Ashton-under-Lyne's industrial history runs back to the cotton mills that defined the town from the late eighteenth century onward – and today, Tameside's economy generates a diverse demand for road haulage. That manufacturing DNA has not disappeared; it has shifted into light engineering, plastics fabrication, food production and a growing logistics sector, all of which produce freight that needs to move reliably across the UK and beyond.
The loads leaving Ashton's industrial estates reflect that diversity. Palletised components for automotive Tier 2 suppliers, rolls of technical textiles, packaged food products and building materials all require lorry transport on schedules that align with production cycles and retail replenishment windows. Road haulage from Ashton-under-Lyne has to be flexible enough to handle a single-pallet part-load on one day and a full 24-tonne consignment the next.
zipmend delivers that flexibility through an online booking system designed for commercial freight. Load dimensions, preferred collection time and vehicle class are entered in a single step – the system returns a fixed price, and the order is live. No volume commitment, no standing contract, no minimum frequency.
For the businesses operating across Tameside's trading estates and industrial parks, that approach removes the friction that typically accompanies ad-hoc haulage. Instead of contacting multiple carriers for quotes and waiting for availability, you book in minutes, receive a confirmed collection window and track progress through milestone updates. The result is freight management that fits around production schedules rather than disrupting them.
The small van is ideal for transporting packages or documents. It has space for up to 2 Europallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
The small van is ideal for transporting packages or documents. It has space for up to 2 Euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
Capacity
Max. shipment weight
up to 400 kg
The medium van is suitable for up to 4 Europallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
The medium van is suitable for up to 4 Euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
Capacity
Max. shipment weight
up to 800 kg
The large van can carry up to 5 euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
The large van can carry up to 5 euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
Capacity:
Maximum shipment weight:
up to 1,200 kg
The curtain-side van is suitable for heavy shipments and can carry up to 8 euro pallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the side and from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
The curtain-side van can carry up to 8 euro pallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the side and from the rear. The vehicle has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
Capacity:
Maximum shipment weight:
up to 1,000 kg
The van with lifting platform is suitable for heavy shipments and can carry up to 8 Europallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the rear, it has no dock height.
The van with tail lift is suitable for heavy shipments and can load up to 8 Europallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the rear, it has no dock height.
Capacity:
per package up to 200 x 150 x 200 cm
Max. shipment weight:
per package up to 500 kg
up to 800kg in total
The 3t partial load is suitable for up to 14 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
The 3t partial load is suitable for up to 14 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 3,000 kg
The 5t partial load is suitable for up to 14 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
The 5t partial load is suitable for up to 14 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 5,000 kg
The 12t partial load is suitable for up to 18 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
The 12t partial load is suitable for up to 18 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 12,000 kg
Our standard truck can carry up to 33 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Our standard truck can carry up to 33 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Max. shipment weight
up to 24,000 kg
The prices for our freight forwarding services include 120 minutes for loading, unloading, and other waiting times. Each additional started hour costs 60 € net. No loading or unloading assistance from the driver. We do not conduct pallet exchanges. Island transports are generally only possible on request. Invoicing is done via email.
| Vehicle | Price | Dimensions | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small van | from 49 € | 2 Europallets 160 x 120 x 120 cm |
Max. 400 kg |
| Mid-Sized van | from 69 € |
4 Europallets 320 x 130 x 160 cm |
Max. 800 kg |
| Large van | from 119 € |
5 Europallets 420 x 135 x 180 cm |
Max. 1,200 kg |
| Curtainside van | from 149 € |
8 Europallets 420 x 210 x 210 cm |
Max. 1,000 kg |
| Tail lift and pallet truck | from 179 € | 8 Europallets 420 x 210 x 210 cm (200 x 150 x 200 cm per package) |
Max. 800 kg (500 kg per package) |
| Vehicle | Price | Dimensions | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3t Partial load | from 159 € | 14 Europallets 600 x 240 x 230 cm |
Max. 3,000 kg |
| 5t Partial load | from 189 € |
14 Europallets 600 x 240 x 230 cm |
Max. 5,000kg |
| 12t Partial load | from 249 € |
18 Europallets 720 x 240 x 270 cm |
Max. 12,000 kg |
| Standard-Truck | from 279 € | 33 Europallets 1,360 x 245 x 270 cm |
Max. 24,000kg |
The prices for our freight forwarding services include 120 minutes for loading, unloading, and other waiting times. Each additional started hour costs 60 € net. No loading or unloading assistance from the driver. We do not conduct pallet exchanges. Island transports are generally only possible on request. Invoicing is done via email.
With Ashton-under-Lyne positioned on the eastern edge of Greater Manchester's industrial belt, zipmend's haulage network provides rapid access to curtainsiders, flatbeds and box-body lorries. The pool of vehicles available for same-day or next-day collection is matched to each order based on load dimensions and weight – no minimum volume, no pre-negotiated carrier terms.
Booking from Ashton-under-Lyne means tapping into that capacity without negotiating individual carrier agreements. zipmend handles vehicle allocation, schedule coordination and live progress monitoring, so you receive updates from loading onwards rather than chasing information between dispatches.
Ashton-under-Lyne occupies a position that few towns in Greater Manchester can match for haulage connectivity. Sitting at the junction where Tameside meets the Pennine fringe, the town provides direct road access to the region's commercial centre and – through the M60 orbital – to every major motorway corridor serving northern England. That positioning makes it a practical dispatch point for freight heading in almost any direction.
Manchester, roughly seven miles to the west, remains the gravitational centre of the region's freight activity. Its concentration of warehousing, retail distribution and professional services generates a constant pull for inbound loads – from raw materials for manufacturing operations to finished goods heading into the city's fulfilment infrastructure. Businesses in Ashton regularly dispatch freight westward, supplying food processors, engineering contractors and retail fulfilment operations that depend on reliable haulage schedules.
Eastward, the trans-Pennine corridor connects Ashton to West Yorkshire's industrial heartland. The route carries a significant share of the region's inter-city freight, linking manufacturing suppliers on the Manchester side with buyers in the textile, engineering and logistics sectors centred around Leeds. For Ashton-based haulage, this east-west axis is one of the most frequently used – and one where transit-time reliability matters most, given the production-line pressures at both ends.
Southbound, the M60 feeds into the M6 and M56, opening corridors toward the Midlands, the north-west's port infrastructure and the national motorway grid. Northbound, the M62 crosses the Pennines and connects to the east coast's port and distribution facilities, adding an international dimension for businesses whose freight ultimately leaves the UK by sea or rail.
For Ashton's manufacturers and distributors, that multi-directional reach creates a practical choice: commit to a framework carrier arrangement with fixed lanes and minimum volumes, or access haulage on a per-order basis that flexes with actual demand. The framework model works when freight patterns are predictable and volumes are stable. But for the businesses across Tameside's industrial estates – where a single week can produce a full load of moulded components heading south and a part-load of textiles heading east – per-order haulage through zipmend means capacity follows your work rather than the other way around.
A full truck is too big for what you want to send? No problem, because we also offer express journeys with smaller vehicles and a maximum payload of 1200kg.