CBAM like VECTO & EBPMS is an acronym. And all three will change the lives of UK hauliers and trailer builders this year!
And normally I hate acronyms (from my Army days). Mostly 3 letter acronyms are bad but as they become bigger 4 and 5 letters they get a life of their own that will only bamboozle the user and listener.
To those precious few who read this blog you will be familiar with the fact that Newton is rabidly pro-planet. Strangely here at Newton we quite like living on this planet and are not hell bent on Formula 1, Truck racing, or helicopter-use and right royally shitting in our own nest.... our competition meh - less so - just read their facebook pages.
Anyway CBAM is new law entering into the EU in 2026 and UK in 2027 - it basically puts the prices up on products that ignore the environmental costs of their production - such as cheap coal carbon and cheap coal steel. So there is not a win for being the 'dirty man' buying cheap steel and cheap aluminium to undercut your competition. So Chinese steel will be 20% more expensive - Swedish steel zero price increase. Simples.
As you will know Newton provide a Carbon calculation on every trailer and every spare part that you purchase already. The ONLY company in Europe to do so. And we have been doing it since 2022!! What a bunch of weirdos.
So at last our passion for living on a clean and happy planet here at Newton's is lining up with new legislation - happy days. Hopefully our customers will not have price increases - as we are already careful about the source of our trailers. Unfortunately for our competion they will pay the price of more expensive clean or CBAM affected dirty steel and aluminium.
Hoorah bring on the future.
Posted by Andrew on 13/01/2026
3 More Sleeps Til Christmas
Blazed through another Year and with only 3 more sleeps til Christmas it's about time to look forward to 2026 as 2025 becomes chip paper.
2025 has been an interesting year in the bulk community. Within the wider world of Trucks - speaking to the head of Scania a mixed year.... even though Scania's Military side has taken a vast up tick from the shenanigins in Europe - a sad reason to be doing well I suppose - it's not just fighter jets and drones that move militaries forwards.
The agricultural community has taken quite a battering since Brexit. Farm incomes are not super healthy and Rachel Reeves has swept away any up beat feelings from family farms. In his last 2 fingers to the state we said goodbye to James Smith this year who as well as starting Newton in 1962 maintained a farm throughout his adult life.....So in departing the planet this year he did manage to dodge the Inheritance Tax attack on farms and farming families coming in April 2026. He would have been delighted to have disappointed Mrs Reeves - impecable timing dad!! So mostly 2025 was a replacement market for agriculture.
Waste and Construction held steady in 2025 and I think will go well in 2026. The fall in inflation and also in interest rates will give some confidence to the fleets and individuals to refresh in 2026. Housing is stutturing along and the Governments promise to build build build is yet to show up in the numbers but 2026 will be the year the numbers change upwards if Labour is going to have any success at all.
The runners and riders in the trailer manufacturing community have largely held themselves in a neutral position. All the manufacturers managed to survive 2025 and will look keen to fight for market shares in 2026.
The STAS tipping trailer had a steady 2025. There has been an excellent response to the engineering led HALO trailer from customers and a widespread acknowledgment of it's Class leading stability - the only trailer manufacturer in the UK to hold Class A IRTE tilt test standards and European DIN test standards whilst also reducing the total weight of it's design - the power of super computers in Engineering .... So an amazing 2026 is awaited
So all it remains to do is wish you all a very happy Christmas and a healthy and joyous New Year.
Posted by Andrew on 22/12/2025
2025 - a quarter of a Century
Wot, another quarter of a Century nearly done and dusted. Time flies quicker and quicker. Doesn't seem long ago we were all worrying about the Millenium Bug ending our computers abilities to function. Now it seems Trump, Putin, Xi & Reeves are all competing to end our lives in some sort of misery or other. That said we are drawing to the end of another good year. Sales have been good. Competition is high and challenging. But we love good competition .....
nothing knocks you out of the same old same old patterns more than having to duck and dive and compete. Fruehauf has risen from the ashes of another bankruptcy yet again and is pushing - ---- but yet again for the 5th year running STASand Newton is outpacing them in the UK market as a bulk brand. I think we are at peak Fruehauf and STAS will go again. STAS are now recognised as the most stable tipper in Europe having achieved both Class A IRTE as tilt tested on the only tilt test bed left in Europe - not only that they achieved the even harder DIN standard - and feedback from the market from customers who have recently taken both products is that STAS is the better trailer. So anecdotally and numerically STAS is moving forwards. We think that 2026 will lift again for STAS and for Newton. Now that is another quarter century I am looking forwards to.....
Posted by Andrew on 21/11/2025
For whatever weird reason I was asked to talk at Cranfield University - Business School - Bettany Center alongside the Professor of AI - on the subject of AI in business. My conclusion was - apart from 'Thanos was right' that if you don't name check AI as often as possible you are not relevant.
So - I would say that Newton is one of the most AI advanced small to medium sized businesses in the UK - bar none. So challenge thrown down.
We are an end to end Systems Thinking business deploying and dipping into AI at every seat and into workshop, hire, parts, sales, finance and administration. As an example currently we turnover £40 million with no person in our accounts function.
If you are interested and still reading this - apart from 'God Help You' then please apply for a job here and you will enjoy an environment that is constantly challenging and endlessly exciting. Come and join the party!
Posted by Andrew on 18/09/2025
It is not often that this blog takes a serious note but if there was ever a reason then this would be it:
James Smith died on Saturday 26th July 2025
James, born, son of the village milkman/dairyman in Harlington, Bedfordshire - literally cycling with eggs and dairy products around the villages to sell - becoming a local seed merchant to farmers, with a side bar hussle in pigs, eggs, and turkeys. He took risks and grew the farming with the returns from the haulage business. As the Home Counties needed more houses - James developed and sold old farm barns and land to conversions and new house developments. With his life long partner - Elizabeth - 'the grit in his oyster' - he became a good businessman with many successes - a good friend to many - a good mentor- and a good father to 4 children, and grandfather to 9.
Always known for his fun sense of humour; a non-critical approach; a straightfordwards and unremitting need to get things done at speed; whilst perhaps more importantly selliing with an honesty and integrity that became widely recognised and central to his enterprises.
James attended work at Newton Trailers until his 90th year and his 63rd in the business. He died after a short illness at this ripe old age- well loved and fondly remembered. He would wish me to thank you all - our customers and suppliers for your support. He enjoyed your conversations, chats and time. For those of you who knew him or cared for him please do not be sad - just give him a thought and a smile - he lived a good and virtuous life.
Posted by Andrew on 29/07/2025
