Private Dave Hill, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, sustained an injury to his leg whilst in Afghanistan in 2007 and was in recovery for two years. During this period, he spent time at the Armed Forces Career Office in Colchester, went skiing with "Battle Back" in Bavaria and spent 11 months on an internship with Skill Force. All of this gave him the time, space and personal confidence to consider his long-term future, as it was apparent that his prospects with the Army were limited by his injury.

From an early age, Dave had been interested in Large Good Vehicle (LGV) driving, but hadn't realised it was an option until he met an ex-driver who told him that many trucks now have automatic gearboxes. Working with his Welfare Officer, Capt. Lee Jay, Dave investigated local haulage companies in Suffolk, with the objectives of increasing his knowledge of the industry and to confirm whether driving was the right career option for him.

Following a successful meeting with Chris Abbott, the Operations Manager at James Kemball Limited, Dave started his placement in September 2010. He initially "rode shotgun" with other drivers to gain experience and familiarise himself with practices and procedures, received on-the-job training and spent three weeks driving different makes and models of LGV to assess the impact of his injury on a day-to-day basis. Dave then moved to driving on his own, spending nights away (sleeping in his truck), and building up his general experience.

Dave said, "everything I've done since being injured has helped me prepare for the future. Rather than going out there with nothing behind me, I've been able to explore my options and adjust to a normal life. It's great that I've had this placement opportunity."

Chris Abbott commented, "Dave appears to be coping well with our requirements, he is enjoying the role, and will be offered permanent employment at the end of his placement."

James Kemball is pleased to announce that it has purchased 45 new trailers from Dennison.

All 45 new trailers will be sliding skeletal trailers and will be in use by early January next year in preparation for the anticipated growth in demand during 2011.

Chris Abbott said "We are pleased to continue our long-term relationship with Dennison. The sliding skeletals are extremely versatile and reliable, even with heavy use."

Operations Manager, Chris Abbott, shown pictured with Dennison Managing Director, James Dennison, after taking delivery of the first trailer.

James Kemball is due to take delivery of 20 new trucks. All of the vehicles will go on the road during October, November and early January.

Whilst some of the tractor units on order are replacement vehicles, the Company has increased the owned fleet in preparation for anticipated growth in demand during 2011.

The vehicles have been sourced from MAN and Scania, catering for the differing performance requirements of our work.

All of the trucks are well-appointed and the owned vehicles were selected on the basis of whole-life costs, fuel consumption and after sales support.

All of our new trucks for the time being will remain white with James Kemball livery.

James Kemball is pleased to announce that its recent application for an "O" license in Doncaster has been approved.

We can now expand our business in the Doncaster area to and from the local rail terminal. This will enable us to support our customers' needs in the North of England.

In early January prolonged periods of heavy snow, combined with severe freezing temperatures overnight resulted in severe disruption at the Port of Felixstowe.

With quayside markings obscured and dangerous icing on ladders to container handling equipment, the Port had no alternative but to close until conditions improved. The depot of James Kemball Limited, adjacent to the port perimeter, suffered similarly. Peter Noice, General Manager (Operations) said: "Through the sterling efforts of our drivers and operations staff we were able to remain poised to transfer priority export boxes to the quay as and when the port opened. Unfortunately, these periods proved both brief and infrequent. Our efforts to maintain export commitments using containers from peripheral yards were also hampered by the weather, an almost unprecedented situation."

The situation was compounded by a national shortage of road salt, some relief finally arriving with the procurement of a mechanical digger. Driver John Beckett said "Those were probably the worst conditions that I can recall in 24 years as a driver. Every vehicle movement seemed to require the digging of snow and it was certainly a very trying time. It was great to have management helping out alongside us!"

Whether your customers are around the block or around the UK, it is imperative in today's haulage environment to have an internet presence. Having a website is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity!

As a part of James Kemball's new marketing plan, to increase its business presence across the UK and the globe, it's our great pleasure to announce that we have developed a brand new website that went live on Monday 18th January 2010. The site has some great features and tells you everything you need to know about our company.

We really hope that our new site gives you an insight into the wide range of services and solutions that James Kemball can offer you.

Daniel showed how good he is in the wet this weekend by winning two heats and finishing third in the final. With this great result he clinched second place in his first ProKart championship. Daniel has now won twelve trophies, and will receive his thirteenth on December 11 for his Championship placing.

Daniel will now be promoted to the Clubman Lights, and in two weeks' time I will be sending Daniel's kart away to be upgraded for next season. I hope by then we will know what sponsorship we have for 2010.

I will be putting Daniel in one more race using the Red Lodge kart in December to finish this season off, while Daniel's own kart is being upgraded.

- Malcolm Nunn

James Kemball says it wants to expand its business to other UK areas.

James Kemball is planning to expand their business in the Doncaster area, by applying for an operators' license that will allow them to place four vehicles at a local rail terminal.

This will enable us to handle the ever-increasing demand for work in the North of England.

James Kemball has recently completed new refurbishment of the container depot.

After weeks of minor disruption to the container depot, James Kemball is pleased to announce that the recent container depot improvements have now been completed, with the addition of new high-powered floodlights, allowing us to continue lifting safely until 18:00. In addition to the new lighting, parts of the 2.5 acre plot have been newly resurfaced and security has been tightened with the addition of new CCTV cameras.

After nine months of racing, Daniel is currently 2nd place for the ProKart Championship at Red Lodge with two races remaining. The two lowest points scores are taken away at the end of the season, so it is hoped that Daniel will remain the the top six drivers, who will be promoted to the higher league next season. He has beaten his personal best lap time five times and has won a total of nine trophies so far this season. It has been a great achievement as this is his first year in ProKart.

It is hoped Daniel will appear in a race at PF International, near Newark, later this year. If Daniel can keep 2nd place in the ProKart Clubman Championship it is thought that he will be good enough to enter the PFI championship next year. To do this will require his two engines and his kart to be rebuilt so that he can be competitive in this higher league next season.

Daniel will be staying on to continue his studies at Westbourne Sports College for another two years, and they have been pleased with Daniel's racing and will also support him next year. If we can get Daniel in the championship at PFI, it will be good for all sponsors - Sky Sports will be there next season, and with the help of Sprocket Photography it will be good advertising for James Kemball.

James Kemball driver Nick Long is pleased to return to work after a period of life-changing compassionate leave.

Nick's brother, Dave, who has lived in Canada for twenty years suffered kidney failure in 2006.

Upon receiving the news, Nick began discreetly examining the possibility of donating a kidney.

There then followed a period of compatibilty tests until August 2008, when the go ahead was given.

He flew out to Saskatoon on November the 5th and the transplant was performed a week later on the 12th of that month, a period Nick describes as an "emotional rollercoaster".

After three weeks, he returned to the UK to complete his recovery.

Nick modestly states "I think mine was the easy part. The real heroes are my brother, who had suffered poor health for so long, and the surgeons and nurses who performed the transplant and cared for me."

He went on to say "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the management and traffic staff for their cooperation, and especially my colleagues for their support. We are both doing well and Dave is planning a trip back to the UK, which was previously thought to be impossible."

In April of this year, James Kemball agreed to sponsor Daniel Nunn during his first season of indoor karting, after being approached by his father, Malcolm, one of our HGV drivers.

Daniel, whom has just turned 14 years of age, has achieved his first indoor endurance race win and, with one round remaining, is currently in 3rd position in the Anglian Indoor Karting Championship, held in Ipswich.

He is also the holder of the lap record for this circuit, which was previously held by the British champion.

So impressive has his driving been, that he has attracted interest from the outdoor karting facility at Red Lodge in Cambridgeshire.

He won an endurance race against older and more experienced racers on the 1st of July and has also tested for a racing team, who are keen to sign him for the next year.

Following the installation of the new building in December, all office equipment and staff were successfully transferred into their new abode and ready for business on Monday 26th March.

Apart from a few aching backs, no damage was incurred during the move.

On Tuesday 19th December at precisely 08:00, the first of twelve sections of a new pre-fabricated building for James Kemball was delivered for assembly on site, and was in place by 09:00.

Vehicles arrived with the remaining eleven sections at thirty minute intervals. All units were in place by 16:00 and the building was made secure and water-tight within 48 hours of delivery.

The building will be completely fitted out by the end of February.

Another James Kemball tacho was hung up on the 23rd of November - this time for long serving driver Frank Tovell.

Frank was employed by co-founder Charles Reed on 9th July 1984 and should have retired in 1995, but decided to stay on part time. However, Frank's part time soon became five days a week as he was often called upon to cover holidays and sickness.

He decided not to renew his licence this year - at the youthful age of 75! - but will instead pursue his interests of searching for treasure with his metal detector or proudly tending to his garden.

Charles Reed (a fellow pensioner!) was only too pleased to return to present him with a tankard and restaurant vouchers, and to thank him for his loyalty and hard work over the years.

We wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement.

James Kemball Limited, the Felixstowe based haulage company owned by "K" Line (Europe) Limited, has had a corporate identity upgrade.

The familiar red cabs have been matched to the "K" Line corporate red, and the lettering of the logo modernised and clarified by using a bold condensed sans serif typeface.

Added to this is a new JK emblem, similar in style to a metallic vehicle badge, which has been applied to the roof "air-dams" and cab doors.

James Kemball continues to expand, with regular orders for new tractor units to expand and update the fleet.

Plans are also currently under way to extend the James Kemball depot and improve the office facilities, both of which are situated immediately opposite the Port of Felixstowe dock gates.