Highway Traffic Management
About Highway Traffic Management
Highway Traffic Management has been keeping roads safe since 1995, when founder Keith Baldwin started the business from a small operation and grew it steadily into one of the UK’s leading traffic management companies. Today HTM runs around 4.5 depots across the country, with approximately 200 operatives on the road at any given time and a further 40 or so office and supervisory staff. Greg Baldwin, Keith’s son, now leads the business; he grew up in it, worked every part of it, and has taken it further than even his father anticipated.
Nathan Beetlestone, Purchasing Manager, has been with HTM for nearly 20 years and has seen the business transform from one that ran almost entirely on paper to one where everything from timesheets and job packs to clocking in and out is managed digitally on mobile devices in the field.
The Challenge
As HTM grew and moved away from paper-based operations, mobile communication became the backbone of everything the business does. Road workers need reliable data to access job information, record what they have done on site, get shift updates, and stay in contact with the office and clients. For a 24-hour operation with operatives working nights and spread across multiple sites, connectivity and simplicity are not optional extras.
Before Fusion, the frustration was not primarily about connectivity. It was about how HTM was being treated commercially. Previous providers pushed them into large tech funds: pooled money that was technically theirs but almost impossible to access or reclaim at the end of a contract. Bills were unpredictable, flexibility was limited, and the relationship felt transactional.
The Solution
The introduction to Fusion came about in a way Nathan still enjoys telling. Oli arrived for what was supposed to be a routine meeting, was left waiting in reception, and happened to strike up a conversation with Keith Baldwin about a photograph of the air ambulance on the wall — a charity HTM had long supported and one Fusion worked closely with. By the time Nathan got to reception, Keith had already given his verdict: go with these people.
What followed the introduction confirmed it. Fusion listened to what HTM actually wanted rather than trying to sell them something more complicated. They offered competitive pricing, a straightforward contract structure, and the kind of personal service Nathan had stopped expecting from a communications provider.
“Fusion’s biggest selling point is just listening, understanding what we want, keeping it simple and making it happen. Rather than trying to sell us something way over the top, they gave us exactly what we wanted with no fuss. It was a breath of fresh air.”
Making It Work in Practice
With a significantly larger estate than when HTM first signed, the account has grown considerably as the business has expanded, managing connections could easily have become complicated. It has not….It has not. Adding lines is straightforward, new connections run to the same contract end date rather than creating a separate renewal cycle, and the Fusion portal gives Nathan automatic data alerts at 50% usage and every 10% thereafter, so there are no unexpected bills and no scramble to act after the fact.
The onboarding process, which involved coordinating SIM card swaps across day and night shift workers, went smoothly. Fusion had someone on hand throughout the changeover. The second time around HTM needed to migrate, Nathan managed it himself.
Support, when it is needed, is handled by people rather than automated systems. Nathan can call and speak to someone he knows, and if something needs dealing with urgently; a device running up costs abroad, for example, Fusion will act on it immediately, including at weekends, without waiting to be asked.
The results
Seven Years On
HTM and Fusion have now worked together for over seven years. The relationship has outlasted staff changes on both sides and continued to grow as HTM has expanded. Nathan has recommended Fusion to other businesses in HTM’s network, and at least one of those referrals has saved the company concerned a significant amount of money by simplifying a bloated mobile contract.
For Nathan, what makes it work is straightforward. It is the same thing that makes HTM work: people who are direct, reliable, and do not overcomplicate things.
What we delivered, check out
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