Category: Road

Road freight market sees failure and consolidation

The UK road freight market is facing severe pressures from rising operational expenses and ongoing labour shortages, with Q3 rates surging 10% year-on-year, reflecting widespread cost increases. This tough economic climate has led to the failure of nearly half of all haulage companies launched... Read more

Enhanced groupage services to France and Germany

In our continued efforts to provide exceptional trans-European logistics solutions, we have recently upgraded our groupage services to France and Germany, offering greater speed and efficiency, alongside competitive rates and our top-tier customer care. Our French groupage services continue to... Read more

European market review and group developments

The European freight market continues to face a complex landscape, characterised by fluctuating demand and evolving capacity challenges. In this review, we examine the current state of the road freight market and highlight recent group developments, including the acquisition of a Portuguese inter... Read more

Rising lorry thefts prompt calls for government action

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged the government to establish a specific offence for freight crime and to develop more secure truck stops. This call comes in response to organised crime gangs (OCGs) increasingly targeting cargo, with over £1 million worth of goods stolen in a single i... Read more

South Korea factory fire underline danger of lithium batteries

In June, a catastrophic factory fire erupted after several lithium batteries exploded, killing 22 people in South Korea. As a leading producer of lithium batteries, South Korea’s Aricell factory housed an estimated 35,000 battery cells, used in products ranging from electric vehicles to laptops... Read more

Europe may experience its own near-shoring boom

As planes descend into Monterrey airport, an expanse of warehouses and manufacturing complexes stretches out for miles, exemplifying the near-shoring boom that has swept through Mexico in recent years, as Asian companies and their supply chains move closer to the United States. Drivers of Mexi... Read more

Metro road freight division continues expansion

Metro’s mission to develop infrastructure, systems and services to drive the effectiveness and cost efficiency of our European transport solutions is gathering pace. Just three months ago, our European Road Director, Richard Gibbs, said, “Metro has expanded its European road freight platfo... Read more

Importers concerned at cost of Brexit trade checks

Delayed five times by the UK government, post-Brexit physical border checks of animal products, plants and plant products through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel were finally implemented on the 30th April 2024. However, importers of affected products express concern about additional costs. Th... Read more

Metro continues French expansion

Expanding Metro’s road freight coverage and service offerings in France adds further capability to the company's strong network and enhances closeness with customers in the region. For retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributers and all types of shipper, our French import and export ... Read more

Driving road freight excellence

Into his second year Metro’s European Director, Richard Gibbs, updates us on his mission to develop the infrastructure, systems and services that will provide the best European transport solutions, for effectiveness and cost efficiency.  “Metro has expanded its European road freight platfor... Read more

Supply chain; a year in review

2023 was supposed to be the year that global supply chains bounced back from pandemic lockdowns and factory shutdowns, trade wars, tariffs and war in Europe, but now container shipping is disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea and restrictions on the Panama Canal. The COVID pandemic and its after... Read more

HMRC export deadline and rogue hauliers

With the deadline fast approaching for export declarations moving to the Customs Declaration Service HMRC are highlighting a worrying trend at the border, with misuse of valid documents leaving innocent exporters potentially non-compliant and exposed to penalties.  In their latest Customs... Read more