Dodds Group acquires Les Knight Transport

Dodds Group has confirmed one of the industry's worst-kept secrets and announced the acquisition of part of the business of short-sea container haulier Les Knight Transport for an undisclosed sum. Rumours of a deal had been rife for the best part of a month, but the firm has only just been able to reveal the details.

Dodds MD David Pink says that the two companies had been in talks for some time over a potential acquisition, following contact through lobby group TransAction. The plans were scuppered by a winding-up order presented by HM Revenue & Customs to Les Knight, triggering the Faversham haulier's administration on 22 September.

Some of the business has been bought from the administrators, and now sits in Dodds' 21st Century Logistics operation and is running 23 vehicles. The former Les Knight business will move to 21st Century's Sittingbourne depot in the new year.

Pink adds: "We have been looking at doing containers again for a couple of years - it is a natural extension of our trailer business." Les Knight directors Sharon and Peter Knight have also moved across to Dodds.