feel sorry for the drivers who have lost their jobs 
can’t see half of the page due to the poxy Scrapia advert 
shuttlespanker:
can’t see half of the page due to the poxy Scrapia advert
I totally agree. Sympathies to the drivers - one of whom I saw going west on the M4 yesterday.
Didn’t read the whole thing but didn’t he go bust a while back or pre-pack or some such. Once there’s a hole in the ship it usually sinks eventually even after chucking tar at it.
Nothing will change unless the price of diesel is reduced and the mileage rates improves, and all them posting in the drivers rates topic are ■■■■■■■ in the wind, unless those 2 problems are sorted.
But it will never happen because its gone on far to long, and nobody wants to do anything about it.
Too many trucks chasing too little work, simples.
Bill Chippington Haulage has been placed into administration and ceased trading as of today (14 June).
Peter Wastell and Michael Young, partners at FRP Advisory, were appointed as administrators of the firm, which has traded from its St Albans premises since 1976, as well as from a site in Corby.
Wastell said: “The economic climate for UK haulage companies has been, and continues to be tough and Bill Chippington Haulage had been struggling with its financial position for a prolonged period.
“Refinancing options were explored, as was the viability of selling the business as a going concern,
but, regrettably, the business has ultimately had to shut down with the loss of 53 jobs across the
company’s two trading sites.
“FRP Advisory is now taking steps to dispose of the company’s assets, including its fleet of vehicles, in order to maximise the return for the company’s creditors.”
A small number of staff will be retained at the haulier in the short term to assist this process.
The company held an O-licence authorising 52 vehicles and 49 trailers at three locations (Corby, St Albans and Wolverhampton).
Public inquiry
In January the operator had its licence curtailed by four vehicles at a public inquiry (PI) with immediate effect, for a period of one month.
At the conclusion of the same inquiry, the company’s licence in the West Midlands was issued with a formal warning. The PI came after a Vosa investigation identified historic concerns in relation to maintenance standards.
Pall-Ex
In April last year Bill Chippington moved from Palletline to Pall-Ex to take on work across Hertfordshire, plugging the gap left by Miniclipper, which moved the other way.
AdTech Ad
Adrian Russell, MD of Pall-Ex, said: “Prior to this announcement, the team at Pall-Ex was already in the process of restructuring this postcode area and undertaking member recruitment.
“The postcode in question is currently being covered by existing members DA Clayton, 1st Class Transport, Matthews Haulage, Woodrush Express Freight and Premier Palletised until our recruitment is complete and we are able to announce a new member.”
-The news comes a week to the day after Cornwall haulier South West Delivery Services, a Palletways member, was placed into liquidation with its business bought by Kay Transport.
Ah ■■■■, I didn’t know South West Delivery Services has also gone pop.
Silver Surfer, you make two points - Chippie did indeed shed some “dead wood” both staff and vehicle-wise in March but to no avail. Your point about too many trucks chasing work hits the nail on the head though. As I’ve posted elsewhere, almost everyone is chasing the same work, rates are cut to the bone, especially backloads or subbed loads, the cost of diesel, parts and tyres is nigh on prohibitive and - well, I could go on all night. What I would say in Chippie’s defence is that although there were some problems with VOSA a while back, maintenance had improved beyond all recognition and I believe we had gained “green light” status from VOSA.
It’s understood that Bill and his wife Joan had been paying the wages out of their own pockets in recent weeks (for which great credit is due), having also bailed the company out earlier in the year, and obviously that could not continue.
Interesting that “a small number of staff” are to be retained for a while - evidently I’m not one of them!
I promise you though - this is the tip of the iceberg. The very nature of the industry means that dozens, if not hundreds, of companies of a similar size to Chippington’s are surviving on huge overdrafts or are simply waiting for the hammer to fall.
We live in troubled times…
W
vinegar joe:
Silver Surfer, you make two points - Chippie did indeed shed some “dead wood” both staff and vehicle-wise in March but to no avail. Your point about too many trucks chasing work hits the nail on the head though. As I’ve posted elsewhere, almost everyone is chasing the same work, rates are cut to the bone, especially backloads or subbed loads, the cost of diesel, parts and tyres is nigh on prohibitive and - well, I could go on all night. What I would say in Chippie’s defence is that although there were some problems with VOSA a while back, maintenance had improved beyond all recognition and I believe we had gained “green light” status from VOSA.It’s understood that Bill and his wife Joan had been paying the wages out of their own pockets in recent weeks (for which great credit is due), having also bailed the company out earlier in the year, and obviously that could not continue.
Interesting that “a small number of staff” are to be retained for a while - evidently I’m not one of them!I promise you though - this is the tip of the iceberg. The very nature of the industry means that dozens, if not hundreds, of companies of a similar size to Chippington’s are surviving on huge overdrafts or are simply waiting for the hammer to fall.
We live in troubled times…
W
Indeed, troubled times. A lot of smaller companies survive due to a high standard of work and by catering for niche markets. This is getting harder to do though, with the bigger companies muscling in on the act, just as small shops have been affected by the likes of the big supermarkets etc.
It’s high time the fuel prices were moved to where they should be instead of being used as a tax raiser for successive poor/failed governments.
Alas, I can’t see it happening though.
lightning:
shuttlespanker:
can’t see half of the page due to the poxy Scrapia advertI totally agree. Sympathies to the drivers - one of whom I saw going west on the M4 yesterday.
I think the whole lot has gone West
Very sorry for everybody affected by any business closing, it’s a horrible feeling.
However, the problem lies within this very thread. The price of fuel is of no consequence. If fuel dropped so would rates.
That is the problem. The reason people are having rates dictated to them instead of them giving customers a price is the perennial problem of over-capacity.
There will be a short flurry of activity whilst local firms scramble to take over the defunct firm’s work. Some of it will be profitable for a while, until someone nearby decides that transport sounds like a good earner and decides they can do it cheaper.
And so the cycle continues.
Scanner:
Very sorry for everybody affected by any business closing, it’s a horrible feeling.However, the problem lies within this very thread. The price of fuel is of no consequence. If fuel dropped so would rates.
That is the problem. The reason people are having rates dictated to them instead of them giving customers a price is the perennial problem of over-capacity.
There will be a short flurry of activity whilst local firms scramble to take over the defunct firm’s work. Some of it will be profitable for a while, until someone nearby decides that transport sounds like a good earner and decides they can do it cheaper.
And so the cycle continues.
Sadly that is true.
I think the problem mainly lies with large companies offering to do the work for a projected 1% profit margin on certain jobs, simply to grow turnover, its just plain old greed. There is simply no margin for error.
So when eventually & predictably error creeps in, it’s fubar time.
Like as has been said fuel shouldn’t have anything to do with it, if you haven’t built a fuel escalator in to the contracts you’re quoting for, you shouldn’t be quoting for them.
There is still massive over capacity in the industry & will be for many years to come, this may never change.
Unfortunately building in a fuel escalator isn’t always possible as the majority of customers want the cheapest possible option which leaves no room for movment this applies tibthe whole sector from man and van operators through to large fleets, and on to SE drivers customers name the price they want and you either accept it or walk away. Its wrong but that’s how it is these days
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Its a vicious circle,
Drop the fuel and the rates will drop with it, someone is always looking to undercut to get the work.
Raise the rates and the cost gets passed on all the way to the checkout, where it again hits us, the poor sod that has to pay for the goods at the end of the line.
As time has moved on there is no local firms as such, 4 or 5 firms having the work from a single town is long gone, now its huge ‘logistics’ firms and partnerships, palletline/link etc pushing the cost down.
As long as me or you have a hole in our arse things will never change for the good, fuel will continue to go up (The government needs a subsidy somehow) and the rates will drop because the public are still watching what they spend.
I’d like a to add my thoughts are wiv all affected by this and hope they regain employment
The rates need to go up end off
I’ve posted in o/ds forum there shud be a bare min of 2.00 a mile for all miles traveled
These lunatics runnin round out the docks wiv tin boxes on there traitors for 1 30 odd a mile must be wasting there time but all the time people are happy to do it nuthin will change
monarch of the highway:
I’d like a to add my thoughts are wiv all affected by this and hope they regain employment
The rates need to go up end off
I’ve posted in o/ds forum there shud be a bare min of 2.00 a mile for all miles traveled
These lunatics runnin round out the docks wiv tin boxes on there traitors for 1 30 odd a mile must be wasting there time but all the time people are happy to do it nuthin will change
Trouble is everything on the shelves will also increase in price to match. Can’t win.
Is this the same Bill Chippington that run Blue and White Merck delivering ink to newspaper printworks? If so seen two this week pumping out at daily mirror in Watford!
mucker85:
Ah [zb], I didn’t know South West Delivery Services has also gone pop.