From one man and one machine to a national fleet of 180, Stevens Equipment Rental celebrates 50 years at the heart of UK earthmoving – and gears up for the next chapter in its family-run success story.
Stevens Equipment Rental is looking forward to a year of celebrations around its 50th anniversary – and is already planning for the next 50 years of growth. The family-run rental company is a leading national supplier of construction equipment, with a fleet of over 180 machines, including excavators, articulated dump trucks, loading shovels, and tracked dozers.
Managing director Andrew Stevens believes the company’s long-running success is the result of its strong family values and hard work ethic.
“We have thrived for 50 years because we have never wavered from our fundamental beliefs,” he said. “My father built this business based on hard work and trustworthiness. Because of his efforts, we are still known today for our family values with a reputation for honesty and fairness. We’re looking forward to the next 50 years and our commitment to our values will continue to drive us onto even greater success.”
One man and a dump truck
The company traces its origins back to Peter Stevens Dumptruck Hire, founded by the eponymous Peter in 1975. He started with one dump truck – a Scammell Himalayan, with a 6×4 configuration and a 12 cubic yard capacity – which he charged out at £4.50 per hour. From the very beginning, Peter was supported by his wife, Christina, whose dedication was instrumental in getting the business off the ground.
His first job was for Tarmac Construction at Cockermouth, which completed on time and on schedule and set the foundation for future success. From here he bought another six Scammell Himalayans along with some Terex R-17s and Aveling Barford SN35s. After these the company began to branch into articulated dump trucks with Volvo 860s and 861s along with Moxy D16Bs and DJB D22s.
Peter steadily built a reputation for reliability and value for money, winning substantial contracts on a range of high-profile projects including the M6 Gretna bypass, A66 Keswick bypass, Sellafield nuclear site, the Marchon chemical works in Whitehaven and a new hospital in Barrow-in-Furness.
Expansion across the UK
As the company’s reputation and capabilities grew, it began to expand, moving beyond the northwest of England to add projects in Darlington, Sheffield and Newark. Then came the first jobs in Scotland – supporting major infrastructure projects such as the Ludag–Eriskay causeway in the Outer Hebrides, and the A74M and M80 road constructions.
Under Peter’s leadership, the machine stock grew rapidly, reaching more than 100 dump trucks in the late 1980s – and including one of the largest fleets of Moxy dump trucks in the UK. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the profile of the fleet gradually shifted, initially towards Terex machines then onto Volvo CE, which still makes up a majority of its articulated dump trucks today.
A new generation, a broader vision
Two of Peter’s sons, Andrew and Michael, bought the business in the early 2000s and began to diversify the fleet, branching out into other earthmoving equipment, especially wheel loaders. As the fleet mix continued to grow, the brothers decided to rename the business to Stevens Equipment Rental Ltd in 2013.
In 2021 Andrew became sole owner and spearheaded the next phase of expansion, adding excavators, dozers, crushers and screeners. Today, Stevens Equipment Rental has one of the most modern fleets in the UK, with all of its machines coming from premium manufacturers such as Volvo Construction Equipment, Caterpillar, and Liebherr.
Looking to the next 50
“Merging modern equipment, first-class customer service and traditional family values has proved a winning combination,” added Andrew. “Today’s projects need low emissions, high performance machinery with minimal downtime. Customers want the best equipment and expert help that’s just a phone call away. We’ve built our business around this premise and together with our customers we’re excited to move to bigger and bolder jobsites in the next 50 years.”
Stevens Equipment Rental is based in Cumbria and has a further depot in Northamptonshire with a third depot to be added in Scotland in the near future. The company serves projects across the UK in construction, quarrying, waste and recycling, power generation, portside operations, infrastructure and more.
The post 50 years strong: Stevens Equipment Rental’s evolution in UK construction appeared first on Construction Industry News.