A specialist light haulage business is celebrating after taking possession of a new Iveco truck.

S M Direct managing director Stuart McBurney said the arrival of the 7.5tonne truck at the firm, based at Horham Business Park, at Denham, near Eye, was part of the ongoing expansion of the business, which next year celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The vehicle for the former Future 50 firm, which operates across Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and the rest of the UK, was sourced from Iveco dealer the Hammond Group in Halesworth.

Stuart, the son of a lorry driver, started his haulage business about nine years ago with a £500 lorry, and an unpromising start.

“It broke down on the first day on the Orwell bridge,” he said.

“We have built the business up from there. We don’t solely deliver pallets – we do bespoke delivery – square peg, round hole. We work with blue chip companies to one man micro business to the NHS. We can also now provide warehousing for clients.

“Hammonds have supported us from day one with our continued growth. They get our business ethos and needs, being a family-run business.”

Andy Overy and Stuart Richardson were instrumental in sourcing the new vehicle, he said.

“We hope to add a few more trucks from Hammonds to keep our fleet up to date,” he added.