Clarke Transport

Quality Haulage, Storage & Commercial Vehicle Servicing

Tel 01455 552 801 info@clarke-transport.co.uk
[Severe] A491 Hagley Road Stourbridge, both ways between A451, New Road, Stourbridge and B4186, Glasshouse Hill, West Midlands > [Severe] M69 Leicestershire, both ways between A5, Hinckley, Leicestershire [M69 J.1] and M6, J2, Warwickshire > [Severe] M42 Warwickshire, southbound at M6, Warwickshire [M42 J.8] > [Severe] M6 Warwickshire, northbound between M42, Warwickshire [M6 J.4] and A452, West Midlands [M6 J.5] > [Severe] M6 West Midlands, southbound between A34, West Midlands [M6 J.7] and A38, West Midlands [M6 J.6] > [Medium] Alum Rock Road Saltley, Birmingham, both ways between B4516, Bowyer Road, Saltley, Birmingham and Naseby Road > [Medium] M42 West Midlands, northbound between A41, West Midlands [M42 J.5] and M6, West Midlands [M42 J.7] > [Medium] A462 Clarkes Lane Willenhall, both ways at Overdale Drive > [Medium] A4124 Lichfield Road Bloxwich, both ways between Stoney Lane and Foundry Lane > [Medium] Aldersley Road Aldersley, Wolverhampton, both ways at Hordern Road > [Medium] Pilkington Avenue Wylde Green, both ways between A5127, Birmingham Road, Wylde Green and Maney Hill Road > [Medium] A5127 Birmingham Road Sutton Coldfield, both ways at A453, Jockey Road, Sutton Coldfield > [Medium] A462 Willenhall, both ways at Clarkes Lane > [Medium] A456 Hagley Road Edgbaston, Birmingham, westbound between B4125, Portland Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham and B4129, Norfolk Road, West Midlands > [Medium] Gibbet Hill Road Gibbet Hill, Coventry, both ways between A429, Kenilworth Road, Gibbet Hill, Coventry and Westwood Way > [Medium] B4517 Alexandra Road Tipton, both ways between Locarno Road and Watery Lane > [Slight] Capilano Road Perry Common, Birmingham, both ways between Hurstwood Road and Witton Lodge Road > [Slight] Serpentine Road Harborne, both ways at B4124, High Street, Harborne > [Slight] Wisemore One-way Street Walsall, southbound at A4148, Littleton Street West, Walsall > [Slight] Vicarage Road Pelsall, westbound between Coronation Road and Victoria Road > [Slight] Belle Vale Cradley, both ways between Shelton Lane and Hawne Lane > [Slight] Cornwall Street Birmingham, westbound between Church Street and New Market Street > [Slight] B4142 Gravelly Lane Erdington, both ways at B4531, Station Road, Erdington > [Slight] Erdington Road Aldridge, both ways at Portland Road > [Slight] New Road Netherton, Dudley, both ways between Lister Road and A459, Cinder Bank, West Midlands > [Slight] George Street Walsall, both ways between Upper Hall Lane and High Street > [Slight] Marsh Lane Oxley, both ways at A449, Stafford Road, Oxley > [Slight] Lavender Hall Lane Berkswell, both ways at Meriden Road > [Low Impact] Heather Road Foleshill, both ways at Almond Tree Avenue > [Low Impact] Hazelwood Road Streetly, both ways at B4151, Foley Road West, Streetly > [Low Impact] Queen Philippa Street Stivichall, both ways at Arundel Road > Welcome to the Clarke Transport & Clarke Properties website...

History

Home > History

Clarke Transport is a family run business established in 1945.  We specialise in Road Haulage, Storage and Commercial Vehicle Servicing. We guarantee a professional and reliable service plus a flexibility that is hard to find elsewhere in the haulage and storage industry.

We are ideally situated for many regional distribution centres and warehouses, located just off Junction 21 of the M1 and Junction 1 of the M6, within 2 miles of Magna Park - Britain’s first, and Europe’s largest dedicated retail and wholesale distribution park. 

DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal), the UK's premier road and rail and distribution hub is also within easy reach of our doorstep along with road links to the M42, A5 and A14.  

We are registered members of the Road Haulage Association and all goods are stored and carried by the RHA Conditions of Storage / Carriage 1998.
H. Clarke & Sons (Carriers) Ltd was Formed in May 1945 when Harry Clarke bought a removals business complete with one vehicle.

Along with his sons Malcolm and Roy, they operated from a site on Bitteswell Road in Lutterworth where the business remained until 1999.

Malcolm Clarke later took over the haulage business and began to develop new ideas for the bodybuilding side of the business, forming Clarke Translift Ltd which is still trading today under the name of Clarke Transport.

One of the most ambitious and ingenious designs was the Transfer Body System. This was the first demountable commercial body and was patented by H Clarke & Sons (Carriers) Ltd.  It was designed to be distributed to the bodybuilding and commercial vehicle trade as a kit of ready assembled units to be incorporated directly into customers own chassis or body designs with both hydraulic and pneumatic models available.

Another successful and innovative product which Malcolm designed and manufactured was the Cabbie bunk bed. (Pic 4) This was a retractable bunk which was fitted into a non-sleeper cab to provide sleeping accommodation.  These were fitted on site in Lutterworth, and in excess of 400 were fitted in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Other designs developed by Malcolm Clarke are:

CT Airflip – An air deflector designed to streamline differing load
heights.

Tyreroll – A device which allows re-cutting tyres on the wheel whilst
holding the tyre in one place

ChocBlock – A device designed  to stop pallet trucks rolling about whilst being carried in the back of vehicles


Malcolm also spent 2 years successfully campaigning the Ministry of Transport for a change in transport law. His expertise and perseverance was rewarded when the new law permitted 16T drawbar trailers to operate at 16 tonnes drawn by 16 tonnes 4 wheel rigid vehicles.

In 1999 the company moved premises to our current site at Bilton Way, Lutterworth, which houses our purpose-built warehouse and office complex. 

The warehousing side of the business soon expanded mainly due to the prime location of the site adjacent to the Magna Park distribution centre and DIRFT.  A sister company, Clarke Properties was formed and adjacent land purchased in 2001 by the new property company to develop a custom built warehouse which more than double the previously existing storage capacity and also provided high quality office accommodation to let.

Malcolm’s two children since joined the company and in October 2005 were made Joint Managing Director's of both Clarke Transport and Clarke Properties Limited.