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LOADUP PROVIDES 'ICING ON THE CAKE' FOR HAULIERS SAYS SIR ALAN SUGAR
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An Internet Company based in Bolton, Greater Manchester is helping to make our roads less congested. The website - www.loadup.co.uk is a freight exchange service which gives hauliers and couriers the ability to find a return load from anywhere in the UK and Europe, which needs to be delivered close to the haulier's base of operation. In a Daily Mirror article,
Sir Alan Sugar compliments Loadup in his 'Spoonful of Sugar' column, which
reviews, analyses and advises entrepreneurial start-up businesses, "Your
website, loadup.co.uk, offers a great service to the freight transport
industry, providing the icing on the cake for hauliers" ie.. backloads. In light of recent fuel price increases, any haulier who procures a return load for a given round trip is effectively paying only 55%-65% for his diesel (depending on the weight of the return load) when compared to the total cost of returning back empty. From a slightly different perspective, assuming the extra profit for delivering a return load is above the total round trip fuel cost, it can be said that the fuel becomes either free or a non-consideration. Although there is nothing new in the concept of online freight exchanges, Loadup has become the busiest, due to it's simplicity, speed, ease of use and value for money. The initial philosophy, still adhered to, is that keeping things simple and quick to use, is paramount when presenting a service using technology such as the Internet. The operation is run by Steve
Jones, an ex-haulier and transport manager with many years experience
in the transport industry and David Kay, an electronics engineer and computer
programmer. It is important to note that although the service is subscription-based for hauliers and couriers needing backloads, it is entirely free of charge, for any business or private individual, to place their 'goods to move' on the system. Recent statistics show that around 30% of all goods vehicle journeys on our roads are empty return trips because they have been unable to procure a backload. The potential for reduction in HGV journeys and therefore traffic on our roads and motorways is huge. A conservative estimate of Loadup's annual contribution to reduction in road usage by goods vehicles: 5 million vehicle road miles per year. 5,000,000 hgv.miles/annum. This also equates to approximately 23,400 vehicle journeys removed from our roads per year What our users say (Testimonials)
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