What Rawlings Transport does

Rawlings Transport (1972) Ltd is a privately held, third-generation family road haulage company headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, founded in 1972. It provides B2B road freight, palletised distribution, specialised transportation, and warehousing services to UK businesses, marketing itself as one of the UK's most trusted haulage operators with hundreds of long-term customers. Operations are anchored at 34-35 Bell Road with motorway access to the M3 and M4, supported by over 100,000 sq ft of clean, secure warehousing with CCTV and alarmed premises.

The service portfolio comprises four core lines: UK Transport (full load, groupage, and express deliveries with GPS-tracked fleet, geo-fencing, and live traffic monitoring that updates every three minutes); Express Pallets (affiliated with a multi-award winning pallet network of 100+ UK depots offering next-day, economy, timed, and Saturday options); Specialised (bespoke movements including Section 5 approvals, air-ride trailers, refrigerated trailers, machinery moves, computer installations, and a Manitou Forklift Mounted Trailer); and Warehousing (long- and short-term contracts, pick/pack/wrap, container loading, and fulfilment). The technology layer is conventional telematics rather than AI-driven: GPS fleet tracking with 20-second map updates, satellite tracking, in-cab communications, geo-fencing, and a customer web portal. The E-Transport portal is being migrated to the Mandata E-Portal from 6 July 2026, with E-Transport retained as a POD-only system thereafter.

The business model is direct B2B sales with quote-based pricing on a per-load/transaction basis across transport lines and managed-services contracts for warehousing, supplemented by revenue share through the pallet network channel for Express Pallets. Customer engagement runs through phone (01256 762482), email, and website contact forms, with a small management structure led by manager Steve Rapley and a headcount in the 11-50 range. The company holds FORs (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) certification and operates as a standalone, family-controlled entity with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external investors identified.

Name

Rawlings Transport

Legal name

Rawlings Transport (1972) Ltd

Website

https://rawlingstransport.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rawlings Transport is a third-generation, family-owned UK road haulage and logistics company based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, offering B2B freight, palletised distribution, specialised transportation, and over 100,000 sq ft of warehousing to UK business customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. UK Transport Services: Full load, groupage, and express delivery services across the UK. Revenue generated through contract-based logistics services, likely billed per delivery/load or through contractual arrangements.
2. Specialised Transportation: Bespoke transportation solutions including machinery moves, computer installations, events, refrigerated and air-ride transport. Premium pricing for specialized handling requirements.
3. Warehousing & Storage: Over 100,000 sq ft of warehousing space with computerised stock control. Services include container loading/unloading, pick/pack/wrap, fulfillment services, and storage container hire. Long and short-term contracts available.
4. Express Pallet Network: Affiliation with multi-award winning pallet network providing next day, economy, timed, 10am and Saturday delivery options through 100+ depots across UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rawlings Transport operates as a UK road haulage and logistics provider, offering full-load, groupage, and express pallet delivery services alongside bespoke specialised transportation (machinery moves, computer installations, refrigerated/air-ride transport, and events) and over 100,000 sq ft of warehousing with computerised stock control, pick/pack/wrap, container loading/unloading, and storage container hire. Operations are underpinned by GPS/satellite fleet tracking, live traffic monitoring, geo-fencing, in-cab communications, and a customer-facing web portal (E-Transport, migrating to Mandata E-Portal in July 2026).

Product overview

Rawlings Transport operates as an integrated logistics provider offering a portfolio of complementary services: UK Transport (road haulage with GPS tracking), Express Pallets (network-based palletised distribution), Specialised (bespoke transportation including machinery moves and events), and Warehousing (100,000+ sq ft storage with fulfilment capabilities). A Customer Web Portal (E-Transport/Mandata E-Portal) ties the offering together, enabling customers to schedule jobs and track consignments. Founded in 1972 and based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Rawlings is a third-generation family company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UK Transport Core road haulage service covering next-day and economy pallet deliveries, groupage, and full loads across the UK, supported by GPS vehicle tracking with 20-second map updates, in-cab communications, geo-fencing, and live traffic monitoring refreshing every 3 minutes for on-time delivery performance.
• Express Pallets Palletised distribution service delivered through affiliation with a multi-award-winning pallet network with 100+ depots across the UK, offering next-day, economy, timed (10am), and Saturday delivery options, with live POD capture, tail lift vehicles, satellite tracking, geo-fencing, online job entry, in-cab communications, and professional uniformed drivers.
• Specialised Transportation
• Warehousing & Storage

Quantifiable outcome

• GPS map updates every 20 seconds for live positioning
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Multi-award winning Pallet NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRawlings Transport is affiliated to a multi-award winning and highly innovative Pallet Network which boasts over 100 depots throughout the UK. This partnership enables next day and economy pallet delivery options, timed deliveries (10am and Saturday), live POD capture, satellite-tracked vehicles, geo-fencing, online job entry, in-cab communications, and professional uniformed drivers.
• MandatacoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Mandata for E-Portal customer portal. Migration from internal E-Transport system to Mandata E-Portal for scheduling jobs, effective 6th July 2026. Mandata E-Portal will handle new job requests from 6th July onwards for deliveries from 7th July onwards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• DPD Local UK: UK parcel and pallet delivery network with timed, next-day and Saturday options; comparable to Rawlings' express pallet and timed delivery proposition but optimised for smaller-parcel B2C/B2B distribution.
• XPO Logistics: Global less-than-truckload and truckload provider with significant UK road freight operations; comparable to Rawlings on UK transport and warehousing, but operates a far larger network and asset base.
• DHL Supply Chain UK: Global logistics incumbent with substantial UK road haulage, warehousing and contract logistics operations; competes with Rawlings on UK distribution but at vastly larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Wincanton: UK-listed logistics provider offering transport, warehousing and dedicated fleet services; comparable to Rawlings' bundled haulage-plus-warehousing model but with national scale and contract logistics depth.
• Kuehne+Nagel UK: Global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with UK road, warehousing and specialised transport offerings; overlaps with Rawlings on UK distribution and special handling but is portfolio-driven rather than UK-haulage focused.

Direct peers

• Maritime Transport: UK-based road haulage, container transport and warehousing operator; comparable to Rawlings on combined container/road haulage and warehousing services, including container loading/unloading.
• Tuffnells Parcels Express: UK-based parcel and pallet distribution specialist offering next-day, economy and timed deliveries; directly comparable to Rawlings' pallet and timed-delivery services within the UK distribution market.
• Palletways: European pallet network with extensive UK membership providing express, economy and timed pallet services; directly comparable to Rawlings' pallet network offering including timed and Saturday deliveries.
• Palletline: UK pallet network offering next-day and economy pallet distribution through member hauliers; competes directly with Rawlings' pallet network affiliation on the same time-sensitive, multi-depot pallet proposition.
• Eddie Stobart Logistics: One of the UK's largest road haulage and logistics operators offering full-load, groupage and palletised distribution; directly comparable to Rawlings on road haulage and pallet services but at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rawlings-transport-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Rawlings Transport