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Nightfreight says it is "concentrating on the fundamentals of service" to push forward in 2008 and beyond. Managing director Peter Louden says the two elements the firm is focusing on are excellent service levels and the rewarding, training and development of staff. "The training and development of staff has two benefits. The first is that you retain more people, but the second is that they are more proficient in the way they approach their job," he says.

The firm has its own training school,  which is seeking to become an approved training provider under the Driver CPC regulations due to hit in 2009. Nightfreight has the commercial benefit of providing training to outside customers, rather than just its own staff. It has put six drivers through its Warehouse to Wheels prog-ramme, launched earlier this year, which trains warehouse operatives to drive a truck. And Louden says Nightfreight is looking at training provisions to help those operatives without a car licence obtain one. "We're looking to be one of the leaders in training," Louden adds.

Cost control is key to the group, with the firm keen to curb the impact of rising fuel prices, but Louden says there is also an active policy of reducing the use of agency drivers. While he recognises their value, he cites efficiency drops and potential health and safety issues as a problem. "In our line of work, you can't have people turning up untrained," he says.

Louden and new executive chairman Robbie Burns concede  that 2007 has been "challenging" commercially. The firm has also gone through a shake-up of its board directors, with chief executive Steve Allen leaving in July and chairman Tim Redfurn making way for Burns (MT 15 Nov).

But both are confident in the strength of the company for the future. "We're not a global player, but when you look at the breadth of our service, we are a fair competitor," Burns says. Louden reveals that a slight change in the company's livery during its ongoing vehicle replacement programme, to a blue background rather than grey, has saved the firm around £100,000, as it has eliminated the cost of vehicle re-sprays.