and 220 positive feedback for on-time payments.  

“We don’t have any neutral or negative feedback. At all,” Arbaz affirms. “We give our clients a good service and it’s that simple.” 

Conclusion 

Arbaz has made a significant name on the Exchange, growing from a man with a van working on the Exchange part-time to “one of the biggest transport companies in Lancashire.” 

While he admits the first few months on CX weren’t easy money, Arbaz also asserts that it was well worth it in the end, touting the Exchange as a “life-changing platform.” 

The Exchange is where Arbaz grew his network and exposed his business to big names. It’s where he learnt how to build his logistics empire.  

Arbaz’s parting words showcase his gratitude.  He thanks God for how far he’s come, how many people he’s able to support with a steady income, and his own courage in taking a leap on the Exchange five years ago.

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Red Rocket Couriers began its journey seven years ago. Back then it was just Lee delivering loads in his trusty van.  

7 years later, Lee’s transformed Red Rocket into a UK-wide courier empire. 

With HX’s support, Red Rocket gained a new purpose – getting drivers loads. Earning accolades along the way, and consistently generating substantial revenue year after year.  

In the past year they’ve made 16 times their initial investment. 

Now the managing director, Lee talks us through his success story – one job at a time. 

Approach

In the early days, Lee started by using his van to find loads and expand his network. “To be honest with you,” he states, “when I first joined, I just needed the money.” 

Then something shifted a few years on. And Lee began to get his friends jobs off the Exchange. 

Lee adds, “I set myself a target. If I could earn £50 from each driver each day, that’s £250 a week. When I got to 4 drivers, that’s when things got rolling. That’s when I started seeing the other side of HX.” 

Results

Lee’s proud to report that Red Rocket ranks among the “top 10 out of 4491 courier companies that offer jobs on the Exchange – and that’s in the past year.” 

This comes as no surprise. Red Rocket has collaborated with big names like the BBC, NHS, ASOS, Boohoo, and more. 

Feedback is another area where Red Rocket excels. They have an impressive 1667 positive comments for delivery feedback and 7653 positive comments for payment feedback. 

“Plus,” he adds, “the app is fantastic. Easy to use and find work. And we get to be one step ahead with the integration tracker. I wouldn’t use any other platform.” 

Conclusion 

Lee’s more than proud of how far he’s come. And we don’t blame him. 

And the opportunities are endless. Red Rocket currently sponsors three kids’ football teams, professional boxers, charity raves and churches.

“All the money we’re able to give back to the community diversifies from the courier work we’ve done,” Lee explains.  “Red Rocket Couriers is my baby. It’s mine. HX has given me complete independence. It’s given me my life. What you put in you get out.”

Much like the man himself, Lee’s business advice for all new couriers and hauliers starting out on the Exchange is to-the-point and exceptionally encouraging. 

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ASA Express delivers goods, across the UK, for B2B customers. In fact, they’ve been delivering goods for 19 years now – so they’re no strangers to the transport industry. 

Seeing a lot of dead miles on their backload journeys, Managing Director, Pele Binning, decided his business would benefit from joining HX in October 2022. HX offered a quick and easy solution to reducing ASA’s dead miles during drivers’ return journeys back home. 

Since being on HX for seven months now, ASA have a revenue thirty-six times their initial investment. 

Approach

ASA joined HX because it was a business requirement: they needed to dilute the cost of overheads and fuel on their return journeys. 

Pele explains, “We’ve always delivered outbound, but we needed inbound traffic for our trucks coming back home empty. [With HX], customers now pay us to bring their product, even though we’re just coming back home.” 

Results

In just over seven months Pele is pleased to report he has reduced company dead miles by completing 296 more haulage return loads on HX.

Since joining, ASA Express have built contacts with new suppliers – and now, just under a quarter of their revenue comes from direct bookings. What started as a business requirement to reduce “dead miles” has generated a significant profit and several new suppliers. 

He also doubles down on the security of HX: “One of the main things we love about the Exchange is how users are all verified. We want to keep our business clean and free of scammers.”

Conclusion 

Pele is pleased with his results. His company’s dead miles are low, his return on investment is high and his team receive continuous help, support, and training on the platform.

“You must apply the man hours. Be on the Exchange every day and put in the work – you’ll see the best results that way,” he adds, as a word of encouragement. 

Ready to see how HX can help reduce your “dead miles”?

Polish company, Virtus Logistics, is a transport company with over 150 drivers that operate all over Europe. After building regular contracts with drivers across the UK – both subcontractors and their own drivers – they decided to join HX in February 2023 to better control and expand their business. 

After only 2 months of operating on HX, Virtus has already generated a revenue of five times their initial investment. UK Account Manager, Robert Lakomski, talks about these past few months. 

Approach

Virtus Logistics already had established business in the UK. However, as Robert quickly realised, Virtus needed to operate on a reputable and protected platform to properly manage the vast quantity of UK drivers and subcontractors they employed. 

In effort to stay on top of bookings, Virtus has also utilised the features HX offers. One way is by integrating a HX-partnered tracking software, to better track drivers and subcontractors while they complete their bookings.

He also doubles down on the security of HX: “One of the main things we love about the Exchange is how users are all verified. We want to keep our business clean and free of scammers.”

Results 

Within just two months on HX, Robert realised he didn’t need other logistics platforms

Now HX is Virtus’s main tool for loading trucks in the UK. “HX has helped grow our business significantly within the UK.” He adds that HX is “better than other UK platforms” because his drivers find regular work, quickly and easily. 

The results speak for themselves. Since joining, Virtus Logistics have collaborated with over twenty logistics partners. And, in the two months they’ve been on the platform, they’ve secured 457% return on investment (ROI)

Conclusion

In the space of a couple of months, Virtus has collaborated with new partners, integrated telematics to optimise their business, and made a hefty profit. Robert’s parting words of encouragement are happy and hopeful for the future:

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Bulldog Trans, a family-owned haulage business, began their business on HX back in February 2022. Their aim? To scale their business quickly and in one place. 

In just over a year, Bulldog has generated a revenue of over twenty-four times their initial investment.

Bulldog’s Managing Director, Sylwia Chudzik details her journey over the last year.

Approach

Sylwia’s goals were simple: to build her business and expand her network with fellow verified industry professionals.

Since joining the Haulage Exchange, she’s achieved exactly that. A thriving business with reliable suppliers, wonderful feedback, and a scaling revenue. 

Results

Now, over a year into joining HX, Bulldog Trans have achieved a fantastic return on investment. More significantly, over a quarter of their revenue comes from direct bookings. 

Sylwia adds that Bulldog have formed significant relationships with five big suppliers and two smaller suppliers, which correlated to the 48 direct bookings they’ve had since joining HX. As of now, Bulldog also boasts 44 positive comments from happy suppliers.

Sylwia also rests easy knowing that every one of her suppliers are safe to work with.

Conclusion 

In just over a year, Bulldog Trans has successfully built a business, made a significant return on investment and formed strong relationships with reliable suppliers. Sylwia looks forward to her business’s future.

Is her advice for all considering joining. 

Ready to see how you can build your business on HX?

After being introduced to Courier Exchange by several business partners, Andy decided to join the Exchange in February 2007 and hasn’t looked back since. The platform has given them access to over 5,400 member companies allowing them to take on more work and reduce dead mileage.

Redhead Couriers was the first member company who volunteered to take part in the trials for the combined advanced vehicle tracking with the Exchange. By integrating their existing Navman Wireless telematics solution with Courier Exchange, the company can provide complete visibility and status of their vehicles to more than 5,400 fellow operators in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

As a result, Redhead Couriers are now able to better promote their available fleet capacity, match their precise vehicle locations to new load opportunities and also offer the ability for trading partners to monitor the progress of loads whilst in transit.

Speaking recently about the telematics integration, Andy commented: “We have been a longstanding member of Courier Exchange, but we were looking at ways of simplifying our internal processes while seeing where we could pick up additional work.”

“The added visibility and control from the vehicle tracking integration allows us to work closely with our partners, streamline our transport planning and boost the profitability of our business. The integration also has the benefit that we can publish our available fleet capacity without having to enter this information into the Courier Exchange website.”

The company originally adopted the Navman Wireless vehicle tracking solution in order to monitor driver behaviour, reduce fuel usage and boost operational performance. One of the main reasons for selecting Navman Wireless was its ability to integrate with the Exchange, providing an effective means of streamlining supply chain processes and optimising fleet performance.

The added visibility and control from the vehicle tracking integration allows us to work closely with our partners, streamline our transport planning and boost the profitability of our business.

Redhead Couriers uses the Courier Exchange from two sites in Colchester and London, with around 10 per cent of loads coming via the freight trading platform. By taking real-time locations of available capacity direct from the tracking software, the company has already experienced an increase in incoming job enquiries, while trading partners are now able to view the exact whereabouts and progress of their loads whilst in transit to provide added peace of mind.

Lyall Cresswell, Managing Director of Transport Exchange Group said: “We are committed to taking a partnership approach with other leading technology providers to fully integrate complementary third-party systems for the benefit of our members such as Redhead Couriers.

By accessing live operational data from vehicle tracking and transport management solutions, users of our freight exchange can take advantage of this operational insight to provide complete visibility of available resources and capacity. The automated data feed also cuts down on the need to manually update the Exchange with this information, saving time and making it easier to operate.”

Established 35 years ago, Falcon Print Transport has gone from strength to strength building an enviable customer portfolio. However, recognising the dangers of being so exposed to just one market, the company’s Managing Director, Ryan Wicks decided to join Haulage Exchange in order to further broaden Falcon’s horizons.

Based in Stratford, East London, Falcon recognised that because much of its business comprised dedicated time critical loads, its fleet of 20 vehicles which range from small vans to 26 tonnes were massively under-utilised with 95% of vehicles driving back empty.

Since joining the Exchange, Falcon has seen business grow massively, opening up a host of new opportunities for the company.

Ryan Wicks cannot speak highly enough of the Exchange and the impact on the business. “It’s been amazing,” he said. “Whilst we still have a thriving business in print, the Exchange has given us a new direction marking a new chapter in Falcon’s history.

Now an established member with a reputation for providing exemplary levels of haulage customer service, Falcon is often approached directly for their delivery services.

Nevertheless, every transaction is managed by the Exchange together with all invoicing which Ryan says is a major advantage. “The fact that the Exchange can manage the administrative function is a big plus. It means our staff are not burdened with the task, but more importantly the Exchange works on a 30 day payment basis which provides us with a steady flow of income which in turn aids cashflow.”

The business flow is not however all one way. Falcon Print Transport also takes advantage of the benefits the Exchange can do for its own work, for example if they needed specialist haulage vehicles for a particular job. Ryan Wicks continued: “It’s a win win for everyone. The fact that we have access to each and every one of the Exchange’s members means that whatever request a customer may have, the likelihood is that we will be able to meet that need fast.

“Additionally the new work we are doing has opened up a lot of local business which was a first for us. That said it has been hugely successful and has produced so much revenue that it equates to a couple of clients put together.”

He concluded: “I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the Exchange. It really has given us a tremendous boost to our business and has provided a strong platform which will enable us to continue to grow and develop.”

Falcon Print Transport has recently taken advantage of an agreement between the Exchange and TomTom Telematics that enables the company to use live data from the WEBFLEET tracking system. By integrating the fleet telematics technology with the freight trading platform, Falcon Print is now able to better promote the availability of 10 vehicles within its owned transport fleet, as well as provide added peace of mind to its trading partners.

Meanwhile, trading partners can also use the live tracking data to view the whereabouts and progress of their loads whilst in transit to provide added visibility and peace of mind.

“We can now quickly and efficiently show where a particular vehicle is to demonstrate we are delivering on our service promise. Sometimes it is important to prove we are doing the job properly and the integration is the simplest way of achieving this.”

Having hung up his boots at the age of 24, Jamie Boyd started the business from scratch with a loan from the Princes Trust. He had nothing but a van, a willingness to work hard and ambition. It paid off and in the first 18 months, Today Team grew substantially during which time he built a sizeable customer portfolio within his local patch, some of which had a European presence.

However, as both his customer base and their requirements grew, Jamie recognised that if he was going to compete on a level playing field and take the business to the next level he would need to have nationwide and contractor coverage.

He entered into discussions with Haulage Exchange. It was not, however, a decision he was going to take lightly. Having built his business, much of which on the basis of personal relationships, his chief objective was to find a facility which shared his commitment to putting customer service first –an ethos which he sees as being at the very core of any successful business.

Haulage Exchange fit the bill perfectly and in December 2006 Today Team became a member, and he hasn’t looked back since.

He commented: “Haulage Exchange has done a great job. It has given us the level of coverage that we needed and some of the haulage contracts we have today wouldn’t have been possible without the Exchange.

“It suits our business. The speed of pick up works well and the level of service replicates that of our own – it is a seamless operation and one in which we have total confidence to provide a level of service commensurate with our own.”

Today Team is still continuing to grow at an exponential rate – a staggering 75% in the past 12 months. They have also moved to new offices and have plans to further expand.

Jamie continued: “Haulage Exchange has been good for our business and gave us a strong foundation on which to build. We have built our business on delivering personal service. No matter what we are asked to do we always try to find a solution and the Exchange helps us deliver that.

“The Exchange feedback system offers total transparency and is immensely valuable. In fact, the Exchange is just like using one of your own drivers.”

Based in Warrington, Cheshire Today Team operates 20 vehicles, has seven full-time staff and a team of self-employed drivers.

As part of a move to better utilise its fleet operation, Today Team has recently integrated its TomTom Telematics’ WEBFLEET system with Haulage Exchange. The initial trial involving two vans and an HGV is already providing value in terms of reduced administration, increased revenue and improved customer service according to Jamie Boyd:

“We have previously used the Exchange to predominantly source capacity, but other members are now seeing the location and status of our vehicles in real-time, so we are now receiving incoming job offers. This is helping Today Team fill available capacity and create a new revenue stream,” explains Jamie.

“We are also reducing admin requirements because not only does the integration automatically update vehicle information, our partners also have live visibility of their loads which cuts down on the number of calls we receive asking for updates.”