Deal expands footprint in Atlantic Canada
Jardine Transport Group, a Canadian trucking company backed by private equity fund SeaFort Capital, has acquired Quality Transportation Services, a cross-border carrier based in New Brunswick.
The acquisition, announced Monday, expands Jardine’s footprint in its home province of New Brunswick and the larger Atlantic Canada region. Quality Transportation Services has a fleet of over 40 power units and provides long-haul dry van services to customers in Canada and the United States.
“The acquisition of Quality is consistent with our strategy of building a leading truckload carrier in Atlantic Canada,” Jardine President Dion Cull said in a statement.
In terms of fleet expansion, the deal is similar in scope to Jardine’s 2019 acquisition of New Brunswick-based open deck carrier Gil Trucks trucking. Jardine did not disclose the price.
Jardine offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload and oversized trucking services in Canada and the United States.
Halifax, Nova Scotia-based private equity firm SeaFort Capital purchased Jardine in 2015. Since then the small carrier has made three trucking acquisitions.
SeaFort did not respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment.
Atlantic Canada represents a challenging environment with significant growth opportunities for transportation and logistics companies. COVID-19 disrupted two key drivers of growth in the region: immigration and global trade via the port of Halifax. Both are expected to recover in 2021.