TORONTO, Ont. – Canada Cartage has announced the proposed acquisition of D.J. Knoll Transport earlier today.

D.J. Knoll, based in White City, Saskatchewan, is an asset-based transportation provider that specializes in dry and liquid bulk freight.

This addition expands Canada Cartage’s significant presence in Western Canada as D.J. Knoll has nearly 100 staff and drivers.

“We’re excited to have the staff, drivers and leadership team at D.J. Knoll join Canada Cartage,” said president and CEO Jeff Lindsay.

Canada Cartage’s vice-president and general manager for Manitoba-Saskatchewan Dave Tardi also commented: “This acquisition not only increases our scale of operations in Saskatchewan, but also gives us strategic entry into the dry bulk and liquid tanker markets. We see excellent growth opportunities in the grain, fertilizer and other commodity markets in Western Canada.”

D.J. Knoll is a well-recognized fleet in the industry and was named one of North America’s Best Fleets to Drive For in 2012 and 2014 by the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge.

“Joining a well-capitalized, national firm like Canada Cartage will allow us to continue to invest, expand and provide innovative, customer-focused solutions,” said company founder and president Dan Knoll. “This will create even better opportunities for our customers, our employees and our drivers.”

D.J. Knoll will continue business and operations under the same name and banner.

The transaction is expected to close in early February 2015. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.