Lone Star Transportation, Daseke Inc. Merge

Oct. 6, 2014
Lone Star Transportation is merging with the Daseke family of open-deck/specialty carriers. 

Lone Star Transportation is merging with the Daseke family of open-deck/specialty carriers.  

Lone Star, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the premier open-deck carriers in North America, with nearly 500 tractors and 1,500 diverse open-deck trailers. Combined with existing Daseke companies -- Smokey Point Distributing, E.W. Wylie, J. Grady Randolph Inc., Central Oregon Truck Company and the Boyd Companies (including Boyd Bros. Transportation, WTI Transport, Mid Seven Transportation) -- Daseke Inc. now offers the industry more than 2,500 tractors and nearly 5,500 open-deck trailers.

“It’s very gratifying to welcome another top carrier into the fold of Daseke companies,” said Don Daseke, President and CEO of Daseke Inc. “Our goal has been to offer the industry the best equipment coupled with the best drivers, service and coverage in the flatbed and open-deck category. With the addition of Lone Star, we’ve added to our capabilities, including a major presence in Mexico. It makes us the second-largest carrier in this segment of the business, but we think we’re first when it comes to capabilities and customer service.”

According to Tex Robbins, President and CEO of Lone Star, becoming a part of the Daseke family was the right match in service philosophy and growth potential. “We have a great reputation in the industry and have been in heavy haul since 1988,” he said. “Leadership, Service, Teamwork—this is who we are and what we do to make Lone Star successful. Daseke shares that philosophy, as well as the other ideals we value at Lone Star. When the opportunity came to join forces, it became something that we believed would benefit our customers and employees. Joining the Daseke team gives us great sister companies to work with – versus compete against – while allowing us to maintain our existing management team to run the company as we always have.”

Founded as a small oilfield carrier, Lone Star quickly grew beyond the confines of west Texas.  Headquartered in Fort Worth, Lone Star has several terminals throughout Texas, plus additional locations throughout the United States.

The company specializes in transporting complex over-dimensional and heavy shipments and is a big player in the renewable energy sector – transporting wind turbine components throughout North America.

For Rick Williams, President of Central Oregon Truck Company, located in Redmond, Ore., the addition of Lone Star brings strategic lanes and capacity.

“We are very excited to have Lone Star join the Daseke family of open-deck and specialized carriers,” Williams said. “Their contribution to the family allows us greater capacity and additional versatility offerings for our strategic shipping partners. In addition, Lone Star’s terminal locations will complete a very nice national footprint for us to springboard future growth opportunities.”