CRST International, Inc., one of the largest privately held transportation companies in the United States, recently acquired Gardner Trucking, Inc., which is headquartered in Ontario, California.
The acquisition of Gardner adds about $400 million in additional revenues to CRST, along with over 2,400 drivers and 500 non-driver personnel. It is the single largest acquisition in CRST’s history. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
According to a statement from CRST, Gardner is considered the largest truckload carrier based in California and a leading provider of specialized regional truckload services, logistics, drayage and warehouse services for bulk and commodity end to end markets. Gardner’s customers are predominately in the paper and packaging, food and beverage, wood products and metal and plastic container industries. Based in southern California, the company services the western United States, with facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Texas.
Dave Rusch, president and CEO of CRST International said, “The acquisition of Gardner Trucking further complements CRST’s service offerings through Gardner’s expertise in short-haul, local markets, as well as drayage and warehousing. We are thrilled to be working with the Lanting family on this acquisition and look forward to growing Gardner’s operations in its markets.”
Tom Lanting, previous owner and president of Gardner Trucking, will continue in his current role as president.
CRST International employs more than 8,000 company drivers, independent contractors and office personnel across the U.S.
