TransAm Trucking acquires James Helwig & Son, Inc.Expands capacity by nearly 250 trucks and adds 350 trailers

Olathe, Kansas –TransAm Trucking recently announced it will acquire James Helwig & Son, Inc., a refrigerated long-haul trucking company based in Rockwall, Texas, in a deal expected to close on February 28, 2005. The acquisition will expand the resources of TransAm, a leading refrigerated long-haul trucking company serving the Midwest and East Coast, by adding lane capacity and additional tractors and trailers to serve the collective, growing customers base. The combined company will operate in the 40 states between the Eastern seaboard and the Rocky Mountains. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“TransAm Trucking continues to expand,” said John Jacobson, Jr., president. “This acquisition gives us added capacity and the ability to accelerate our growth to meet the ever-increasing needs of our customers. Helwig is a great fit for TransAm because it serves the same geographic region and allows us to immediately increase out service to the combined customer base by accommodating the 10-15 percent growth we’re seeing in shipments.”

TransAm plans to keep the Rockwall, Texas, facility open and will retain James Helwig to lead that operation. “In 20 years, we’ve built James Helwig & Son into a premier refrigerated carrier and I’m proud of the company’s success,” said Helwig. “As a family-owned business, our priority has always been on preserving the interests of our customers and employees. Our integration with TransAm ensures this personal focus will continue.”

Russ McElliott, chief operating officer of TransAm, agrees. “I’m confident all of our customers and employees will benefit from the combined resources of our expanded operation,” McElliott said.

Helwig has more than 290 employees and nearly 250 tractors based at its Texas facility.

TransAm Trucking now has more than 1,400 employees, 1,200 tractors, and 2,400 refrigerated trailers. The headquarters in Olathe, Kansas, includes a state-of-the-art maintenance facility, as well as driver dispatch and training operation. It also has an operation in Rocky Mountain, N.C.

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