Gimme Five: TransForce buys again

Canada’s largest trucking company continues to roll steadily down acquisition trail by buying its fifth carrier in the last month.

TransForce has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Le Groupe Fortier a 150 truck, 325 trailer carrier in Pintendre, Que.

The companies in Groupe Fortier include Transport Fortier Inc. and Boostway International Corp., which specialize in the consolidation of LTL shipments and truckload transportation between Canada and the United States. The group has annual revenues of approximately $50 million and has more than 300 employees, primarily based in Quebec.

Its president, Real Fortier, who has built the company since it was created in 1994, will continue to lead the operations after the closing of the acquisition, which is expected shortly.

“We are pleased to add Groupe Fortier and its outstanding management team to the growing number of TransForce operating subsidiaries,” said Alain Bédard, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of TransForce Income Fund. “We are convinced that the addition of Groupe Fortier,as well as the three other acquisitions we have announced in the past month, will generate significant value for our unitholders.”

Fortier is the fourth Quebec fleet bought by TransForce since late September. The others include: Durocher Transit, a 100-truck fleet in Saint-Félix de Kingsey, Que.; olden Eagle Express Inc. headquartered in Bois-des-Filion, and Group 2 B Inc., based primarily in Quebec’s Abitibi-Temiscamingue region. TransForce also strengthened its western presence this month with the acquisition of Rebel Transport, an oil and gas services carrier in Edmonton.