AURORA, Ont. — Canadian refuse truck rental company Amtruck Rental has been purchased by Tampa, Fla.-based Big Truck Rental.

“We’ve had a great working relationship with Amtruck over the years – and we felt it was time to take that next step as we looked to expand into Canada,” said Scott Dols, owner and CEO of Big Truck Rental (BTR).

Amtruck has been in business since 1984, initially as a buyer and seller of refuse and municipal equipment. It added truck rentals to its portfolio in 2005.

“Amtruck has been growing on a parallel path to Big Truck Rental for years and during that time we would refer customers back and forth across the border, so we felt the time was right to officially merge,” said Russell Levy, president of Amtruck. “Now we have a business model that works throughout the US and Canada and can easier service those fleets that have operations on both sides of the border.”

Big Truck Rental has a relationship with Heil bodies, which will provide Amtruck customers with a wider assortment of refuse vehicles, the companies say.

“We’re excited to have Russell and the Amtruck Rentals team on-board and look forward to expanding our operations and our product offerings to the Canadian rental market,” said Dols.