Clarke Transport

Quality Haulage, Storage & Commercial Vehicle Servicing

Tel 01455 552 801 info@clarke-transport.co.uk
[Severe] M6 Warwickshire, northbound between A444 [M6 J.3] and M6 Toll [M6 J.3A] > [Severe] A34 High Street Bloxwich, northbound between B4210 Elmore Green Road and A4124 Bell Lane > [Medium] A4124 Wolverhampton Road Pelsall, both ways between Clockmill Road and B4154 Norton Road > [Medium] A41 Lichfield Street Bilston, both ways at B4484 Mount Pleasant > [Medium] A41 Tettenhall Road Wolverhampton, both ways at A454 Compton Road > [Medium] A4034 Long Lane Blackheath, both ways at Malt Mill Lane > [Medium] B4174 Netherend Lane / Park Lane Cradley Heath, both ways between Lyde Green and Parsonage Drive > [Medium] A4150 Ring Road St Davids Wolverhampton, both ways between A41 Bilston Road and A4124 Wednesfield Road > [Medium] A4123 New Birmingham Road Dudley, both ways at A4033 > [Medium] M6 West Midlands, both ways between M5 [M6 J.8] and M54 [M6 J.10A] > [Medium] A453 College Road Perry Barr, Birmingham, northbound at Aldridge Road > [Medium] A41 The Expressway West Bromwich, both ways at A4031 All Saints Way Roundabout > [Slight] M5 West Midlands, northbound at M6 J8 North Link > [Slight] New Road Netherton, Dudley, both ways between A459 Cinder Bank and The Sling > [Slight] Noose Lane Willenhall, both ways between Watery Lane and B4484 Fibbersley > [Slight] Darlington Street Wolverhampton, both ways between A4150 Ring Road St Andrews and School Street > [Slight] Beeches Road Rowley Regis, both ways between Birmingham Road and Thynne Street > [Slight] The Parade Dudley, westbound between St James's Road and B4558 Salop Street > [Slight] Kent Road Halesowen, northbound between B4043 Spies Lane and A4034 Long Lane > [Low Impact] Capmartin Road Hillfields, Coventry, both ways at Owenford Road > [Low Impact] Glendower Avenue Coventry, both ways between Broad Lane and Brookside Avenue > [Low Impact] Scafell Road Stourbridge, both ways between Stamford Road and Lickey Road > [Low Impact] Brandhall Road Oldbury, both ways between A4123 Wolverhampton Road and George Road > [Low Impact] King Edwards Road Birmingham, both ways between Cambridge Street and Edward Street > [Low Impact] New Road Dudley, both ways between The Sling and A459 Cinder Bank > [Low Impact] Guphill Avenue Coventry, both ways at Broad Lane > [Low Impact] Rodway Close Quarry Bank, both ways between Walker Avenue and Calewood Road > [Low Impact] Pensnett Road Holly Hall, Dudley, both ways at A4036 Highgate Road > [Low Impact] Cambridge Street Birmingham, both ways between Brindley Drive and King Edwards Road Roundabout > [Low Impact] Holt Street Birmingham, eastbound between B4133 Lister Street and Heneage Street West > [Low Impact] Carver Street One-Way Street Ladywood, Birmingham, eastbound between Warstone Lane and Moreton Street > [Low Impact] Heneage Street West Nechells, both ways between Woodcock Street and Holt Street > [Low Impact] Raven Hays Road Longbridge, both ways at Gorsymead Grove > [Low Impact] Dixon Street Parkfields, Wolverhampton, both ways between Cheviot Road and Kent Road > [Low Impact] Gibbet Hill Road Kenilworth, both ways at A429 Kenilworth Road > [Low Impact] Commercial Street Birmingham, both ways between Granville Street and Washington Street > [Low Impact] A429 Kenilworth Road Kenilworth, both ways at Stoneleigh Road > [Low Impact] Jordan Well Coventry, both ways between Gosford Street and B4544 Jordan Well > 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.