With our Walsall depot as head office, we are in the centre of the UK motorway network. Whilst this ensures that our haulage fleet has great access to all corners of the country, our location is not without its challenges!

Our head office is close to Junction 10, which has earned a reputation as not only the busiest junction of the M6, but the busiest junction in Europe, with approximately 150,000 journeys a day running under the junction, and roughly 50,000 journeys running over it every day, and these numbers are conservatively estimated! For many years, this congestion has affected the local community and businesses, particularly in the mornings and peak evening times.

Whilst the high levels of traffic around Junction 10 can make life more difficult, we have developed a strong relationship with Walsall Council and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, both of whom take our concerns seriously and do everything in their power to help us in the local area.

We have faced challenges in the transport industry throughout the history of Hayward Transport. As a result, we have learned to be resilient and inventive in the ways that we tackle these obstacles. With a reputation as “The People’s Haulier”, we always enjoy a challenge, and will strive to find solutions to any problems that we face.

The last two years have brought many new challenges, including COVID-19, the driver shortage and IR35 legislation. During this time, we have also seen the transformation of Junction 10. When we initially learned that these road improvements would commence, we were somewhat concerned about the disruptions that these works would create. However, apart from periods of night road closures, and three weekend closures for the bridge removal, Highways England and their contractors, along with Walsall Council, have kept the disruption down to an absolute minimum.

On the 10th June, Stef Greenwood, Hayward’s Compliance Manager, met with James, the lead for the Junction 10 project from John Sish and Sons, along with several key stakeholders, to see the almost completed works. The project is currently ahead of schedule and additional lanes on the gyratory should help to keep the junction flowing. Once works are complete, these improvements will help ease congestion and reduce our journey times, along with those of the many thousands of other drivers using Junction 10 every day.

With the bridges designed to last for 120 years, the current Hayward team won’t be around to witness the junction’s next major overhaul, however, the importance of this junction and these works is obvious.

Whilst we are relieved that the Junction 10 improvements are ahead of schedule and disruptions have been less problematic than expected, what did concern and upset us was the amount of work the stakeholders have had to do in order to prevent suicide attempts from this bridge. As the people’s haulier, we are committed to supporting the local community and put a lot of resources into local organisations such as the Friendship Café. We are currently looking into what we can do to offer some support to people that are facing suicidal thoughts and feel that this is their only solution.

We are excited for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham between the 28th July and 8th August, however, we are aware that this will bring additional congestion to the West Midlands, providing transportation challenges to our fleet. In addition to the Commonwealth Games, our environmental responsibilities grow and rising fuel prices create further challenges. However, whilst times aren’t always easy, this is what keeps our interest in the industry, keeping us on our toes and encouraging us to strive for innovation.