Glass Hauler Belmont Joins Smokey Point Distributing
Specialized glass hauler Belmont Enterprises has joined Smokey Point Distributing, a flatbed and heavy specialized carrier that is part of the Daseke Inc. group of companies.
The addition of Belmont will complement Smokey Point Distributing’s existing customer base for hauling glass, company officials said in a statement Jan. 2.
RELATED: Daseke adds three more fleets
The move was made a month after Daseke announced the addition of Moore Freight Service Inc., a glass hauler based in Mascot, Tenn., along with two other specialized flatbed carriers. Those additions gave Addison, Texas-based Daseke a combined fleet of 5,200 tractors and more than 11,000 trailers, plus more than 1 million square feet of warehousing space.
Belmont, based in Olympia, Wash., operates a fleet of 29 tractors and 37 trailers, according to registration data on file with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Arlington, Wash.-based Smokey Point Distributing’s fleet consists of 243 tractors and 388 trailers. Besides glass, it hauls machinery and oversize assemblies for the aerospace industry, construction equipment and other specialized commodities.
“There is a lot of synergy between our two companies in philosophy, customers service and ethics,” Smokey Point Distributing CEO Dan Wirkkala said in announcing the addition of Belmont. “We will add technological resources, such as our transportation management system and the consolidated purchasing power of Daseke to complement current operations. This will make us all even stronger and more efficient.”
Belmont Enterprises was started by Jack and Mary Jo Belmont in the 1970s with one truck, Wirkkala noted. Over the years, the company developed a swivel top tie-down system for moving large pieces of clear and coated glass without the use of ladders for loading.
“It’s safer, more secure and efficient,” Jack Belmont said of the process in a statement. “We haul up to 53,000 pounds of glass in each load, [and] this process has revolutionized our strap-down process.”
Daseke bought Mascot, Tenn.-based Moore Freight Service on Dec. 1 (along with Tennessee Steel Haulers and Co., and Roadmaster Group for cash and stock valued at $270 million), keeping the current management in place. Moore’s service territory consists of the Midwest, East Coast and Canada.
Daseke is a leading consolidator and one of the largest flatbed and specialized transportation and logistics company in North America. It ranks No. 42 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest North American for-hire carriers.
