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A huge well done to our PM Operations Supervisor, Justin, who took on an incredible challenge yesterday by completing a 10,000ft skydive to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance! 🚁❤️ Justin bravely took the leap from 10,000 feet, all in support of a fantastic charity that provides lifesaving emergency care across Yorkshire. And despite the nerves that come with jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane, Justin absolutely loved the experience – so much so that he's already planning to take to the skies and do it all over again next year! We're incredibly proud of Justin for taking on such an amazing challenge and helping to raise vital funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Well done, Justin – 10,000 feet conquered! 👏🪂

If you've had a parcel sent to you through our APC Overnight service, you've probably noticed you get more than just a vague "it'll arrive sometime tomorrow." That's down to APC Choice - the tracking and delivery management system built into the wider APC network we're a depot of. WHAT APC CHOICE IS Once a parcel's been sent through us via APC, it gets a 7-digit consignment number. Enter that along with the delivery postcode on APC Choice, and you can follow the parcel's journey and manage how it's delivered - all without needing to phone anyone. A NARROWED DELIVERY WINDOW Rather than a full-day guess, APC Choice gives a 2-hour estimated delivery window once the parcel is out for delivery, sent by email or text, or shown directly in APC Choice. It's the difference between clearing your whole afternoon and just needing to be around for a short stretch of it. IF THE TIMING DOESN'T WORK Plans change, and APC Choice lets you rearrange things rather than just miss the delivery entirely. Depending on what the sender has allowed, that can mean choosing a new delivery date, leaving it with a neighbour, leaving it in a safe place, collecting it yourself from the depot, or picking it up from a local APC or Parcelly collection point the next working day. Leave-safe and redirect options specifically depend on the sender giving permission - so if you don't see them as an option, that's usually why. IF A DELIVERY IS MISSED If nobody's in, the driver leaves a "Sorry We Missed You" card. From there, APC Choice can be used to rearrange delivery or collection. It's worth acting on fairly promptly - if there's no contact within three working days of a missed delivery, the parcel may be sent back to the sender. WHY IT MATTERS None of this is just a nice extra - it's what turns "a parcel is coming at some point" into something you can actually plan your day around, whether that's you waiting in, or one of your own customers waiting on a delivery from you.

Long before "HEC Logistics" appeared on the side of a van, the business started life as Huddersfield Express Couriers - founded in 1989. LOCAL BEGINNINGS The company's earliest days were based in Kirkburton, a village just south of Huddersfield and was formed by Kevin Ledger before relocating to Brockholes as the business established itself. Like a lot of independent couriers of that era, HEC grew out of local knowledge - understanding the roads, the businesses, and the delivery needs of the towns right around it, long before "same-day" and "next-day" became industry-standard terms. JOINING THE NETWORK In the mid-1990s, Huddersfield Express Couriers joined the newly forming APC Overnight network - pairing the company's own local same-day fleet with APC's nationwide next-day infrastructure from close to the very start of that network's existence. It's a partnership that still defines the business today: a same-day operation built on local relationships, backed by a next-day and international network built on genuine scale. BECOMING HUDDERSFIELD EXPRESS COURIERS LTD In 2002, the business formally incorporated as Huddersfield Express Couriers Ltd - the legal name that still appears on invoices and the small print of this website today. OUTGROWING HUDDERSFIELD By 2011, growth had outpaced what the Huddersfield-area sites could support, and the company made its move to Castleford - specifically to Wakefield Europort, a location chosen for its direct access to the M62 corridor. The move brought a new identity with it: it was at this point that the company adopted the trading name HEC Logistics, the name customers know today, even as Huddersfield Express Couriers Ltd remained the legal entity behind it. The move reshaped what the business could offer, too - instead of being a strong local courier, HEC now sat right on one of the North's busiest arterial routes, within easy reach of Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, and the wider motorway network connecting to the rest of the UK. 37 YEARS ON The company is still run day-to-day by people who've been part of its growth for decades, not distant owners - the same character that got HEC through its Kirkburton and Brockholes years is still what the Castleford depot runs on now. Same-day, overnight, and international shipments now move through the Wakefield Europort hub every day, but the underlying idea hasn't changed since 1989: know the job, know the roads, and get it there.

As part of the APC Overnight network, HEC Logistics is proud to be one of over 90 independently owned member depots that make up the UK's largest independent parcel delivery network. ORIGINS APC Overnight - originally The Alternative Parcels Company - was founded in 1994 by 47 UK courier businesses that identified a gap in the domestic overnight parcels market. What made it different from the outset was its structure: rather than a single centrally-owned carrier, it was built on a cooperative model of independently owned member depots, each locally run but connected through a shared national network. That structure is still recognisable today - the network has grown to more than 115 independent depots, handling over 30 million parcels a year, while remaining true to the founding idea of local ownership backing national reach. BUILT FOR THE AWKWARD JOBS APC built its reputation partly by taking on the shipments other carriers would rather not: perishable goods, fresh produce, cut flowers, live fish, fragile items, and medical supplies are all areas where the network has developed particular expertise - useful context for why HEC, as a member depot, is comfortable handling time-sensitive and awkward consignments ourselves. The network has backed that reputation with real infrastructure investment. Its original site was outgrown by 2014, leading to a $16.5 million National Sortation Centre at Cannock, later joined by a second hub reopened in 2016 and a third - an 80,000 sq ft facility in West Bromwich, built by a member depot and designed around solar power, generating 71% of its own energy in its first autumn and winter. A NEW CHAPTER: JULY 2025 In July 2025, APC underwent the most significant ownership change in its history. A consortium - led by WS Holdco Limited, the vehicle of logistics figure William Stobart, alongside DBAY Advisors Limited and private investors - acquired a 78.32% controlling interest in the business. Stobart is a familiar name in UK logistics as a long-serving figure behind the Stobart Group and Eddie Stobart Logistics. Importantly, existing depot shareholders and management retained the remaining minority stake - this wasn't a takeover that sidelined the member depots that built the network. WHAT'S NEXT The tone from both sides has been continuity rather than upheaval. APC's chairman has said the new ownership aligns with the company's values and will support sustained growth of both the business and the network, while the network continues rolling out practical improvements - recent investment has gone into consumer messaging, reporting, and Click and Collect through a partnership with Parcelly, with further work planned on phone systems, the booking platform, and scanning technology. For HEC, the upshot is straightforward: the same local depot, the same team, backed by a network that has just taken on serious new investment to keep growing.

What started as a late evening call about an intruder alarm quickly turned into every business owner’s worst nightmare. A fire had ripped through the HEC Logistics’ offices, destroying the ground floor and leaving the rest of the workspace badly damaged. Thankfully, our vehicles and customers’ parcels escaped unscathed. Having been part of The APC network since 1999, we weren't facing the challenge alone. Within hours, the team had set up a temporary office in the warehouse. By the weekend, drivers had given up their time to help clear the backlog, and just a few days later, the business was back up and running. It was the determination of the entire HEC Logistics team, combined with the incredible support of The APC network, that made all the difference. A story of resilience, teamwork, and what can be achieved when people pull together. 💙