Fieldings was sold to Coolchain after the last bout of unpleasantness.
AFAIK Ruben Fielding is out of it altogether. As for Stobart, WA Developments who own it now, have turned it roud - for a few years back in the early noughties, Stobart made heavy losses, principally by getting heavily involved with the wrong equipment for their fleet. The Belgium thing is true, quite a few UK operators have done similar, in an effort to compete with foreign outfits who can fill up their double tanks & tramp for a week round the UK, using diesel at a heavy discount to the UK boys. Many of us would like to see the reinstatement of the cabotage regs.
Oh, and it is possible to make money in UK haulage - I'm a very good example of how - my margins are 25-30% per load & I in't all that bright neither!