Eddie Stobart, the owner of one of Britain’s most iconic hauling companies, has died at the age of 95, leaving behind the huge family business he created in the 1940s
Lorry legend Eddie Stobart will be remembered for building his renowned haulage empire.
Mr Stobart, who originally founded the family-named business in the 1940s, died at the age of 95 on November 25, his representatives confirmed this morning. But his incredibly successful trucking company didn’t just start with a collection of lorries.
In 1946, Eddie, who grew up on a farm in Cumbria, turned his hand to business and initially set up a small agricultural firm that carried out contract work for farms and distributed fertiliser. He also ran a farm shop alongside the production.
Back then, unbeknownst to just how lucrative the trucking world would become, Mr Stobart harboured doubts about the industry and simply saw his small fleet of vehicles as a ‘took for business’ to distribute slag, the fertiliser by-product of industrial steelmaking. The company’s first lorry, a second-hand Guy Invincible four-wheeler, didn’t hit UK roads until 1960, but it wasn’t long for the firm’s signature lorries to soon become recognised around the world.
The truck debuted in the famous Eddie Stobart green and red colours, with the small company having just eight lorries and 12 employees on the books when it launched. Now, the company has more than 2,700 vehicles, more than 3,500 trailers, 43 operating centres and more than 5,000 employees.
At the time of his sad death last month, Mr Stobart was still head of the business but had taken a backseat over the last few decades. He had watched the business he had built from scratch rise to fortunes estimated at around £100m while in 2022, he reportedly had an estimated net worth of around £23 million, the Express reports.
However, the family firm was said to have fallen on tough times during the 2000s, which eventually saw the business run by different hands. Eddie’s second-youngest son, Edward, took over in the 1970s, aged just 21, while trying to make a name for himself.
He was able to help turn it into the haulage giant it is today however at the time of his death, aged 56, it was reported he had filed for bankruptcy. Edward, who ran the company for more than 30 years, died in 2011 of a suspected heart attack. MailOnline claims he had racked up debts of £220,000.
It is reported the firm was taken over in 2004 by a partnership run by Eddie’s fourth child, William Stobart. In a statement at the time he said: “Edward, although not directly involved in today’s company, was the person who built the brand and business and we have so much to thank him for.”
Alongside son William, entrepreneur Eddie is survived by son John and daughter Anne. As well as being one of the best-established haulage firms in the country, Eddie Stobart is also famous for allowing drivers to name the truck to which they are assigned – a tradition started by Mr Stobart himself. He wanted his trucks to be known for more than their deliveries and chose to start naming them after women.
When they hit the road, vehicles with names like “Maggie,” “Betty,” and “Rosie” fascinated the general public, who stopped to take pictures of them. The vehicles developed their own identities after making multiple deliveries and as a mainstay of Britain’s roads, a spotting craze formed with a cult following.
The charming custom earned Eddie a fanbase across the country, and an outpouring of heartfelt tributes are being shared online in the wake of his death, paying testament to his lasting legacy in shaping British business culture. Three of the iconic green and white Stobart trucks were part of his funeral procession, with 500 people in attendance at Carlisle Cathedral.
Paying tribute, one fan wrote on Facebook: “Another end of iconic era of British business. RIP Sir you gave thousands and thousands of ordinary folk great pleasure collecting your lovely truck names on long journeys through the years. Let’s hope the name can remain.” Another social media user reacting to the news added: “Aww. Iconic brand. Love collecting truck names whenever I’m on a motorway trip. Inspirational company.”
