Wil-Trans Buys Jim Palmer Trucking
Missouri carrier Wil-Trans has bought assets of refrigerated carrier Jim Palmer Trucking and plans to refurbish that company’s fleet with new trucks, the company said.
Wil-Trans, which is based in Stratford, Mo., has about 185 trucks of its own, and Palmer’s fleet has about 175 trucks, said Darrel Wilson, CEO of Wil-Trans.
“We feel like the Jim Palmer name has some value in the driver market,” Wilson told Transport Topics. He did not disclose the purchase price.
Jim Palmer Trucking, based in Missoula, Mont., emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 before it was bought by Chicago businessmen.
Wil-Trans and Jim Palmer both use company drivers, and Wilson said his company plans to replace Palmer’s fleet with 2015 Freightliner Cascadia trucks. Wil-Trans is getting about 7.6 miles per gallon from its own Cascadias, he said.
Wil-Trans bought the Jim Palmer name but not its operating authority or its Compliance, Safety, Accountability ratings, because Wil-Trans has better CSA scores, Wilson told TT.
Wil-Trans contracts freight for Prime Inc., which ranks No. 21 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers and is second largest refrigerated carrier.
