WTI Transport
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Jack Potthoff (President) |
| Services | Flatbed Carrier Transporting General Commodities |
| Website | wti transport.com |
WTI Transport, Inc. is a for-hire carrier[1] based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with terminals in Birmingham, Mobile and Whites Creek, TN. A flatbed company of approximately 370 tractors, WTI hauls freight throughout the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast. WTI’s fleet is a mixture of company drivers and owner-operators. Shipments consist mainly of roofing, building materials, and all types of aluminum, iron and steel products. Currently, WTI was a subsidiary of Daseke, which is now owned by TFI International.
Business model and equipment
[edit]The WTI business model allows drivers to select Company, Lease or Owner-Operator opportunities. Company drivers can request Regional or OTR positions. Entrepreneurial drivers may pursue truck ownership through WTI’s tractor purchase programs. Owner-Operators can partner with WTI to grow their business with loads offered through McLeod's LoadMaster software.
Assigned tractors and those available for purchase are late model Internationals, Freightliners, Peterbilts, Macks and Kenworths. Trailers are 48’ and 53’, steel or aluminum, manufactured by Utility, Benson, Great Dane, Fontaine and Reitnouer.
History
[edit]WTI was founded in 1989 under the name Welborn Transportation by owners, Stephen Rumsey and Miller Welborn whose fleet of 12 flatbed owner operators hauled freight throughout the Southeast.[2] In December 1997, Boyd Bros. Transportation merged with Welborn Transportation and later changed the Welborn name to WTI Transport, Inc.[3]
On November 14, 2013, Daseke, of Addison, Texas merged with Boyd Bros.Transportation bringing WTI into the family of Daseke companies.[4][5] With this merger, Daseke became ranked in the Top Five Open-deck/specialty carriers in North America.[6] Following the 2013 Boyd merger, Daseke acquired Lone Star Transportation, a Fort Worth Texas company, Bull Dog HiWay Express of Charleston,[7] South Carolina and Hornady Transportation, of Monroeville, Alabama.[8] These mergers placed Daseke Inc. as North America’s second largest Flatbed Specialty carrier in terms of tractors and revenue.[9]
On December 22, 2016 Daseke announced its merger with Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp II and on February 28, 2017 became a publicly traded company on Nasdaq under the tickers DSKE and DSKEW.[10][11][12]
Daseke through its family of companies: WTI Transport, Boyd Brothers, Boyd Logistics, Mid-Seven Transportation, Smokey Point Distributing, E.W. Wylie, J. Grady Randolph, Central Oregon Truck Company, Lone Star Transportation, Bull Dog HiWay Express and Hornady Transportation, controls an aggregate fleet of more than 3,000 tractors and 6,000 flatbed/specialized trailers which serve 49 U.S. states as well as Canada and Mexico.[13]
In April 2024, Daseke was acquired by TFI International for $1.1 billion.[14][15]
Awards
[edit]Belonging to the American Trucking Association, Truckload Carriers Association, and Alabama Trucking Association, WTI has been recognized for its safety, service and driver culture. Awards and honors have included:
- 2015 ATA Safety Management Council – First in the Flatbed/Line-haul Division, Over 10 Million Miles Category and First in the Flatbed/Local Division, Unlimited Miles Category[16]
- 2014 First Place Safety Award in the Flatbed Division with the American Trucking Association and the Second Place Award in Industrial Safety and Risk Management[17]
- 2013 2nd Place in the Industrial Safety Contest for Flatbed Division[18]
- 2015 Owen Corning Sustainability Award[19]
- 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge Best Fleets To Drive For in North America[20]
Community Involvement
[edit]One of the largest employers in Tuscaloosa, WTI partners with local community agencies such as Habitat for Humanity, Tuscaloosa Veterans Administration, Tuscaloosa school system and Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce.[21][22][23] Annually, WTI represents the transportation industry in the SW Alabama’s Worlds Of Work Career Expo.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "What is the definition of an authorized for-hire carrier?".
- ^ Rupinski, Patrick. "WTI Transport Marks 25 Years of rapid Growth in Tuscaloosa". The Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ SEC Info. "Boyd Bros Merges With Welborn Transport Company".
- ^ "Boyd Bros and Daseke Inc Merge". businesswire.com. 14 November 2013.
- ^ The Trucker News Service. "Boyd Brothers, Daseke Inc. announce merger".
- ^ "2014 Top 100, Ranking of Top For Hire Carriers by Sector". Transport Topics 2014. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014.
- ^ Malloy, Michael G. (2014-10-03). "Daseke Acquires Lone Star Transportation". Transport Topics. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ Whelan, Robbie (11 August 2015). "Oil-Patch Slump Spurs Wave of Trucking Deals". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Transport Topics. "2015 Top 100, Top Rankings by Sector".
- ^ PR Newswire. "Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. II and Daseke, Inc. Announce Merger Agreement".
- ^ The Truckers News Service. "Daseke, Hennessy Capital in $626 million merger; Daseke to go public on NASDAQ".
- ^ The Wall Street Journal (28 February 2017). "Trucking Company Daseke's Shares Start Trading on Nasdaq". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Daseke Inc. "Open Deck Specialized Transportation Solutions".
- ^ "TFI acquiring flatbed conglomerate Daseke". Commercial Carrier Journal. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Kingston, John (2024-04-03). "Daseke now part of TFI International as acquisition closes". FreightWaves. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Trucking News Online. "WTI Transport Wins Safety Award For Second Straight Year".
- ^ American Trucking Associations. "ATA Safety Award Winners" (PDF).
- ^ American Trucking Associations. "Awards Flyer 2013" (PDF).
- ^ Layover.com. "Daseke Receives Top Honor From Owens Corning".
- ^ Best Fleet To Drive For. "Past Winners".
- ^ Roberts, Jack (19 December 2014). "WTI Transport celebrates 25 years in trucking". Commercial Carrier Journal.
- ^ USA News. "Company honors vet, 100, for military, community service". USA Today.
- ^ Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce. "Transportation Summit Provides Updates, Timelines on Road Projects".
- ^ West Alabama Worlds of Work. "Worlds of Work".