A Canadian trucking company will acquire Hermon-based Pottle’s Transportation at the end of the month.
Winnipeg-based Bison Transport announced Wednesday that it will acquire 100 percent of Pottle’s outstanding and issued shares on Oct. 31.
Pottle’s will be the second Bangor-area trucking firm to come under Bison’s ownership, after Bison acquired Hartt Transportation at the end of last year.
Cliff Pottle founded Pottle’s Transportation in 1962, and operated the company with his son Barry until 1988, when Barry bought the company, according to its website. The trucking company operates more than 200 trucks and 750 trailers.
While Pottle’s is based in the Bangor area, it also has terminals in Allentown and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The majority of Pottle’s drivers are based in Pennsylvania, Barry Pottle told the BDN in 2017.
Rob Penner, Bison’s president and chief executive, said he was drawn to Pottle’s low driver turnover, loyal customer base and focus on safety, adding that the acquisition would further aid Bison’s expansion into the U.S.
“The investment in Pottle’s punctuates our commitment to the region, the customers and the great people we have in our business,” Penner said.
“We look forward to connecting our most recent acquisition of Hartt Transportation Inc. with Pottle’s as we continue to build Bison Transport USA.”
Barry Pottle said he had come to know Bison well over time.
“I am thrilled for our Pottle’s team to join forces with the Bison team for endless opportunity and success for years to come,” he said.
Robert McGee, a Bison spokesperson, said the company would integrate Hartt and Pottle into its Bison Transport USA operations next year, and would transition the branding on both companies’ trucks to Bison USA beginning in 2023 as new trucks were put on the road.
“We expect this transition to occur over the next couple of years,” McGee said.
In addition, McGee said, the Hartt and Pottle transit terminals would consolidate under the Bison Transport USA network but there were no immediate plans to do so because both are at capacity.
“Over time, we would like to see all the staff together in one location, as it helps to build our Bison culture,” McGee said.
