A history of Sainsbury's lorries
Getting products from the depot to the shop has been a vital part of Sainsbury’s operations since its earliest history. W.C. Gurr, who oversaw the company’s transport from 1929 until 1953, wrote a fascinating series of articles for the staff magazine ‘JS Journal’ (‘Delivered to your Door’, ‘From Oats to Petrol’ and the third instalment) explaining how Sainsbury’s gradually and reluctantly replaced horse-drawn carts with motorized vehicles in the early 20th century.
The first alternative to horses Sainsbury’s tried were two Foden steam wagons, purchased in 1907. The company was expanding over a larger area and needed to send products on longer journeys. These vehicles were smoky, dirty and unreliable and before long Sainsbury’s was looking at petrol engines instead, such as Milnes-Daimler 5-ton vans.
In 1919 six Leyland lorries were bought from the RAF to make the long drive from the Blackfriars depot to branches on the south coast. W.C. Gurr remembered how the company founder John James Sainsbury ‘took a very great interest in this move, being very concerned with the welfare of the drivers. He personally presented each man with a thermos flask and a good pair of driving gloves.’ At this time ‘heavy commercial vehicles were restricted by law to a speed of 12 mph and only 5 mph when pulling a trailer’. A return journey to Brighton at such speeds would take about 11 to 12 hours!
Sainsbury’s used horses for short journeys until 1937, when increasing costs and developments such as traffic lights made the company decide to give them up. Horses and heavy lorries were replaced with 4-ton light Bedford vehicles which were legally permitted to drive at 30 miles per hour. This change had a ‘profound effect’ on Sainsbury’s distribution, as the Bedfords could make round trips to the furthest branches and still be back in time to deliver to a London branch the same day if necessary. Journeys from Blackfriars to the Midlands, such as the ‘Derby run’, still required ‘a start at 3 a.m. in order to arrive in time for early trading’.
Lorries were unloaded at Running Horses Yard, where Sainsbury's horses were once stabled. By the 1950s ‘about 70 men’ were working as motor engineers at Blackfriars. They were responsible for the ‘Branch Fleet’ – light vans used by branches still providing a home delivery service – as well as the larger ‘Depot Fleet’, which took goods in from docks and warehouses and out to the shops.
W.C. Gurr noted that ‘For many years it has been the policy of the Firm not to engage drivers for the Depot Fleet, but to select good men from the Depot Staff and teach them to drive. The Firm has its own Instructors licensed by the Ministry of Transport, to examine drivers up to Heavy Goods Standard.’ Vehicles were rigorously inspected and tested to ensure safety and reliability.
The 1960s saw a major change in Sainsbury’s distribution, as it began using depots outside London which would eventually supersede the one at Blackfriars. Transport from the new depots was initially provided by a company called W.J. Sims, who dealt with ‘exceptionally cold weather’ during the 1963 Big Freeze.
By this time refrigerated trailers were ‘fast becoming a familiar sight’ amongst Sainsbury’s own fleet.
Some of the refrigerated vehicles were articulated. These large lorries had ‘Bedford TK 12-ton tractive units with Leyland 400 diesel engines with five speed gear boxes’ and were ‘lovely to drive’.
Lorry liveries changed regularly, with ‘biscuit’, ‘brown’ and ‘beige and orange’ trialled over the years. Sainsbury’s Design Studio took a keen interest in branding on vehicles.
In 1972 Sainsbury’s drivers showed their skills at the ‘Lorry Driver of the Year Competition’ for the first time. Nearly all of Sainsbury’s shops in those days were in busy town and city centres which were not designed with large vehicles in mind. Delivering to them could be challenging for drivers and branch staff. In 1975 Sainsbury’s trialled ‘juggernauts’: ‘gigantic 50 feet-long lorries’ that were ‘far too large to get into branch loading bays and are at present tied up on depot work’.
Two years later another innovation arrived as radios were fitted in lorries. Academic research suggested that ‘music helps to keep the driver awake and alert’. By the 1980s Sainsbury’s was replacing its Bedford TKs with a variety of vehicles from different manufacturers. ‘JS Journal’ featured an in-depth interview with Brian Christmas, technical executive of the distribution division, exploring the ‘complex problems of vehicle specification’. Refrigeration was one carefully considered question: refrigerated vehicles were reserved for long journeys as ‘a refrigerator on a short run would create air currents around the goods and transfer heat from the warmer goods to the perishable items’.
In 1985 ‘JS Journal’ highlighted the work of the lorry drivers – each one was a ‘a true professional’ and an ambassador for the company. A year later it listed some of the many awards Sainsbury’s drivers received for ‘safe and courteous driving’. It also noted that the fleet of 400 lorries had covered ‘12 million miles in just one year — that's twice around the world each working day!’
With such huge mileage required, any technology which could reduce fuel costs was worth experimenting with.
Sainsbury’s has long been conscious of the environmental impact of its distribution network. In the 1990s it publicised the various steps it was taking to improve air quality.
Lorry livery is continually updated because it is a key element of Sainsbury’s brand identity. ‘JS Journal’ emphasised that the ‘placing of the colours and lettering, and their proportions, are as critical to the design as the colours and typefaces used.’
In 2000 Sainsbury’s launched an ambitious programme to modernise its supply chain. As part of this it trialled ‘in-cab, satellite-based technology to enable Sainsbury's fleet to be managed more effectively’.
If you have any memories relating to Sainsbury's transport that you would like to share you can do so on our Memories page.
Comments
Comments (0)