About Ian Wilson Haulage

Ian Wilson Haulage was founded in 1974 as a working partnership, starting with just two tipper trucks operating out of the quarries of West Cumbria. The business has remained under continuous family ownership ever since.

From quarry haulage in the 1970s, the company expanded decade by decade. It contributed to major A66 road improvements in 1976-77, added concrete mixer hire in 1988, launched HIAB crane hire in 1997, and purchased its first Lillyhall yard in 2004. Each step was built on the reputation earned in the last.

In the mid-1970s, the company's tippers worked on the A66 improvement programme, including the Brough Bypass, the Keswick Bypass, and the Bridgefoot to Cockermouth and Embleton Bypass. These are roads that people across Cumbria still drive every day.

Yes. The business has been under continuous family ownership since Ian Wilson founded it in 1974. That continuity means long-standing relationships with clients, consistent standards and a genuine commitment to getting the job done, not just processing a contract.

The first Lillyhall yard was purchased in 2004, when the self-storage operation began. A second neighbouring yard was acquired in 2011, doubling storage capacity. In 2019 the former HGV Testing Station was purchased, extending the site further and adding caravan storage. Three separate acquisitions over fifteen years.

While West Cumbria is home, the business has never been limited to it. The mixer fleet has operated on major projects from Birmingham to Inverness, and containers can be delivered anywhere in the UK using the company's own HIAB lorries.

The company has worked across quarrying, opencast coal, major road construction, civil engineering, marina operations, energy sector logistics and retail and commercial storage. That breadth reflects over fifty years of adapting to what clients in the region actually need.

Tony Taylor, Marina Supervisor at Whitehaven Marina Ltd, has been a customer for over seven years: "The company has never failed to exceed our expectations on what can often be unique, time-sensitive jobs. Great company and great people."