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Haulage companies in the Portsmouth area

361 haulage companies have a registered office in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), and 87 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £14,724 in cash and owed £22,113 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Freight transport by road” (SIC 49410). Covers companies with a registered office in PO postcodes, including Portsmouth, Chichester, Isle Of Wight.

The numbers

Haulage companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasurePortsmouthUK
Registered companies36168,316
Formed in 2025 or 202687 (24%)27%
Being struck off or in liquidation65 (18%)18%
Typical cash at year end£14,72486 accounts£8,909
Typical amount owed at year end£22,113169 accounts£10,608
Typical number of employees1171 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

15% of haulage companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 6.8% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 98% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) has fewer of these businesses than most places

Haulage companies are 0.63% of companies registered in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), against 1.3% UK-wide (0.5× the national share).

That could be a gap or a sign of weak demand. The register cannot tell which.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical haulage company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 3 or more (171 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

Planning a business like this in Portsmouth?

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Haulage in other places

Other businesses in Portsmouth

All business benchmarks in Portsmouth