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Bulldog Hiway Express Merges with Daseke

Phil Byrd, Sr., Immediate Past Chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Joins the Daseke Board

ADDISON, Texas, July 1, 2015 — Daseke Inc. has announced that Bulldog Hiway Express is merging with the Daseke family of flatbed, open-deck and specialty carriers.

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Bulldog Hiway Express, was founded in 1959 and has grown to several hundred power units along with more than 400 trailers. They also operate terminals in Savannah, Georgia and Mobile, Alabama.

Bulldog Hiway Express handles dedicated and for-hire, open-deck operations, intermodal port deliveries and heavy hauls with loads reaching 180,000 pounds.

Rod Moseley BHE

Rod Moseley, Jr., Chairman, Bulldog Hiway Express

“As the trucking industry evolves, opportunities present themselves. In many ways, this is a great opportunity for Bulldog Hiway Express,” said Rod Moseley, chairman of Bulldog and the eldest son of R.D. Moseley, who passed away in 2012. “I’ve known Don for a number of years and he’s had an interest in Bulldog becoming a Daseke company. What he is building is impressive and our new sister companies represent the best in the industry. We look forward to working with them as teammates and growing our business.”

“Bulldog is a great match with our family of companies,” said Don Daseke, president and CEO of Daseke Inc. “They have an extremely enviable position in the markets they serve and are dedicated to customer service, as well as their own employees. What’s more, their safety scores are impeccable. something that is carried across the line with all Daseke companies.”

Daseke now offers the industry more than 2,800 tractors and more than 5,800 open-deck trailers. Daseke is the second largest open-deck/specialty carrier in North America. Bulldog joins Smokey Point Distributing, E.W. Wylie, J. Grady Randolph Inc., Central Oregon Truck Company, Lone Star Transportation (including Davenport Transport), and the Boyd Companies (including Boyd Bros. Transportation, WTI Transport, Mid Seven Transportation).

According to Phil Byrd, Bulldog’s president and CEO and the immediate past chairman of the American Trucking Associations.

“This is the right decision at the right time for Bulldog. The synergies and collaboration that exist within the Daseke family of companies, that we are now a part of, will bring added capacity, capabilities and value to our people and customers,” said Byrd.

Through his work with ATA, Byrd said he got to know Daseke and the CEOs of the Daseke companies and came away impressed.

“They are an elite group led by Don, who is building something profound and unique in this industry. It’s clear that he’s investing in people and companies who have well-deserved reputations for quality and integrity. Why wouldn’t we want to be a part of that?”

Phil Byrd is president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express and the immediate past chairman of The American Trucking Associations (as of July of 2015) has joined the board of directors for Daseke Inc. - Photo courtesy of The American Trucking Associations.

Phil Byrd, Sr. is president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express and the immediate past chairman of The American Trucking Associations (as of July of 2015) has joined the board of directors for Daseke Inc. – Photo courtesy of The American Trucking Associations.

Bulldog handles dedicated and for-hire, open-deck operations, intermodal port deliveries and heavy hauls with loads reaching 180,000 pounds. The company operates throughout the United States and Canada supporting the automotive and energy sectors, including wind, solar and nuclear power.

According to Daseke, what’s eye-opening about Bulldog Hiway Express is the dedication and story of its people.

“Bulldog’s founder, R.D. Moseley, was a true cornerstone in South Carolina trucking. His sons, Rod and Charles, have long been integral to the operation,” said Daseke. “And Phil has been with the company for more than 30 years. They have a true family business dynamic with a 15-year average length of service with their employees. The company’s driver turnover rate is less than 20 percent — that’s phenomenal and speaks volumes about how tight-knit the company is – once people join Bulldog, they are a part of the family.”

“We’re looking forward to the future with Daseke, and I know our people are as well,” added Byrd. “We’ve been growing at a 20 percent clip over the past two years and now, as a Daseke company, we expect that growth to compound. It’s exciting.”

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