Leavitt’s Freight Service Merges with Central Oregon Truck Company
August 13 2018 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Leavitt’s Freight Service, a specialty carrier of utility poles
and engineered wood products, today announced that it has merged
with Central Oregon Truck Company (COTC), a member of the Daseke
family of flatbed and specialized carriers.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180813005105/en/
Ron Riddle, CEO of Leavitt's Freight
Service (left), joins Rick Williams, CEO of Central Oregon Truck
Company (right), as a member of the Daseke family. (Photo: Business
Wire)
Leavitt’s Freight, which operates a fleet of more than 120
trucks, will continue to operate under its existing name and with
its current management team, as part of COTC.
“I’ve always admired what the Leavitt family has put together,”
said Rick Williams, CEO of Redmond-based COTC. “We’re now an even
stronger force in our region as we can grow together. We serve
customers in 48 states and Canada with a fleet of more than 350
trucks, while Leavitt’s is a dominant niche carrier on the West
Coast. We will add to each other’s portfolio, while sharing
resources. We have our operations in Central Oregon, while
Leavitt’s is on the I-5 corridor, including areas of Washington,
Oregon and California. But we both run these lanes. Now, we can
utilize each other’s facilities for service, maintenance and fuel,
which will help us cut costs.”
“We’re excited to be joining COTC and the Daseke organization,”
added Terry Leavitt, co-owner, retired president and son of one of
the founders. “We’ve never been for sale, but we’ve had a lot of
phone calls from equity companies. There was never any interest on
our end – we had a legacy and a name we hold with pride. But, the
business model of COTC and Daseke caught our attention and we were
open to listen. And we’re glad we did. They won’t change us; they
will only make us better.”
Williams cited one other important bond between the two
companies – both have been operated by managers who have themselves
been drivers. “Drivers are the core of any trucking operation, and
with leadership at Leavitt’s and at COTC having that experience, it
differentiates us from others,” he said.
Ron Riddle, CEO of Leavitt’s Freight Service, said joining
forces with COTC will allow it to tap the expertise of its new
partner. “I’ve considered what Rick and his team have built to be
world class,” said Riddle. “They were named the overall Best Fleet
to Drive For throughout North America (small carrier category), and
that speaks volumes. If there was a university to learn trucking,
COTC would be the teacher. They know how to grow a trucking company
and do it right and ethically.”
Leavitt’s Freight Service was founded in 1958 by brothers Doug,
Dean and Dewey Leavitt. The company’s fleet of 45-to-48-foot
trailers is equipped to handle long loads such as utility poles,
which can range from 25- to 140-feet in length. For extremely long
loads Leavitt’s uses ‘floating’ trailers, some outfitted with a
steerable trailer.
More conventional loads include trusses and engineered wood
products for construction projects, plus steel decking. The company
moved much of the steel decking for the Amazon buildings in the
Seattle area.
Both COTC and Leavitt’s Freight Service have been nationally and
locally honored for excellence. In 2018 Central Oregon Truck Co.
was not only named one of the Best Fleets to Drive For, for the
fifth consecutive year, it also won Best Overall in the small
carrier category. Leavitt’s was named the Oregon Trucking
Association’s Fleet Safety Grand Champion in 2016, while Gene
Hullette, who serves as safety manager at Leavitt’s, was named the
Safety Professional of the Year. This year, the company captured
first place in the OTA’s Fleet Safety Awards -- large fleet
category.
About Central Oregon Truck Company: Central Oregon Truck
Company was founded in 1992 by a group of friends, who were also
former drivers, including CEO Rick Williams. Starting with
brokerage of local and regional freight in the Pacific Northwest,
the company has grown its asset-based operations to more than 350
trucks, delivering in all 48 states and Canada. In 2013, it
joined Daseke, the largest owner of flatbed and specialized
transportation and logistics capacity in North America.
About Daseke: Daseke Inc. is the leading consolidator and
the largest flatbed and specialized transportation and logistics
company in North America. Daseke offers comprehensive,
best-in-class services to many of the world’s most respected
industrial shippers through experienced people, a fleet of
approximately 6,000 tractors and 13,000 flatbed and specialized
trailers, and a million-plus square feet of industrial warehousing
space.
Source: Daseke Inc.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180813005105/en/
SiefkesPetit CommunicationsRyan Siefkes,
425-392-2611ryan@siefkespetit.com
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