It’s just typical of British transport. You wait all day for a new rail freight operator, and then two came along at once – and at least one man briefly had the keys to both in his hands. On Friday, the well-known railway professional Tim Shoveller moved out of the hot seat at Freightliner and not the chairman’s office at Heavy Haul Rail.
He has not looked back since moving into the light of freight operations in 2023 (from the dark world of authorities and passenger operations). Tim Shoveller has glided over the points from the former Freightliner (now under new management) to the brand new entity of Heavy Haul Rail. If anyone expected that to be the prelude to taking a back seat and offering the occasional regal nod from the throne, the redoubtable director has now become the redoubtable chair, and he’s still swinging for rail.
Team have done a great job
“I’ve been privileged to lead Freightliner Group for the last two and a half years,” said Tim Shoveller. “I have loved learning about the commercial realities of freight and logistics in the UK and Europe, but most of all, working with a fantastic team,” he said, in tribute to the colleagues he’s leaving behind at the intermodal side of the business, which has been sold to new owners, the French shipping giants, CGM CMA.
“Just as important,” he said in a personal statement, following up on his letter to all staff, which announced and preceded the split of the Freightliner business. “The team have done a great job improving the core business, including staff facilities at many of our locations,” he said.
Building a cleaner future for freight
Heavy Haul Rail Limited officially launched as a new company in the UK rail freight market on Thursday last week (29 January), following the sale of Freightliner UK’s intermodal logistics business. HHR is now focused solely on the bulk freight market, and has the significant advantage of a strong existing customer base upon which to build. The company currently moves 17 million tonnes of freight a year for the industrial, energy and construction sectors.
“We want to become the UK’s most progressive bulk rail freight partner,” said Dave Penney, now the CEO of Heavy Haul Rail Limited. “Known for bold thinking, outstanding reliability, and a commitment to building a cleaner future for freight, our goal is to support industries, communities and the economy by moving more of the UK’s bulk freight from congested roads to clean, high-capacity rail.”
An entrepreneurial start-up – with benefits
If Dave Penney was expecting his robust statement to be supported by the Chair, he was right. In a public statement made in his own right, Tim Shoveller said that despite the economic advantages that trucks have, especially in the UK, his previous employers have been the fastest-growing major operator. He said that they had increased market share in both the intermodal and construction materials sectors. Shoveller had been behind Freightliner’s bold intentions to grow its intermodal business significantly. It would appear that he has an equally clear ambition for Heavy Haul Rail.
His board of directors certainly have the vision and experience to help make that a reality. “In many ways, we are going back to our roots by reimagining Heavy Haul Rail as an entrepreneurial start-up company focused on innovation and growth,” said Ed Wilson, Commercial Director. “The difference is that we have the advantage of being able to build on our existing foundation of over 25 years of high levels of customer service and reliability.”
Three million miles a year, 95 locomotives, over 1000 wagons and 950 colleagues. “Customer deliveries to over 100 locations across the UK, running 250 trains per week,” added Ed Wilson. Heavy Haul Rail does hit the tracks running, with the throttle wide open. The chairman agrees. “New opportunities all round, a good start to the year,” said Tim Shoveller, to which the company’s official statement added: “We have bold ambitions for growth and look forward to expanding our support to customers and partners across the bulk freight sector.”