View source for National Freight Corporation

{{Infobox Defunct Company 
| company_name  = National Freight Corporation
| company_logo  = 
| slogan        = 
| fate          = Merged with ''Ocean Group''
| successor     = [[Exel|Exel plc]]
| foundation    = 1948
| defunct       = 2000
| location      = [[London]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| industry      = [[Transport]]
| key_people    = Sir [[Christopher Bland]], ([[Chairman]])<br>Gerry Murphy, ([[CEO]])
| products      = 
| num_employees = 
| parent        = 
| subsid        =
}}
'''The National Freight Corporation''' was a major [[United Kingdom|British]] transport business. It was listed on the [[London Stock Exchange]] and at one time, as '''NFC plc''', it was a constituent of the [[FTSE 100 Index]]. 

==History==
[[File:British Road Services livery vehicles.jpg|thumb|BRS liveried trucks]]
The Company was established in 1948 as '''British Road Services''' (BRS). It was the [[United Kingdom|British]] road transport company formed by the [[nationalisation]] of Britain's road haulage industry, under the [[British Transport Commission]], as a result of the [[Transport Act 1947]].<ref name=mustoe>{{cite web|url=http://www.nynehead-books.co.uk/description.php?II=1495 |title=Gordon Mustoe, '&#39;BRS Parcels Services and The Express Carriers'&#39; |publisher=Nynehead-books.co.uk |date=1955-01-01 |accessdate=2011-08-10}}</ref>

By the 1960s was made up of four main operating areas: 
* '''British Road Services Ltd.'''
* '''BRS Parcels Ltd.'''
* '''[[Pickfords]]'''
* '''Containerway & Roadferry Ltd.'''

In 1969 it was renamed the '''National Freight Corporation'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaybritain.co.uk/road%20haulage%20services.html |title=Railway road haulage services |publisher=Railwaybritain.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-08-10}}</ref> Under the Conservative government of [[Margaret Thatcher]] in 1982 it was sold to its employees in one of the first [[privatisation]]s of [[state industry|state-owned industry]] under the name the '''National Freight Consortium'''.<ref name=pickfords>[http://www.pickfords.co.uk/html/about/aboutpickfords_history2.htm Pickfords: History]</ref> It was first listed on the [[London Stock Exchange]] in 1989.<ref name=pickfords/> It subsequently became ''NFC plc''.

BRS Parcels was rebranded as '''Roadline''' and left the Company by way of a [[management buy-out]] under the name [[LYNX Express]] in 1997.<ref name=mustoe/>

The Company disposed of Pickfords in 1999 to [[Allied Van Lines]].<ref name=merger>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/nfc-and-ocean-forge-pound32bn-alliance-to-exploit-ecommerce-725209.html NFC and Ocean forge £3.2bn alliance to exploit e-commerce] The Independent, 22 February 2000</ref>

In 2000 it merged with [[Ocean Group plc]] to form [[Exel|Exel plc]].<ref name=merger/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons cat|British Road Services}}
*{{cite book|title=Managing Transport Operations|author=E.J. Gubbins|publisher=Kogan Page|isbn=0-7494-3928-9}}

{{BRS+NFC group}}
{{Heavy Haulage contractors}}
{{wikipedia}}

[[Category:British Road Services|BRS]]
[[Category:National Freight Corporation|NFC]]
[[Category:Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies based in London]]
[[Category:Transport companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Companies founded in 1948]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Companies of the United Kingdom]]

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