The founder of one of Britain’s most well-known haulage companies has passed away at the age of 95.
Eddie Pears Stobart, who originally established the family-named company Eddie Stobart in the 1940s, died on November 25.
He was born in 1929 in Cumbria and worked as a farmer before trying his arm in the business world.
Eddie set up a small agricultural business in 1946, concentrating on distributing fertiliser and doing contract work for local farms as well as running a farm shop.
He doubted there was much money to be made in haulage, and saw his small fleet simply as ‘a tool for business’, which back then was distributing slag, the fertiliser by-product of industrial steelmaking.
But Eddie’s second-youngest child Edward – so-called to distinguish him from his father – took over the business in the 1970s and made it into a household name in the haulage sector with the company now owning more than 2700 vehicles.
Taking over the transport side in 1976, Edward, at the age of 21, started with eight lorries and 12 workers before making it into one of Britain’s largest logistics brands.
He is credited for transforming the public’s perception of the profession from one of filthy, macho men to one of efficiency, cleanliness, and friendliness. He gave his trucks feminine names, the first being Twiggy after the model.
Under his supervision, Stobart truck drivers were required to wear collars and ties and to respond to signals from onlookers by waving their horns and waving back.
Their distinctive trucks became a mainstay of Britain’s motorways and even sparked a spotting craze, fan club and cult following.
Thousands of people joined the fan club, which made it possible to produce Eddie Stobart model trucks and other branded goods.
Eddie, meanwhile, sold most of his trading interests in 1980 to invest in an industrial warehouse near Carlisle, where he ended up retiring with his wife Nora Boyd who he married in 1951.
The first Stobart lorry arrived in 1960 in the form of a second-hand Guy Invincible four-wheeler which Eddie chose to repaint in green and red.
Eddie watched the family business rise to fortunes estimated to be about £100 million under his son Edward before it ran into problems during tough financial times in the 2000s.
The business was then purchased from Edward by a partnership run by Eddie’s fourth child William Stobart in 2004.
Edward, who ran the haulage empire for more than 30 years, passed away in 2011, aged 56, of a suspected heart attack.
He had allegedly collapsed at home in Ettington, Warwickshire, and was brought to the University Hospital in Coventry.
It was said that Edward died having filed for bankruptcy the previous year with debts of £220,000.
His brother William told workers at the firm of the sudden death.
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.’
Three of the iconic green, red and white Eddie Stobart trucks, including two from the 70s and 80s, were part of his funeral cortege.
The funeral ceremony drew about 500 people to Carlisle Cathedral. Following the service, the hearse was driven to a private burial by the three Eddie Stobart trucks that were stationed outside the church.
I must admit that I was unaware of Eddie Stobart’s age, but he was a great icon who rose from the bottom. It proves that hard work can lead to achievement.
He was a beautiful, compassionate man who understood the value of hard work.
The man created an institution and kept numerous children looking out for his trucks, reading the truck names on car journeys, and many people in work.
You deserve your Tacho break, Eddie. Rest in peace!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 