It’s a family affair as Hooper Haulage joins the Pallet-Track network

A husband-and-wife team who launched a haulage firm with one van just three years ago are celebrating after their company became the newest shareholder member of the Pallet-Track network.

Skegness-based Hooper Haulage Ltd was set up by Sam and Daniella Hooper, both 30, just months before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Working with a single long-wheelbase van, the couple quickly overcame the additional challenges of establishing a business during the pandemic and have gone from strength to strength.

The firm’s swift growth prompted Pallet-Track member Daily Shipping Services, in Market Rasen, to subcontract work to it through the network, which in turn led to managing director Bob Ross putting it forward to Pallet-Track for full membership.

As a result, Hooper Haulage will cover the PE 20 to 25 postcodes for the Wolverhampton-based network.

Sam said treating all the company staff like a big family was a huge part of its success.

He said:

“I used to work for a company which worked with three other networks and I didn’t like the direction they were going, so I thought about giving it a go on my own. My wife and I made the jump and it has just gone from strength to strength ever since.

We now have 12 vehicles on the road and a staff of 20 on the books. The way we approach it is, if we earn an extra £20, we all have an extra pound. Our staff are not just a bum on a seat for us, they are an important cog in the wheel and we all share in the success.

We treat our drivers as one big family. Everyone is valued, they all have their own vehicles and we don’t use any agency staff.”

Sam said the couple, who live just half a mile from the company’s headquarters on the Burgh Road Trading Estate, wondered if they’d done the right thing when the pandemic hit.

He added:

“I started driving myself while we were getting established and one day a customer asked us if we could work through a network. My first thought was ‘how on earth can we do this?’ but we just got busier and busier.”

The company joined the ranks of the pandemic’s unsung heroes, moving materials around Lincolnshire for free to enable charitably-minded people to make new scrubs for the NHS.

Since the country has started to take steps back towards normality, the firm has grown yet further.

Sam said:

“We’re pushing on to give a good service in this area, as there’s nothing else like us locally. There’s been a lot of hard graft and our staff have pulled it out of the bag. It’s why we’ve gone above and beyond and try to give back as much as we can.”

Caroline Green, Chief Executive of Pallet-Track, said:

“Sam and Daniella have done great things with Hooper Haulage in a very short space of time and the way they go about their business is hugely commendable.

Choosing the right kind of members to join our network and keep our reputation for being service-driven is very important to us. It’s why we have every confidence that Hooper Haulage will be a seamless fit for Pallet-Track.”

Source: UK Haulier - It’s a family affair as Hooper Haulage joins the Pallet-Track network