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Teesside haulage training startup, born out of SSI collapse, hits £1m turnover mark

Cleveland LGV Training, a haulage training firm born out of the Redcar steelworks collapse, has reported an impressive £1m turnover within its first 12 months of operation.

Dan Wilcox, 54, was left facing an uncertain future when SSI pulled the plug at the steelworks.

He explained: “That was all I really knew and at my age there wasn’t a lot of options for me.”

After discussing future options with his family, Dan’s stepson Matt Switzer suggested teaming up and going into long-distance lorry driving.

He continued: “Matt agreed to come on board, and set about sorting out some HGV driving lessons. He did some research, and it turned out he couldn’t get a lesson for three months.

“A shortage of training meant there was a shortage of drivers, it was an obvious gap in the market, and we got our heads together and drew up a business plan.”

The pair went to the Five Lamps organisation, one of the bodies controlling the grant money which was going from SSI towards startup businesses, and were accepted for £10,000 which helped them get the wheels in motion.

After financing two HGVs, nine former SSI workers were brought on board to learn a new trade followed by eight young trainee drivers all trained in partnership with Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Twelve months on the company now has 16 trucks, a 19-strong workforce and has turned over £1m by landing lucrative contracts with some large businesses in import/export.

Dan continued: “It has been a phenomenal growth, and one which we couldn’t have imagined in our wildest dreams when the steelworks closed down.

“We’re also indebted to Hartlepool College for their assistance, they backed us when other colleges slammed the door in our face. They looked at our business plan, they were receptive to what we wanted to do, and it’s fantastic to be involved with them.

“A year on, we’re thriving. We have plans for further expansion in the New Year, and we will be working closely with Hartlepool College to create more training opportunities and apprenticeships. It’s an exciting time for us.”

Andy Steel, Vice Principal at Hartlepool College of FE, added: “We are very proud of the immense progress Cleveland LGV has made over the last 12 months.

“Dan and Matt not only had a vision and plan of how they wanted their business to grow, which in itself was impressive, but they were adamant that this plan would be delivered using redundant SSI staff and this was utilised to assist them with their business plan.”

Dan added: “We have created job opportunities for lads who were also thrown on the scrapheap by SSI, and to see them earning money with a smile on their faces gives me an enormous amount of satisfaction.