OKOTOKS, AB— Alberta-based trucking company Mullen Group Ltd. has made the second-biggest deal in its history: the company will pay $172 million cash to buy Winnipeg-based transport firm Gardewine Group Limited Partnership.

Gardewine, founded in 1952, provides both regional less-than-truckload, truckload and specialized truckload services such as dedicated, deck and bulk hauling primarily in Manitoba and Ontario. The company has about 660 trucks and 1,300 trailers, a network of 34 terminals and employs 1,500 people and 140 owner-operators.

“This is one of those acquisitions that simply does not come along very often,” said Murray Mullen, CEO of Mullen Group. “As I have often articulated we do not acquire companies just for growth. They must be strategic to our business and meet our investment criteria.”