NOT satisfied with being Kings of the Road, Eddie Stobart trucks are now taking over the information superhighway.

The distribution company's interactive website was attracting hits from thousands of truck spotters around the world before it had even been officially launched.

During pre-launch testing the site was getting 2,000 visits a day from truck enthusiasts known as "Eddie Spotters", who had alerted fellow fans through the web.

The Carlisle distribution company already has a fan club with more than 25,000 members worldwide.

It was pressure from that fan club that led to Newcastle web designers The Web Works to create a spotters community on the Internet, allowing surfers to message each other, get more information about the club and buy souvenirs from the Eddie Stobart online shop.

The site, which went live last Friday, is hosted on a dedicated server at The North East data Centre (ne-datacentre.co.uk) in Newcastle, the region's first "server hotel".

Designers estimate the site, www.eddiestobart.co.uk, will attract 20,000 visitors a day.

Eddie Stobart is Britain's largest independent haulage company with more than 2,000 employees and an annual turnover of £150m.