A haulage company based near Ipswich has been told to close by HMRC, as drivers received messages telling them work had been cancelled.
At around 11pm on December 4, drivers for Fifth Gear Transport Service, based in Lodge Lane, Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, received the message operations were stopping.
The business specialises in transport solutions for chilled, frozen and ambient distribution.
The message stated: "ALL DRIVERS, it is with huge regret that we have to inform you that our bank has frozen our account movements.
"Therefore, until further notice, we can no longer operate.
"Please DO NOT go to work for your next shift.
"We will be in contact tomorrow when we have more information.
"Apologies."
The High Court has confirmed that the business has also been handed a winding-up petition by HMRC and is set to appear at the Rolls Building in London on January 28 next year.
A winding-up petition is a formal legal application to the court, typically filed by a creditor, to force a company into compulsory liquidation because it cannot pay its debts.
An HMRC spokesman said it was taking a "supportive approach", but it only files winding-up petitions when it has "exhausted all other options to protect taxpayers’ money”.
In 2024, the company had 31 employees and a profit loss account of £265,754.
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This comes after Great Blakenham-based Magnus Group and Bomfords Group, based in Harleston, closed in 2023.
Meanwhile, Searon Logistics, based in Felixstowe, also closed in 2025, compounding an increasingly tough climate for the industry.
Paul Mummery, head of news & media at Road Haulage Association, said: “This is a tough time for our industry with so many hauliers going bust amid above-inflation cost increases hitting everyone’s bottom line.
“Most haulage firms are small and medium-sized enterprises, typically working on paper-thin, shrinking margins, which is why we’re seeing so many insolvencies.
The knock-on effect this has on communities and local businesses when people lose their jobs can be devastating.
“This is why we call on the Government to introduce fuel duty rebates for hauliers and to step up road building programmes to tackle the congestion that costs the country £30b every year.”
Fifth Gear Transport Service has been contacted for comment.
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