R.T. Keedwell

What R.T. Keedwell does

R.T. Keedwell is a family-owned UK road transport and logistics operator founded in 1969 by Ray Keedwell and currently chaired by Stuart Keedwell. Headquartered in Highbridge, Somerset, the company runs a fleet of more than 500 vehicles from over ten depots spread across the UK (including Glasgow, Bristol, Saint Helens, Goole, Carlisle, Newport, Hull, and two Kent sites), providing general haulage, regional and national distribution via a pallet network, warehousing (250,000+ sq ft), and a DVSA-approved in-house commercial vehicle workshop. Service lines are delivered under wholly-owned subsidiaries including Keedwell Scotland and K&W Brick Haulage Ltd, with vertical specialisation in construction materials (steel, bricks, building materials) and additional coverage of food and drink, paper and timber, and packaging and raw materials customers. Technology stack comprises fleet telematics, GPS tracking, KPI reporting dashboards, and route optimisation targeting empty mileage of 10% or less.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-fee haulage and distribution contracts (single loads through to fully managed transport), supplemented by managed-services warehousing and a professional-services workshop. The go-to-market is direct B2B enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers, quote-based pricing, and long-term partnerships; named customers include Ej Godwins (horticulture, client since 1971) and Encirc (glass container manufacturing). Geographically the company operates across the UK and Ireland, holds FORS Bronze and Silver accreditations, and is committed to Net Zero 2050 (Scope 1 emissions reduced 17% since 2019).

Name

R.T. Keedwell

Legal name

R T Keedwell (Holdings) Limited

Website

https://rtkeedwellgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

R.T. Keedwell is a family-owned UK haulage, distribution, and warehousing operator founded in 1969, running 500+ vehicles from 10+ nationwide depots to serve construction, food and drink, paper and timber, and packaging customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Road Haulage and Distribution Services

NAICS

General Freight Trucking (4841), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), General Freight Trucking, Local (48411), Transportation and Warehousing (48-49)

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Van (General Freight) TL Carriers (TLADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heavy Haul / Oversize / Specialized Equipment TL Carriers (TLADADAI), Building Materials & Oversized E-commerce (Residential) Delivery (TLAAAKAH)

Keywords

• General haulage services
• Pallet distribution network
• Construction materials transport
• Commercial warehousing storage
• Vehicle fleet maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Highbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Haulage Services: Transport of goods across the UK using a modern fleet of over 500 vehicles. Services range from single loads to fully managed transport contracts.
2. Distribution and Pallet Network Services: Regional and national distribution services including groupage, palletised deliveries, timed deliveries, next-day services, and scheduled deliveries through a UK pallet network.
3. Warehousing and Storage Services: Over 250,000 sq ft of warehousing space for bulk storage and racked ambient palletised goods, offered as standalone storage or integrated with distribution.
4. Workshop and Vehicle Servicing: DVSA-approved workshop providing MOT testing, servicing, and repair facilities for commercial vehicles, serving both own fleet and external customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

R.T. Keedwell is a family-owned UK road transport and logistics operator that provides general haulage (full and part loads across the UK and Europe), pallet-based regional and national distribution, sector-specific transport for construction, paper and timber, packaging, and raw materials, commercial warehousing (250,000+ sq ft), and in-house workshop and vehicle servicing. The company runs a fleet of more than 500 vehicles from over 10 nationwide depots to move bulk and palletised freight for industrial and commercial customers.

Product overview

R.T. Keedwell is a family-owned UK transport and logistics company providing a unified suite of haulage and distribution services. The company operates a fleet of over 500 vehicles from multiple depots nationwide, offering General Haulage, Distribution & Pallet Network, Sector-Specific Transport, Warehousing & Distribution (250,000+ sq ft), Workshop & Vehicle Servicing, and Construction Transportation as integrated service offerings. The product portfolio is designed to provide end-to-end transport solutions from single loads to fully managed contracts, supporting construction, industrial, and commercial sectors with flexible, scalable, and compliance-led operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Haulage
• Regional and National Distribution Next-day and scheduled pallet distribution across the UK and Ireland through a national pallet network, serving businesses that need consolidated, multi-drop freight services.
• Sector-Specific Transport Specialist transport solutions tailored to construction materials (steel, bricks, building materials, bulk loads), food and drink, paper and timber, packaging, and raw materials, including construction transportation. Designed for industrial customers with sector-specific compliance and handling requirements.
• Warehousing and Distribution Commercial warehousing and storage services providing more than 250,000 sq ft of floor space, with pick, pack, and onward distribution support for customers across the UK.
• Workshop and Vehicle Servicing In-house 6-bay commercial vehicle workshop providing maintenance, repairs, and servicing for the company's own fleet, supporting operational uptime and safety.

Quantifiable outcome

• Empty mileage target of 10% or less through efficient route planning
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wincanton: One of the UK's largest contract logistics and haulage operators with national depot coverage, pallet-network services and integrated warehousing. Directly comparable to RTK across general haulage, distribution and managed-warehouse offerings for UK enterprise customers.
• Culina Group: Major UK temperature-controlled and ambient logistics group operating a large fleet, multiple depots and shared-user warehousing. Closely comparable to RTK's general haulage, pallet distribution and 250,000+ sq ft warehouse offering, including shared-user and dedicated capacity.
• Eddie Stobart (now part of Logistics UK): Iconic UK general haulage and contract logistics provider with a national depot network and dedicated transport for retail and construction supply chains. Highly comparable across core general haulage, palletised distribution and end-to-end managed transport contracts.
• Pallet-Track: UK pallet network operator providing next-day and timed palletised distribution through a member-depot model. Directly comparable to RTK's pallet network and groupage service line, with similar reliance on regional haulier depots.
• Bibby Distribution: UK contract logistics and 3PL provider offering shared-user and dedicated transport plus warehousing across multiple sectors. Comparable to RTK in serving enterprise customers with multi-sector haulage and integrated storage solutions.
• Howard Tenens: Privately held UK haulage and warehousing operator with a network of depots and shared-user palletised storage. Closely comparable mid-market family-owned competitor across haulage, pallet network and warehousing in similar UK geographies.
• NFT Distribution (part of Culina): UK general haulage and distribution operator now part of the Culina Group, focused on shared-user distribution for industrial and retail customers. Comparable in mid-market general haulage, palletised distribution and multi-depot UK coverage.

Broad incumbents

• XPO Logistics (UK): Global logistics platform with substantial UK less-than-truckload, pallet-network and dedicated transport operations. Competes with RTK in UK palletised distribution and contract haulage, but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth across Europe.
• DHL Supply Chain UK: Global integrator with extensive UK contract logistics, warehousing, and domestic transport operations. Comparable in warehousing-and-distribution bundles and enterprise customer base, but far broader in international freight and supply-chain services.
• Royal Mail / GLS (DSV): Through GLS-UK and DSV's UK parcel and pallet operations, this group is a large player in UK parcel, pallet and road freight. Overlaps with RTK in palletised distribution and next-day services, but at materially larger network scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rt_keedwell
• Facebookfacebook.com/keedwellgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r-t-keedwell

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about R.T. Keedwell