Transport industry recruitment specialist Driver Hire is on track for a record year as demand for its services has taken off in recent months.

The franchise-based company, whose head office is on Canal Road, has seen more than a quarter of its 100 offices pass the £500,000 turnover mark over the past 26 weeks’ trading, with two breaking through £1 million.

During August and September average overall weekly turnover was nearly 25 per cent ahead of the same time last year.

Chief executive Chris Chidley expects the buoyant performance to continue for the business, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary over the next year.

He said: “The run-up to Christmas is Driver Hire’s busiest period of the year. Hard-pressed parcel delivery companies turn to us for ‘final mile deliveries’ to homes and offices during the Christmas rush.

“If, as predicted, Christmas 2013 proves to be the busiest yet for online sales, we’ll be one of the beneficiaries. And it’s not just delivery drivers. As the economy picks up there’s been a general all round increase in the demand for temporary transport and logistics staff.”

Alongside its core recruitment business, Driver Hire is also a leading supplier of essential Driver Certificate of Professional Competence training and has trained 43,000 drivers since launching the service and delivered 300,000 hours of training.

With the deadline for the first round of training now less than a year away, Driver Hire has seen a surge in demand from companies.

In September last year Driver Hire trained 740 drivers and delivered 91 courses. This September it trained 2,020 drivers and delivered 249 courses – a 173 per cent increase in both courses and drivers trained. October bookings are also well up on last year.

Mr Chidley said: “These are exciting times for Driver Hire. What is doubly pleasing about our outstanding performance is that it’s not just the result of improved market conditions. Offices are winning new business on merit.

“If this continues, we could have the best ever trading week in the company’s history and, come April 2014, our best ever year. All of which will be a perfect way to celebrate our thirtieth year in business.”

At the beginning of 2012, the company launched its first international operation by opening an office in Perth, Australia, which clocked up £1 million of business in its first six months of operation offering recruitment for the supply chain and logistics sector. A second business , DH Appointments, offers a similar service to a wider sector of industries including mining, construction, tourism, accountancy and IT.

Driver Hire specialises in providing temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to local and national public and private sector organisations.