This National Lorry Week, we're celebrating the next generation helping keep the UK moving.

For Lewis Newlands and Luke Dougall at John Mitchell Haulage and Warehousing in Grangemouth, an apprenticeship opened the door to a career they never expected to find - and one they now can't imagine leaving.

This year's National Lorry Week theme, "The road that connects everything", recognises the people behind the scenes who ensure businesses, communities and supply chains continue to function every day.

Today, both work as Traffic Planners, helping coordinate the movement of goods across the UK and beyond. But neither originally set out with a career in transport in mind.

Lewis joined the company in 2021 after working night shifts at Asda during the Covid pandemic.

"I knew someone who worked here and they put me in touch with Ross Mitchell," he explained. "I got an interview and it just went from there. Five years later, I'm still here."

Luke's route into the industry was similarly unexpected. Before joining John Mitchell Haulage and Warehousing, he was working in a kitchen. When an opportunity arose through a family connection, he decided to apply.

"It wasn't really an industry I'd thought about before," he said. "But I got the job, started learning on the job and then began the apprenticeship."

Both completed the RHA's Logistics Operations apprenticeship, combining practical experience with formal learning. For Luke, the apprenticeship offered a structured way to build knowledge and confidence while gaining experience in a real working environment.

"The first year was really about learning the job and understanding how everything worked," he said.

Lewis joined a year later and followed a similar path, learning from more experienced colleagues while developing his own skills and knowledge.

The pair now work as Traffic Planners, a role that involves much more than simply assigning jobs to drivers.

Many people outside the industry assume logistics is simply a case of picking something up and delivering it. The reality is far more complex.

"When you tell people you're a Traffic Planner, they don't really understand what's involved," said Lewis. "They think you just tell drivers where to go. But there's so much more to it than that."

Every day involves coordinating customers, managing schedules, understanding regulations, solving problems and ensuring goods reach their destinations safely and efficiently.

"A lot of it is problem solving," added Luke. "If something changes, you need to find another way to make it work."

The role also requires communication skills, organisation and resilience, particularly during busy periods.

"The people are brilliant," said Luke. "The managers are easy to talk to and everybody supports each other."

As part of their development, both have completed their Transport Manager CPC qualification, opening up future career opportunities.

Looking ahead, both see a long-term future in transport and logistics.

"There are lots of opportunities to progress," said Lewis. "I'd like to stay in planning and hopefully move into a supervisory role in the future."

Both believe more young people should consider transport and logistics as a career option.

"There are so many opportunities that people don't know about," said Luke. "Every day is different and you're always learning."

Lewis added: "I'd definitely tell people to go for it. You build a lot of skills without even realising it, and there are lots of different paths you can take."

As National Lorry Week celebrates the people behind Britain's supply chains, Lewis and Luke's story is a reminder that successful careers don't always follow a traditional route.

Sometimes they begin with a conversation, an apprenticeship and a willingness to give something new a try.

Today, both are helping keep businesses supplied, customers served and the UK moving.