The distinctive Eddie Stobart brand makes the company one of the most recognisable haulage firms in the world. Every single day, Eddie Stobart drivers cover the equivalent of the distance to the moon and back three times over. The firm employs more than 5,000 people, who work around the clock to make a delivery every 4.6 seconds, as well as running two ports, two airports and countless freight trains. Mo Goulding has been a Stobart trucker for 34 years, and he is a company man through and through. He takes great pride in his reputation for getting deliveries made in time, but his planners have failed to take into account a blockage on the M25 that forces him onto London's notorious North Circular. It looks as if Mo is about to commit the cardinal sin of trucking - failing to deliver his load on time. Over at Eddie Stobart's Widnes port, near Liverpool, 800 containers a day arrive to be offloaded. At the heart of the company's port operations are massive gantry cranes, which are capable of transferring cargo to the trucks in record time. Crane pilot Andy Kujawiak is racing against time, at a height of 60 feet in the air, to strip 30 containers from a freight train onto a fleet of waiting lorries. It is no easy task, and one false move from Andy could lead to devastation. Elsewhere this week, planner Gary Fox demonstrates one of the key pieces of technology that has kept the Eddie Stobart company leagues ahead of the competition. Attention to detail is key to keeping profits high, and as a result GPS tracking devices have been fitted to each truck to monitor each driver's every move. The team of planners back at base is now privy to every break taken by drivers - as well as every instance of bad driving. Tensions rise when Gary spots Mo breaking the rules, and proceeds to offer him some unwanted advice. "Some drivers don't like the GPS," Mo admits. "It's like a spy in every cab - like Big Brother.".
A female driver takes on a delicate load of cream cakes, which she has to deliver in perfect condition to one of Stobart's biggest customers. But after contending with endless roundabouts it is touch and go whether her load will make it in one piece. A driver specialising in returned goods has a nightmare day trying to keep to a hectic schedule, but he is in for a big surprise when he gets a new truck. Elsewhere, the truck company's legion of roadside fans, known affectionately as 'Eddie spotters', are up in arms when a truck joins the fleet with an unusual name. Eddie Stobart lorry cabins have all had female names since the 1970s - has this new truck broken a time-honoured tradition?
One of the drivers finds himself in difficulties as he takes an important delivery to the World Rally Championships in Finland. A leaking fridge put the delivery of fresh produce to a large supermarket in doubt.
The truckers demonstrate the precautions they must take to discourage stowaways.
A lorry driver takes on the company train in a race.
The truckers deliver a load of Formula One racing cars to the continent.
Driver Ashley ends up being stopped in his tracks by a bull. To celebrate the company's 40th Anniversary a charity ball is sponsored at London's Battersea Power Station.
£55million is invested in 750 brand-new trucks. One of the drivers decides to start a healthy eating plan in an effort to loose weight.
Fiona is in charge of a multi-drop trip in her refrigerated lorry and she then has to take some thoroughbred packages to the airport. The rail division pull their weight.
Tim's weight becomes an issue. Aidan's load is a bit tipsy. A test drive is taken by Andy.
The team have to solve an Easter-egg problem. Mark Dixon ends up going on a magical mystery tour. One of the tanker drivers has to cross into the opposition's camp.
Some former members of the armed forces keep the company's wheels turning. The firm helps out following the devastating Workington floods.
Edward Stobart Jr gets the chance to drive a lorry for the first time in readiness for his HGV test.
The company ends up investing in an airline and launches itself in the airport business for the first time.
The famous London Piccadilly lights need moving, a biomass trailer goes missing and it is panic stations when the haulage firm's first-ever trucking festival needs a last-minute change of venue.
20 young hopefuls battle it out to try and win 10 places available on the firm's apprenticeship scheme. Tim Fox is out in his biomass juggernaut to deliver recyclable garden waste in dangerously high winds.
One of the trucks travels to Ireland. Ed and Fiona grow closer in the cab. Elliott has to perform a difficult delivery in Yorkshire.
Biomass driver Tim drives to a recycling plant to pick up a load of recycled sawdust that needs to be taken to a cattle farm. Bad drivers, traffic jams, wrong directions and some tight squeezes end up causing him some anger issues. Paul temporarily gives up his desk job for life on the road as a long distance lorry driver.
Fiona ends up having a trucking nightmare as she finds it hard to gets to grips with making deliveries to Bolton supermarkets in a new trailer she has never used before. Eddie Murphy has to pick up some containers from Felixstowe docks. The Stobart airport team at Southend are called into action after waste accidently spills from a plane onto the runway.
Kevin ends up getting an eyeful on the graveyard shift in Liverpool and comes to the aid a member of the public. The backroom boys at the Stobart garage get a trailer ready for its MOT. Mick iends up at the docks after he takes a wrong turning on the way to pick up some new trailer chassis.
There ends up being a Wales versus England truck-off as drivers Ashley and Mark battle it out to deliver new turf for the pitch at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium first. Two young apprentices are put through their paces as they attempt to get their Class 2 rigid truck license. A 24,000 litre plastic bag of Australian wine to be bottled at a factory in Chester is transported in one of the lorries.
A trucking convoy drives through the Alps on an epic 1200 mile journey delivering Pirelli tyres to an F1 test race in Italy. Biomass maestro Tim Fox battles Mother Nature collecting woodchip from a remote Northumberland moor. 15 brand new liveried rugby league trailers make their maiden voyage for unveiling at Old Trafford Manchester, while twitter sensation Mark Dixon gets more than he bargains for from some very special fans.
This week features a day out at Newmarket races as the firm’s customised silver horse box worth almost half a million pounds delivers a VIP cargo – the bosses’ thoroughbred horses. Fungi fever hits drivers Tim Fox and Jimmy Callaghan on their way to a mushroom farm. Welsh wizard Ashley Maddocks bumps into a trail of adoring fans as he travels to Land’s End, and rookie driver Paul McIntyre feels the heat when he learns a few lessons on his first solo run.
Fiona gets hot under the collar delivering 26 tonnes of ice.
Neil has his hands full driving a 61ft road train.
A mega convoy of 16 brand new Stobart trucks sets off.
Jimmy Callaghan does battle with some troublesome bollards.
Trucker Jimmy Callaghan battles freak snowy weather.
The team waterproof a railway bridge across the M6.
A town in the north of England is due a delivery of reindeer for their annual Christmas parade. The truckers deliver Christmas goods to the people of Britain and also release their very own Christmas single.
A treacherous 500-mile mission sees a 25 tonne load of logs being transported from an icy Scottish forest to the garden of England in Kent. Mark Dixon has huge problems as the job hits the skids. BioMass maestro Tim Fox collects 27 tonnes of salt from the oldest working salt mine in the UK to take to Kent, where it will be spread on the roads to make winter driving safer. At Stobart's Southend Airport, a brand new state-of-the-art plane de-icer has just been added to the elite fleet. It is immediately put to the test to dispel the deadly winter frost, but it is a tricky technical job with a host of hidden dangers. Finally, Welsh wizard Ashley Maddocks finds himself driving out of his homeland and into trucking hell, as he battles the nightmare of London traffic on a multi-drop day.
In Stobart’s very own ‘War of the Roses’ there is a Battle of the Biomass, as Lancashire man Tim Fox takes on Yorkshire’s Craig Garside in a race to deliver a shared load to North Wales. With 200 miles of tarmac standing between the truckers and their destination, who will be the first to deliver his sawdust, and will it be on time? In a classic battle of experience versus youth, with a few dirty tricks thrown in, it remains to be seen whether Tim will outfox the young pretender to his Biomass crown. Meanwhile, Mark Dixon takes on Mother Nature as he attempts to stay ahead of the snow. He is looking for a working farm, but with weather conditions against him and roads marked ‘Unsuitable for HGVs’, will Mark’s trucking know-how get him to his destination safe and sound? Day driver and culture vulture Matt Ekins has been tasked with the special mission of taking a Stobart Truck to an art gallery in Central London, where an exhibition of Stobart truck spotters’ photographs is taking place. However, workaholic Matt has a delivery to make en route and then gets snarled up in London traffic. Faced with the prospect of letting down his fans, the trucker’s fighting spirit comes to the fore. In Cambridgeshire, Welsh wizard Ashley Maddocks has to pray that the heavens are smiling on him as he delivers a state-of-the art trailer-cum-classroom to a secondary school.
In Scotland, new driver to the series Paul Steele puts his brand new truck to the test on one of Britain’s most dangerous roads. Can his new home – with a cab to rival the plushest hotel suite – stand up to snow and ice? He has a load of plants to deliver and hopes that they will survive the trip as temperatures outside plummet. Also braving the freak winter weather up North is tanker driver Mark Ashurst. Facing freezing conditions on a night drive through the Lake District, he must get his load of fuel to the company’s Carlisle depot in order to keep the trucks on the road. Down at Southampton docks, transporter driver Gareth Ayres is facing a somewhat different challenge. He must safely load £1m worth of luxury motors in dwindling daylight, then drive through the rain and dark to reach a safe overnight stop. If his valuable load is not delivered to two car dealerships intact and without a scratch, he could find himself in hot water.
Biomass trucker Craig Garside is undaunted at taking on a 172-mile journey delivering a mucky load of loose peat. For someone as experienced as Craig it should be a piece of cake, but will an unexpected wall of freezing fog around the Pennines stop him in his tracks? Multi-drop maestro Dave Pickerill faces his worst nightmare. He has two days to make ten deliveries on his least favourite route, the outskirts of London. Will he be able to beat the London traffic and complete his marathon? Mild-mannered Andy Thornton prides himself on being on time, every time. For this long-haul trucker, travelling the length and breadth of the country is all in a day’s work. A 278-mile trek from Middlesbrough to Magor in Monmouthshire should be no problem, but a nasty surprise awaits when a motorway accident forces Andy to take a huge cross-country detour.
Faced with the problem of delivering a 24 tonne replica plane for intended use as a fire simulator at their Southend Airport, the company calls in the experts from their Rail Division. Transporting such a huge load presents major difficulties and they need all their experience, resourcefulness and ingenuity to overcome them. Meanwhile, Liverpudlian driver Jimmy Callaghan is on a tough multi-drop mission around Manchester when his massive truck gets stuck in a packed car park, leading to an altercation with a concerned car driver. Elsewhere, trucker Ian O’Neill has two deliveries to make. Ordinarily this would be no problem, but the driving conditions are atrocious. Battling through the treacherous snowy weather, he is determined to complete his quest. For the staff of Stobart’s busy Crick depot in the Midlands, today is the end of an era as the firm are relocating to a brand newsite. Mark Dixon makes an emotional final run out of it, and some lucky members of the firm’s fan club get an access-all areas tour of Crick before the padlock is locked on the depot for the final time.
It is full speed ahead in Stobart’s rail and air divisions as the company’s reach grows ever larger, but trucking remains at the heart of the business and the new car transporter division brings in loads worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. For biomass trucker Craig Garside, collecting clay pellets from a factory in Goole presents an unwelcome mathematical problem. Just as he thinks that his troubles are over, he runs into some nasty fog. Will he manage to get his pellets to the concrete factory on time? In the Midlands, this is a happy day for Matt Ekins, who is turning his back on the classroom and his role as a driver trainer and going back to his spiritual home – the road. The temptation of the tarmac proved too much of a pull and Matt is delighted to be driving out of the new Rugby depot. However, he soon gets a dose of trucking reality when he is caught in a traffic snarl-up, threatening to derail his first delivery.
Stobart veteran Jimmy Callaghan, is on thin ice as he battles freezing winter conditions on a triple drop in the Lake District. Leaving his beloved Liverpool behind, the former soldier heads up country across frozen hills and melting ice with a truck full of roll cages. Will he make his drops and return to the golden glow of a hometown pint in one piece?
Tim Fox embarks on an epic biomass delivery, starting in Cumbria, going on to Northumberland and ending at a power station in Scotland. A mechanical fault develops on the walking-floor trailer, however, which threatens to bring the whole delivery to a halt. On the hunt for new trucks, Head of Fleet David Cox flies out to the Volvo factory in Sweden to size up the next generation of tractor units. Claims that these new models can cut emissions by up to 80% are an appealing proposition and David hopes to be able to increase the fuel efficiency of the fleet. Elsewhere, Matt Ekins has only been back on the road for a week, when he is handed a Friday run around London. Will it be green lit all the way, or will Matt be in for a day of capital punishment? Eddie Stobart’s distinctive green-and-red vans can be seen all over Britain, and Craig Chambers and his wash team are proud to send them out each day looking spick and span. Keeping the trucks pristine is no easy feat, but Craig can call upon the best-kept secret in the war against grime. Step forward Sammy the Shammy!
In this opening episode, Ashley Maddocks and Craig Garside head north to appear at Truck Fest Scotland. On the way, Ashley has a drop-off in Livingston, but en route he gets word of a traffic jam that could delay his arrival at the festival. Unfortunately for Craig, he fails to hear the traffic report and ends up right in the middle of it. At Truck Fest Scotland, the Stobart boys are the hit of the festival with crowds of people waiting to meet them. Then Craig and Mick face their driving rivals in the ultimate trucking test as they go head-to-head with the Ice Road Truckers in a truck-off! Whowill be crowned King of the Road?
This week, there are major jobs in store for Stobart’s rail team. Ian ‘Spit’ Wilson has to deliver a 15-tonne rail repair machine, known as the Gopher, to Sunderland. He battles through traffic and heavy rain, but then has to get the monster machine on to the rails. Along the way, we learn where his unusual nickname comes from. Trainee Dan Metcalfe has his first ever shift in charge of the Gopher, carrying out overnight repairs to the line just south of Sunderland. But almost as soon as he gets started, things begin to go wrong. Will the team be able to get the job done before the trains start running again? Trucking favourite Matt Ekins makes a return to his spiritual home. He goes on a tour of the East Midlands on a multi-drop mission, but it seems that around every corner is another massive queue .Will he manage to make all his deliveries on time? Fitter Chris Lacey has a real challenge on his hands when he ‘wraps’ a brand new model in the Stobart branded livery for the first time. As the truck is a new and unfamiliar shape, Chris must work out the new wrap design, getting each of the sections in exactly the right place. As anyone who has ever put up wallpaper knows, it is not an easy job. Mark Dixon and his leading lady, faithful truck Phoebe Grace, come to the end of the road together. It has been a three-year romance, but it is now time for her to retire gracefully. There is a surprise in store for Mark, however, when he is introduced to his new truck and sees her name!
Biomass is big business for Stobart, with the company now shifting over 750,000 tonnes a year. In his last job before the weekend, biomass tramper (a driver on a long trip who sleeps in his cab) Tim Fox is loaded with woodchip on a run to a paper mill in Shotton. Before Tim can drop his load of green fuel he has to make a stop at a biomass processing site in Widnes, where a giant sorting machine screens his haul as part of quality control. Trucker Roy Marshall is working on a bank holiday, heading to the West Country with a load of timber on a time-pressured multi-drop. There is no room for delays but, as he begins his morning safety checks, he notices a big problem – a large tear in his tyre. With an illegal tyre, there is no way that Roy can hit the road. He has no choice but to watch time tick by as he waits for a fitter. As Southend Airport continues to expand, Roy Hill is supervising the installation of a made-to-measure concrete staircase, which will be the centrepiece of the new terminal. The staircase has to be erected overnight and the job must be finished before the first passengers arrive the following morning. After a large crane is wheeled in to get the stairs in place, a problem arises when the concrete sections are found to be too heavy for even this 8-tonne monster to lift! Car transporter driver Paul Goodenough is loaded with nine cars fresh from the manufacturer. He hits the road bound for two dealerships in Cheshire. Unloading cars is a difficult task, and to make things worse Paul cannot park his mammoth transporter in the first dealership. He has to unload his pricey cargo on a busy side street. His day gets no easier when he realises that his 16-foot trailer is too tall for a low bridge! Back at Southend Airport, employee and self-confessed plane enthusiast Eliott Mason readies himself as a brand new aircraft arrives at the airport. Eliott can hardly contain his excitement as he prepares the passengers to board the state-of-the-art Aer Li
This time, car transporter tramper (a slang term for a driver who sleeps in his cab) Gareth Ayres embarks on a mammoth 500-milemulti-drop trip across Scotland carrying a precious load of luxury 4x4s. Hit by delays on the notorious A9, Gareth is up against the clock to make his deliveries on time. Stobart CEO Andrew Tinkler’s son Adam joins the trucking team. Having completed his training, he takes the wheel of a fully-loaded 44-tonne log wagon. Mentored by veteran Peter Grant, Adam must learn fast as he negotiates a ten-mile mud track with steep drops on either side in a remote forest. Ashley Maddocks has a new truck, but is having problems delivering a load of fizzy drinks to Livingston in Scotland. On the unpredictable A66 trunk road, he meets every trucker’s nemesis – fog. As Southend Airport continues to expand, the company has invested in some brand new kit. The two newest vehicles on the fleet, called Aqua and Loo Loo, cater for the water and waste requirements of the growing airport. PR consultant Tracy and marketing co-ordinator Rebecca wants to get these two new models on therunway for a press photo shoot.
Biomass trucker and self-confessed foodie Tim is on day three of a strict diet as he embarks on a journey across Scotland. With a fondness for haggis and all things fried, Tim will require an iron resolve to resist temptation. The trip proves eventful as a road closure results in a detour and a delivery to an unusual power station offers a rare chance to go behind the scenes. Southend Airport is experiencing its busiest month of the year as the British public take to the skies during the peak holiday season. Cameras join fire fighter Darren on a routine patrol of the airfield and discover his cunning scare tactics during a chance encounter with some stubborn wildlife. Tanker-driving teacher Mark escapes the classroom to make a delivery in Carlisle. Meanwhile in Lockerbie, new recruit and boss’s son Adam is getting to grips with his new three-tonne crane. His truck, Sienna Belle, is Stobart’s second fully operational log wagon and in a bid to prove that he has got what it takes to cut it on the timber trail, Adam sets himself an ambitious target.
Mark anticipates a manic Monday as he sets off to Swindon to deliver a full load of soft drinks. He manages to dodge the traffic, but at the end of the day he winds up with only half an hour left to tip, reload and park before his driving hours run out. At the massive Daventry warehouse, Jon is in charge of getting 36 containers of goods onto a train bound for Scotland. Ian drives the reach stacker, lifting each container onto the train in a race against the clock. If they fail to make their deadline, they face fines from Network Rail, especially if they hold up passenger trains. Elsewhere, preparations for the annual Stobart Fest are underway. Thirty vehicles need to be transported to Carlisle to be scrubbed clean and put on display. The weather is doing no one any favours and Mark struggles to find a trailer at the Carlisle depot. Meanwhile, Mick is ready to show off his new mean machine – the Mercedes Zetros. In Inverness in Scotland, a trainload of freight has arrived and Andy is waiting for his trailer to be loaded with stock, which is due at a supermarket down the road. He is very close to home, but has a long wait to go off duty as his trailer is last on the list for loading. Stobart Fest turns out to be the largest and most successful of the company’s festivals to date. This year’s event features live displays of the log wagon, the biomass truck and the car transporter as well as machines from the rail division and even a plane! Raffle tickets are selling like hot cakes as the first prize is the opportunity to name a truck.
Tim Fox arrives at Penrith fire station just as the alarm bells start ringing, while the rail team call upon the services of a mega machine to make safe a dangerously subsiding slope beside a track.
In the first episode of this celebration of the work of the haulage firm, Welsh wizard Ashley Maddocks has the day from hell when a runaway bull plays havoc with his delivery. Elsewhere, an enormous convoy of 16 trucks sets off on a 1,200-mile road trip delivering a two million pound Mercedes motor home to the Spanish Grand Prix. Do they have time to pull off a photo shoot at the famous Millau Bridge in France on the way? Finally, driver trainer Lee Dowling has a terrible time on the streets of London when he tries to move a legendary landmark – a section of the famous Piccadilly lights.
Eddie Stobart seasonal special. As blizzards hit the UK, the trucks need to keep rolling to get Christmas trees to garden centres, turkeys onto dinner tables and sacks of presents under the trees.
Festive edition of the documentary series, in which the company's truckers face one of their busiest times of the year. Battling harsh winter conditions, they set out to ensure shops around the country receive their supply of Christmas trees, salt is delivered to councils and supermarket shelves are stocked with plenty of products.
A seasonal helping of the observational documentary about the iconic Eddie Stobart trucking company, reliving the 12 best Christmas moments from the trucking calendar.
