Ge-Be Transport continues to drive its reputation for reliable and cost-effective haulage and logistics solutions
East Anglia-based Ge-Be Transport Ltd (Ge-Be) stands out as a leading general haulage, logistics, and pallet distribution company. A proud member of the RHA and holding a FORS Bronze level accreditation, Ge-Be has earned a strong reputation for providing reliable, efficient, and cost-effective services to a wide range of industries. Indeed, the company is a one-stop solution for logistics, transport, warehousing, and pick-and-pack services. Ge-Be’s fleet of vehicles and trailers is equipped to handle anything from a small package delivery to large industrial shipments, enabling the company to meet the diverse needs of its customers. Carl Green, Managing Director, reflects on Ge-Be’s 42-year long history.
“Prior to the creation of Ge-Be, my father used to work for a local haulage company, looking after the drivers, while my mother handled the accounts in the office. Unfortunately, the company suffered incredible contract losses and had to shut down. Having lost their living, my parents borrowed £1000 from my grandma to start their own business in January 1982. They purchased their first pick-up truck and began delivering boxes for a local company. Operating within a local community, Ge-Be progressed relatively quickly and began getting more work. To cope with the demand, my parents bought a Mercedes flatbed truck and were lucky enough to secure a contract with Brampton Housewares, a company supplying products such as toilet brush holders and vanity mirrors. This contract gave the business another boost, enabling an upgrade of the fleet from two to about six lorries.
“Following that, the business experienced such growth that my parents no longer needed to seek clients; they came to us on their own. As a result, the fleet was expanded once more to include a total of ten lorries. Sadly, my father passed away in 1995, eight years after I joined the business as a driver. My mother then encouraged me to join her in the office to progress the company. In the blink of an eye, we grew to encompass a fleet of 35 lorries, and we are still growing today.
Growth trajectory
“Originally working from rented accommodation in an industrial site in King’s Lynn, we were presented with the opportunity to buy another site nearby. Growing tired of the never-ending cycle of renting, we seized that opportunity and purchased the site. Alongside this acquisition, our fleet had already grown to over 50 lorries and 50 trailers. Subsequently, this soared to around 70 vehicles and 100 trailers, thanks to securing some great contracts. After years of prosperity, in 2017, our turnover had exceeded £6 million, and we realized that we may have maximized the potential of our business. Therefore, we decided to put the company up for sale. Within the next three-to-four years, there were many interested prospective buyers who believed they could take the business to new heights. I personally visited each one of them to evaluate their suitability for taking over the company. After an extensive search, I finally found the right person in 2021. Interestingly, in the four years that led to this date, our turnover had doubled without the presence of a sales team.
“In October 2021, my mother and brother sold all their shares to the new business partner I had onboarded. I retained a small shareholding, and I was promoted to the role of Managing Director. With a view to expanding the company, we purchased another site in Swaffham. This site has enabled us to diversify into storage, pick-and-pack, and more. Furthermore, as we migrated part of the business into our Swaffham site in July 2023, we now operate both from that new site and the one in King’s Lynn,” he details.
Profitable partnerships
Moving on, Carl discusses Ge-Be’s unique offering to the transportation and logistics industry. “Our catalogue includes a wide range of vehicles, from 3500 CWT trucks to standard/curtainside double-deck trailers, flatbed, and specialty trailers. We also offer rigid lorries, tail lifts and Moffett Mounty forklifts. I believe the variety of products and services is what makes us stand out amongst other haulage companies. Regarding the sectors in which we operate, a significant portion of our work is within the paper and recycling industries. Additionally, we provide our services to the catering and hospitality trade, delivering fridges and ovens to establishments such as pubs, restaurants, clubs, shops, and supermarkets.
“We are also a member of Palletways, the UK’s largest pallet network, and we have recently signed a second ten-year contract with them to continue our previous decade-long partnership. While we aspire to expand the pallet side of our business, we currently handle approximately 500 pallets per day for Palletways, and in excess of 2000 pallets a day for general haulage. In terms of our operation within the catering industry, we collaborate extensively with a local company that supplies napkins and toilet rolls. Moreover, we serve as a local distributor for a well-known AdBlue company,” he informs.
Carl shares Ge-Be’s strategy and developments for the coming year. “Since our principal ambition is to sustain our growth trajectory, the next logical step for us is to venture into last-mile delivery services. We also recognize that not everyone wants to travel all the way to East Anglia and beyond, which is why we aim to offer innovative delivery solutions and are constantly striving to strike the ideal partnership to achieve this goal. By way of example, we could drop off a shipment in Manchester and potentially have a return load to bring back with us to East Anglia, rather than return empty. As always, we will be more than happy to tailor that service to meet the needs of each client willing to entrust us with their deliveries.
“Likewise, there may be occasions when we have shipments that we would rather not transport all the way to Scotland, so we might utilize a Scottish service to handle the deliveries instead. That said, we have a fleet of over 70 vehicles that allows us to cover various regions and meet the demands of our clients every day of the week. This level of flexibility is one of the many advantages of having such a large fleet. Apart from incorporating last-mile deliveries into the business, our efforts are currently focused on upcoming projects and investments at our Swaffham site,” he ends.
Carl’s ambitions for innovation and expansion are set to propel Ge-Be towards further growth and leadership within the transportation and logistics industry.