1970s and 1980s: The Beginning

1971

Ryder Truck Rental is established in the UK with a total of 250 trucks.

1972

Acquires Fisher Renwick Ltd, gaining presence in Contract Hire industry.

1974

Acquires Venture Transport, a London haulage company.

1977

Opens Ryder BV in Holland.

1987

Ryder GmbH is established in Germany.

1990s: The Big R

1996

Ryder is awarded contract to supply 2,500 vehicles to 11 Army garrisons and Royal Air Force stations in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

1999

Derbyshire Fire Authority select Ryder to repair and maintain a fleet of more than 135 front line firefighting and support vehicles.

2000s: The New Millenium

2004

Ryder announces £8 million investment in new technology platforms.

2005

Three- year Trainee Technician Apprenticeship is launched.

2006

Awarded 300 vehicle Fleet Management contract with Gloucestershire County Council.

2008

FleetCare Online is launched and a major fleet deal won with Solstor.

2009

Ryder wins contract hire deal with Premier Foods.

2010s: Innovating for the Future

2010

Ryder continues an ongoing investment programme, securing the latest vehicles from premium marques with a £22 million rental order.

Ryder supplies the first ever contract hire electric vehicle to Bunzl and Retail Maintenance is launched across UK locations.

2011

In our 40th anniversary year, we purchase Hill Hire Plc for £154 million. We also invest a further £22 million to upgrade and expand our rental fleet.

2012

We acquire the Euroway group, and invest £24.6million expanding our Rental fleet. We also extend our exclusive deal with Bridgestone, the world's largest tyre and rubber manufacturer.

2013

To enhance the used vehicle sales experience for our customers, we launch our used approved website. We also invest £25m in derogated Euro 5 trucks to provide customer choice in preparation for Euro 6.

2014

We strengthen our trailer business with the purchase of Bullwell Trailer Solutions. We also launch our Euro 6 demonstrator fleet to help our customers make informed decisions.

2015

We conduct the first ever independent Euro 6 fuel trial, and make further investments in our fleet to include 400 tractor units and 350 trailers.