The U-Drive Story
In 1974, Dave and Gill Hamblin moved from London to Dorset to raise their young family. Dave ran a haulage business during the week and house removals on the weekends, whilst Gill looked after the children.
Local traders began to ask to borrow their removals van during the week, when it was not in use, and so Gill arranged to hire it to them from their home.
Word soon spread. Requests to hire their Luton van started to grow - on weekends, as well as during the week - and so they bought another van for rental.
As demand grew, Dave and Gill started to invest more into rental vehicles. They would even rent out their family car, if requested, and the children would walk to school.
Demand soon became high enough that they could both focus on vehicle hire full time.
In 1982, U-Drive officially opened in Wareham, Dorset.
Today - over 40 years later - U-Drive Ltd operates a network of 9 locations across England and Wales, employs over 150 people, and operates a fleet of over 4,000 vehicles.
Three generations of Hamblin's now work for the family business and Dave and Gill continue to play an active role in its growth. Their dedication towards customer care and problem-solving have become the foundation of U-Drive's continued success.
Directors, Mark Hamblin (Dave and Gill's son) and Richard Sutton, have both worked for the company for over 30 years and have been instrumental in U-Drive's success. Their knowledge and expertise in the vehicle industry, adaptability to changing times, precise decision-making and team management skills have been key drivers in the business's growth.
Their long term vision is for U-Drive to become a national business, offering the best service available in vehicle hire across the UK.