Highland and Islands haulage business acquired by Danish firm

A Highlands and Islands haulage business has been acquired by Danish logistics company, DFDS.

D.R. Macleod Ltd has operated in the region for the past four decades, having been founded in 1981 by D.R Macleod with one vehicle.

The Macleod team documented its history in the region on its Twitter page, saying: "Growing the business, [D.R Macleod] took on general haulage work and small deliveries, eventually starting the first daily express service between Inverness and Lewis.

"The company has continued to grow ever since, now operating a fleet of over 70 vehicles and 90 trailers carrying all manner of goods across the country, also offering the same daily express service between Glasgow and Lewis, transporting everything from individual packages to multiple full loads for national and multinational companies."

The Macleod family also spoke of the legacy that D.R left in the region and what he accomplished:

"We are very proud of what D.R. accomplished in his life time. He was proud to serve the community where he lived, and was especially proud of his workforce. He described the business as only being as good as the people you have, and that we are fortunate to have very good people."

The team reassured customers that they should see no disruption to service in the acquisition, and said that they are confident DFDS will take good care of the staff:

"Over the years we have developed a successful partnership with DFDS, and in 2019 D.R. Macleod and DFDS were in advanced talks for DFDS to take over the running of the business. Had it not been for the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic the deal would have likely already concluded in 2020.

"Although, unfortunately, D.R. is no longer with us, we are now continuing on with his plans to pass the running of the haulage business to DFDS. We too believe that DFDS will be suitable stewards for the business going forwards. We feel they share the same values that we do, both as employers who will continue looking after the workforce of whom we are very proud, and as a business that will support and serve local communities with the high standards of service we have prided ourselves on.

"Business will continue as normal and customers should see no disruptions to the services we provide as we transition the business into the hands of DFDS. You will also still see our yellow and blue colours for some years to come. We will be continuing to work with DFDS over the coming months and support them going forward."

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