Turnover up 27% as demand for motorhome transport and workshop repairs continues to drive business forward.

It’s been a busy start to the year for D Pickering Ltd, which has also invested in two new trucks, as business goes from strength to strength.

Darrin Pickering says the demand for motorhomes shows no signs of abating, which in turn means more business for D Pickering Ltd, who provide motorhome transport you can trust.

Darrin says: “We are very busy at the moment and the business is going from strength to strength, especially with the continuous demand for motorhome transport.

“Business in this area has just taken off and it’s really busy.

“As far as motorhomes are concerned, we work for The Hymer Group, one of the leading manufacturers of motorhomes, and their factories are currently at capacity for the next two years, building all the motorhomes they have sold.

“Naturally, once the motorhomes are made, they need transporting to their new owners – and that’s where we come in.”

D Pickering has been able to capitalise on this success too and has purchased two new top of the range Scania S540 trucks.

“We have chosen the Scania trucks because of the fuel economy,” Darrin says.

“The other ones we have bought have always been second hand, but we have gone for a new truck this time around, as we’ve been able to get a good deal with them – including a three-year service plan.

“Our drivers love the Scania product – they love the interior – it’s like a second home for them.”

The new trucks represent an investment of around £500,000 for D Pickering Ltd, demonstrating an immense amount of confidence in the year ahead for their business.

“In the past year, we had just invested in replacement trucks – but these are additions to our fleet,” Darrin says.

“We also invested in the new trailer that can carry three motorhomes rather than two on the back – and we’ve just ordered three more of them.

“That represents the strong position we are in with regards to the motorhomes side of the business.”

That being said, Darrin adds that all elements of the business are doing well, including the workshop repairs side, which is ably run by his son Adam.

The repairs and maintenance side of D Pickering offers specialist cart transporter maintenance and D Pickering’s mechanics are hand-picked to provide the very best services using all the latest diagnostic equipment and HGV maintenance technologies.

Darrin also credits transport manager Scott McDonald with the success of the business, as he is involved with the day to day running of the trucks.

“All elements of the business are really busy, which we are of course, delighted to see,” says Darrin.

“Turnover has increased by about 27% year on year and we’ve employed two more drivers to cope with the demand for our services.

“We’ve also got an additional member of staff in the garage and we are continuously moving forward.”

In March, D Pickering Ltd will be five years old – although the experience of all its staff goes back to 1992, when the company first operated as Beamish Transport.

“We are sure to be celebrating five years in business as D Pickering Ltd in March,” says Darrin.

The team certainly have plenty to celebrate!

Know you’re in safe hands when it comes to your vehicle transport needs.

At D Pickering Ltd, we’re committed to keeping all of our drivers as safe as can be – as well as ensuring our vehicle transport service is second to none when delivering your motorhome or van in immaculate condition.

When we transport a vehicle, we often don’t get into the premises and we are delivering at the side of a road – and this is when our drivers become very vulnerable to oncoming traffic.

That’s why we’re one of the first vehicle transport companies to install air bars to the sides of our vehicles.

The air bars are made of fluorescent material filled with air and they come out to encourage drivers who see them to give the trucks a wide berth.

If they do hit them, they are just air-filled material so they don’t do any damage, but what it does is stop our drivers who may be working at the side of a truck being hit.

It makes people aware that the driver is working there.

“When cars see the air bar they immediately pass the truck more widely,” says Darrin Pickering.

“Our drivers are key to the business and we want to keep them safe – it’s become an essential safety feature.”

The air bar was developed by Simon Scaife, who also trains Darrin’s drivers through his company VTT.

Simon and his wife Sarah own the company Nuvech Solution Ltd, inventors of the air bar.

Simon came up with the idea as a former car transporter driver himself, who had been hit by a car’s wing mirror while working at the side of a truck during a training exercise.

Sarah says: “He was a car transporter driver for 20 years and moved up through the company before we set up our own company in driver training.

“One of the biggest hazards we found was with vehicles passing drivers at the side of the road – on one particular occasion, Simon was training someone and he got hit by a passing vehicle’s wing mirror.

“He came home and said ‘we need to do something about this’ and that was the beginning of the invention of air bars.”

It took about three years of painstaking research and development to get the product that you now see today, but Simon and Sarah knew it was going to be a worthwhile endeavour.

D Pickering Ltd became one of the first vehicle transporters to install the air bars on its vehicles and expects the full fleet to be fitted with them in the next two months.

Darrin said: “We’re delighted to be one of the first fleet of trucks to carry the air bar, showing that we put the safety of our vehicle transport fleet drivers first.

“With these air bars, as soon as another vehicle comes alongside a truck, they give one to two metres of space, which makes all the difference to the safety of our drivers.

“When you see it in action it’s amazing and Simon has very deservedly won an award for the product.”

For more information, contact D Pickering Ltd on 0191 387 4555.

Business at D Pickering Ltd is going from strength to strength, as the demand for motorhomes and camper vans across the UK continues to increase, according to Darrin Pickering.

The motorhome vehicle transport firm has been going for five years now, and Darrin says this is the busiest year yet.

He is also continuing to invest in trucks, trailers and safety features, as driver safety on the roads is paramount for D Pickering Ltd – as well as ensuring the vans and campervans they deliver are in immaculate condition upon reaching their destination.

Darrin believes campervans and vans that are going to be converted into motor homes remain popular following the coronavirus pandemic – and the Great British staycation is here to stay.

This has contributed significantly to an uplift in business for the firm in the past two years.

“We are very busy with transporting motorhomes and the whole business around vehicle transportation has been busy,” Darrin says.

“We are extremely busy and continue to be a number one choice in the North East for vehicle transport, as well as for truck maintenance at our garage service.

“The last six months has been particularly busy and there is a big demand for van transport at the present time – many of which are getting turned into motor homes and camper vans.”

Darrin adds that there is also a waiting list for some campervans, caravans and motor homes after Covid.

One of our biggest customers has a waiting list of two years for its motor homes.

“They are flat out for two years,” Darrin says of the quality motorhomes builder.

“I think this demand has definitely come about due to covid, when people started staying at home and going on holiday in the UK.

“In my opinion, people are not going abroad as much and a lot of people have become fond of taking holidays in this country instead.

“The staycation continues to rise.”

Darrin also believes people taking early retirement are ploughing the decent payments they receive from their pension into investing in a motorhome, as they get used to a slower pace of life and enjoying more time to travel around the country.

This has meant demand for D Pickering Limited’s vehicle transportation service has also gone up.

“Turnover has increased significantly in the last two years compared to previous years,” Darrin says.

“Our popularity comes from the fact we offer a very specialised vehicle transportation service.

“To carry motorhomes, you require special trailers – it’s not just a normal trailer like a car transporter that you need.

“There are not many businesses like ours that have that specialised equipment that ensures motor homes and bigger vehicles can be transported safely, with the vehicle arriving in mint condition with minimum impact on other road users.”

Such is the growth in demand for this seamless vehicle transportation service, the firm has invested in three more specialised trailers, which can carry three vans rather than just two, making the firm more efficient and more eco-friendly.

The new trailers are due to arrive in May 2024, to add to that which was purchased recently.

“We are going through the process of replacing ageing trailers with the ones that carry three vans rather than just two to enhance the vehicle transportation service we provide, as well as making us more efficient and more environmentally friendly,” Darrin says.

The firm has also just taken delivery of a new Scania truck and has also invested about £14,000 in air bars, which will keep its own drivers and other road users safe.

“The safety of our drivers and other road users is paramount to us at D Pickering Limited,” Darrin says.

Another reason to choose D Pickering Limited for all your vehicle transport needs.

D Pickering Ltd has invested more than £200,000 in three new specially designed trailers, which carry three motor homes instead of just two.

The investment is enabling the company to increase efficiency as well as reducing its carbon footprint, by taking some trailers off the roads.

The firm already has two of its newly acquired trailers on the road, with a third expected to arrive in March.

The range of companies D Pickering transport motor homes to are already really benefiting, including Brownhills Motor homes and Marquis Motor Homes.

Adam Pickering, son of the firm’s owner Darrin, had a hand in the design and travelled to Turkey, where the trucks were specially adapted for D Pickering, in order to get the trailers modified to the correct specification.

Darrin is extremely proud that the firm is not only growing, but is family run and owned, with two generations now working within the company.

Each trailer represents an investment of £60,000 plus VAT by D Pickering – but will create greater efficiencies and reduce the firm’s environmental impact in the long term.

“Our standard trailers for motorhomes only carried two, so by investing in our specially designed trailers for motorhome transport, we are becoming more efficient and it’s lowering our carbon footprint,” Darrin said.

“O B Trucks of Europe have adapted the Aksoylu Van Carrier to our design, so these are one off trailers made especially for us in Turkey.

“My son, Adam, adapted the design to suit our needs, turning them from a six-car trailer into a carrier for three motorhomes.

“Adam went out to Turkey and explained what he needed moving where, so that we can safely transport three motor homes to a range of clients, and this is now working really well for us.”

Darrin explains the redesign involved changing all the decks on the trailers so they carried motor homes instead of six cars.

“There are not many van carriers out there that can do this, so we have got something which is quite unique,” he said.

Darrin also praised O B Trucks, saying they had been “very good”.

“They have facilitated it all and had the trucks dropped off in Newcastle docks for us from Turkey and we are really happy with the service they have provided,” he said.

D Pickering was set up five years ago, and the firm has been investing heavily in new equipment and trailers over the last two to three years – such is the demand for its high-quality service.

“Business is going from strength to strength,” says Darrin, who adds that both the garage side of the business and the transport side are performing well.

“We are now able to help big importers of motor homes with their transport needs, as well as providing a HGV repair service that is second to none when it comes to the other side of the business.”

As well as motor home and caravan transport, D Pickering Ltd also provides transport services for other large vehicles, as well as car transporter repairs, maintenance and servicing, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation (LOLER) Annual Inspections, breakdown and call out services.

Contact D Pickering Ltd now to find out how the firm can meet your vehicle transportation and repair needs.

When it comes to ensuring your holiday home or vehicle is delivered safely and on time, you can count on our drivers.

That’s because they are trained to the highest standards by our partner Vehicle Transporter Training (VTT).

We have been working with VTT for six years, providing driver training, including annual refresher courses for all our highly skilled drivers.

In a recent testimonial, Simon Scaife, the director of VTT acknowledged that our commitment to managing legal compliance and the safety of those operating for and around the business is clear for all to see.

This has enabled VTT to deliver outstanding results for the business.

“We continue to have a close working relationship with D.Pickering Ltd as their will to operate to the highest standards is aligned with VTT’s visions and values,” added Simon.

We want to ensure all our drivers and other road users are safe in the course of carrying out our business, so we will continue to work with VTT on a long-term basis.

Most recently, VTT have been on site training 21-year-old new recruit at D. Pickering, Dylan Dunston-Short.

It is the first time we have taken on a 21-year-old and he has been put on an intensive training course with one of our more experienced drivers, in addition to the full training course with VTT.

Every three years, drivers renew their qualification through VTT, as well as having their annual refresher course.

All our new drivers also spend three weeks with one of our more experienced drivers, before they venture out on their own.

From a legal perspective, we don’t have to do that, but it’s something we have always believed in and carried out due to our commitments to the health and safety of our employees and excellence in providing a first-class delivery service.

We are committed to ensuring all of our drivers can perform to an exemplary standard at all times and ensuring your vehicle or holiday home reaches you in mint condition.

As a result, we also see the benefit when it comes to renewing our insurance each year, as D.Pickering Ltd is viewed by insurers as a safe organisation.

But even without the benefits when it comes to our insurance premiums, we believe the driver training we provide is a great thing, as it puts us on a good footing with the very best in the industry, as we can be sure every one of our drivers is trained to the highest standards.

It gives us peace of mind, but it also brings the same to our customers too.

Speaking of the peace of mind of customers, our vehicles are also all fitted with CameraMatics – something we have invested heavily in this year.

All our trucks benefit from these live cameras so that we can monitor our drivers’ progress and performance at any time.

When you combine our commitment to health and safety with the fact we have also invested in an Aksoylu trailer which carries three motor homes on it rather than the standard two, we quickly become the number one choice for motor home and vehicle transport across the UK.

We treat your vehicle the way we treat ours – with care and respect.

Our firm is all about looking after drivers and keeping them safe, as well as protecting the vehicle or motor home being transported.

We can now also boast that we are taking our commitment to becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly seriously, as the three-vehicle transporter will help us to reduce our emissions going forward.

All in all, we are pleased that all our employees can look forward to a healthier, greener future at D.Pickering Ltd.

If you’re a business that uses car transporters, HGVs and trucks – whether you have an entire fleet of hundreds of vehicles in the case of a major haulage or logistics firm or a single vehicle – we understand you want the peace of mind of knowing that your business is safe and roadworthy.

At D Pickering Ltd, we can offer you that peace of mind and reassurance, thanks to our fully equipped repairs workshop.

Our garage has the facility to offer HGV MOT’s, 6 weekly inspections and day to day running repairs.

What’s more, our highly experienced and professional fitters have more than 118 years’ experience in the trade combined.

As a provider of car transporter servicing and HGV repairs stretching back many years, our workshop delivers an industry-leading service that’s tailored to suit each customer’s unique needs.

Car transporter maintenance in particular requires specialist knowledge of the complex engineering, industry-specific needs and legal requirements – and that’s why our mechanics are hand-picked to provide the very best services using all the latest diagnostic equipment and HGV maintenance technologies.

The fact we’ve recently made significant investment in state-of-the-art workshop equipment will also help to save you time and money.

Thanks to our recent £50,000-plus investment in MAHA brake rollers, we are able to test the brakes on any HGVs that come into us, whereas previously, the vehicle had to travel a further four miles down the road for this service.

We had to have a lot of groundwork done on the site to install this equipment, but now it’s here it will benefit a number of logistics firms in the local area and other businesses with HGVs and trucks.

We can now save time and fuel costs by offering this service at our site, something which is helping us to position ourselves as a maintenance and repair specialist of choice for the logistics sector and any other businesses who own heavy goods vehicles in the local area.

We also now have a V-Tech Beam Setter, which is an electronic beam setter that ensures lights on trucks and HGVs are set at the right angle.

This is a requirement by law to get HGVs through their MOT and ensure they are operating safely at all times.

Now that we have both of these services on site, there is no need to look elsewhere to have your HGV checked, serviced or repaired.

Trucks have to have their brakes tested four times a year by law and we are now able to make this as simple as possible to ensure your fleet stays on the road in the best condition required by law and for the health and safety of drivers and other road users.

At our state-of-the-art fully equipped repair workshop, we cover anything from fixing a mirror to alternators.

We also offer lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation (LOLER) Annual Inspections and breakdown and call out services.

We are already trusted to fix around 140 trucks per year for BCA, but we also cater for businesses who only have one or two trucks they need regular maintenance for. Basically, whether you’re an SME or a large logistics operator, we can support you with your vehicle maintenance.

We also transport motor homes and other large vehicles around the UK.

As we’re a one-stop-shop, you don’t need to spend time booking and delivering your vehicles to other maintenance providers.

This frees up your time to focus on what you do best whilst we take care of all your car transporter and HGV maintenance needs.

If car transporters and HGVs are integral to your business, please give us a call on 0191 3874555 and we’ll be more than happy to help you.