Tate Haulage

Not to be confused with Frank Tate & Son, a haulage company owned by Frank Tate.
Tate Haulage (previously Geoff Hawes & Sons) was haulage business taken over by Christopher Tate in 1999. It folded in 2004 after being bankrupted by the King's haulage business.
In December 1998, Christopher Tate decided to get back into the haulage business. He bought struggling haulage business Geoff Hawes & Sons on the cheap and officially took over in January 1999.
In March 1999, Tate Haulage is broken into with the company's lawyer Laura Johnstone inside. She is unable to identify the robber before he flees. Chris Tate immediately realises that Sean Reynolds, who runs rival firm Reynolds Haulage is behind it, but the police do not have enough evidence to prosecute. The two continue to butt heads but the two eventually come to an agreement in order to stay in business. On 6th April they agree to a merge with a a 50-50 split at Sean's yard, but keeping the Tate Haulage name. 
In September of the same year, the business is covered in graffiti. Chris is kidnapped by an unknown assailant, the culprit later being revealed as Frank's illegitimate son Liam Hammond. Soon after Chris' rescue later that year, Sean approached him with the idea of opening a free bus service for people in remote villages without cars to get better access to supermarkets. He got Alan Turner to agree to be a driver without pay as a way to serve the community. In February 2000, after seeing the profit made from the new venture, Sean planned to expand the bus service by partnering up with the tourist board and local hotels to include multiple bus rides going around the Yorkshire Dales, calling it "Tate Tours".
In March 2000, tragedy strikes for the business when the brakes fail on one of the Tate Haulage lorries and it crashes into a minibus. Lorry driver Pete Collins is killed, as well as minibus passengers Patricia Holmes, Bob Simmonds and Butch Dingle. The company goes under heavy investigation and ends up losing a lot of money. Many protests are held against Tate Haulage's vehicles being on the roads, one of which involves Chris's ex-wife Kathy Glover chaining herself to one of the lorries. However, the company is found not at fault and are allowed to resume.
In December 2001, Marc Reynolds attempts to flee the village to avoid being prosecuted for a hit-and-run on Barbara Strickland. However, Marc has a change of heart and returns to the village.
In May 2002, Chris's wife Charity discovers that Ray Mullan has been using the Tate Haulage trucks to bring illegal immigrants into the country. However, Ray manages to get away with the crime despite Charity calling the police on him.
In December 2003 with Charity desperate for money to fund her legal costs, enlists the Dingle clan to rob Tate Haulage's Christmas wages from the safe, however finding that the safe is new Zak, Cain, Sam supported by Chas, remove the safe from the yard to Wishing Well Cottage and hide it under a table cloth as an occasional table.
In February 2004, Carl King, under the fake name of Carl McKenzie, is hired as a truck driver. His deceit is discovered in March 2004 when Scott Windsor catches Carl talking to Matthew King, and realises that they are brothers. The company is bankrupted later that year when the King's haulage company proves to be more popular.
Category:Locations
Category:Businesses in Hotten