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Lone Star Transportation Merges with Daseke Inc. Family of Companies

ADDISON, Texas, Oct. 3, 2014 – Daseke Inc., of Addison, Texas, has announced that 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.

Lone-Star-Transportation

The people of Daseke welcome the people of Lone Star Transportation

“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 Transportation, 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 Transportation 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.

“Lone Star’s work in the energy, aerospace, mining and construction sectors provides another great piece to our service portfolio,” said Scott Wheeler, Senior Vice President and Corporate CFO for Daseke Inc. “They are a great geographical fit with enviable logistics support. Lone Star provides full service logistical solutions – they’re capable of managing all aspects of project transportation, inclusive of all modes of transportation. What’s more, they have a daily presence in Mexico – an area where we see tremendous growth potential. And with Lone Star’s diverse trailer fleet, coupled with their know-how in extreme over dimensional projects, they’re an excellent fit and truly add to our capabilities.”

According to Don Daseke, the way Lone Star Transportation treats its people is also impressive.

“If you look at the fabric of each of our companies, you will see companies giving back to the community and companies that work hard to treat drivers and internal team members with utmost respect,” he said. “What Tex has done, and what he’s doing with his TEXR foundation — a non-profit charity group to support employees, contractors and dependents of Lone Star – is truly inspiring. He’s going to be a great partner with our sister companies.”

For Rick Williams, President of Central Oregon Truck Company, located in Redmond, Ore., the addition of Lone Star Transportation 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.”

“Tex Robbins and the Lone Star team are a great example of a high quality company. They are passionate about the industry and the customers they serve,” added Dan Wirkkala, President and CEO of Smokey Point Distributing Inc. “Their strategic positioning in the marketplace offers other Daseke companies assistance in serving a broader base of business. We will all grow together with the addition of Lone Star to the Daseke team.”

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Lone Star Transportation is well regarded for their ability to execute large scale project moves.

About Daseke Inc.: 
Addison, Texas-based Daseke Inc. is a family of open-deck/specialty transportation companies serving 49 states, Canada and Mexico. The companies include Smokey Point Distributing, based in Arlington, Wash., (spdtrucking.com); the E.W. Wylie Corporation, based in West Fargo, N.D., (wylietrucking.com); J. Grady Randolph, based in Gaffney, S.C., (jgr-inc.com); Central Oregon Truck Company, based in Redmond, Ore., (centraloregontruck.com); Lone Star Transportation, based in Fort Worth, Texas, (lonestar-llc.com) and The Boyd Companies including Boyd Bros. Transportation, based in Clayton, Ala., (boydbros.com); WTI Transport, based in Tuscaloosa, Ala., (wtitransport.com); Mid Seven Transportation, based in Des Moines, IA (mid7.com). Smokey Point is a leader in aviation-related transportation with a highly diverse trailer fleet featuring a large inventory of curtain trailers in open-deck, step-deck and low-profile step-deck configurations. E.W. Wylie is known for hauling heavy equipment and oil field equipment, both open-deck and specialty. J. Grady Randolph is an expert in over-dimensional open-deck cargo. Central Oregon Truck Company is known for hassle-free long haul freight, high safety ratings and offers open deck and roll-tops trailers. Boyd Bros. and its companies offer high-volume, time-sensitive open-deck/specialty services. WTI Transport’s strength comes from its strong owner operator presences focused on the sectors of metals and building commodities. Lone Star Transportation specializes in transporting complex and heavy machinery in the energy, aerospace and construction sectors. Together, the companies comprise the second-largest flatbed trucking carrier in North America.

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