The original Ford Model T will always hold an important place in the Cullimore Group history book by getting the show, quite literally, on the road. It is strange to think it had a payload of just 1 tonne, when today’s vehicles can operate at up to 44 tonnes gross, carrying 29 tonnes.
Our vehicle history has been carefully researched. Some 350 HGVs have been acquired over the years, almost all bought new. Bedfords, Dodges and Commers accounted for many of the vehicles up to the 1960s, with Leylands then following suit. However, ERFs and Fodens formed the mainstay of the more recent fleet.
Cullimore’s has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with both of these manufacturers. The first Foden was purchased in 1948 and the first ERF joined the fleet in 1967. In 2001, a Corgi diecast replica of a Cullimore Foden tipper was produced, followed by a two-piece set of ERF’s entitled ‘A Dickensian Tale’ in 2004, one of the last to be produced by the famous Middlewich facility.
Cullimore Group has undertaken the painstaking restoration of two vehicles in particular; a Wartime Scammell and a 19611 Foden tipper. Both have been regularly taken to The City of London for the annual ancient Cart Marking ceremony outside the Guildhall. This historic ceremony sees a select band of Carmen and Freemen of the City of London bringing trucks, tractor units, veteran and vintage vans, some still horse-drawn, to be branded with a hot iron on a wooden plate attached to the vehicle’s body. The ceremony serves as a reminder of the centuries of service hauliers have provided to the well-being and development of the City, and maintains the Carmen’s ancient tradition of seeking the Lord Mayor’s approval to ply their trade within its boundaries. The Company is eligible for inclusion through Roger Cullimore’s status as a Freeman and Carman of the City.
Today, the Cullimore Group operates a fleet of more than 80 vehicles; many of these support specialist functions, but a general haulage fleet of tractor units and trailers to cater for almost any load, is based at Netherhills depot, lying between the villages of Whitminster and Frampton-on-Severn.
The staff in the transport office are experts in their field and will be delighted to talk to customers old and new about any transport requirement, regardless of size or nature of load.
Though the haulage industry has seen much change, particularly in recent years, the family ethos at Cullimore Group very much remains the heartbeat of the organisation.