CONTRANS GROUP is getting into the waste collection business with the acquisition of Edmonton-based ProWerx Disposal. ProWerx provides industrial, commercial and residential waste collection services in the Edmonton area. The company says it operates 15 vehicles and uses about 1,500 collection bins of various sizes and configurations. “We have identified waste collection as a business segment with strong margins and sustainable cash flows, two factors which Contrans and its shareholders have always valued,” said Stan Dunford, CEO of Contrans. “We believe the entry into this market will open the door for greater future potential and it is our intention to continue to pursue opportunities in this segment.”

CHALLENGER MOTOR FREIGHT is donating 90 used trailers to charities in the communities it serves. The 53-ft. trailers will be delivered over the coming weeks to charities including: the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Waterloo Rotary Club Charitable Foundation, the Ontario Christian Gleaners, the Samaritans Purse, and the YMCA of St. Clements. The retired trailers have been well-maintained, the company says, and will be put to good use by the charities that receive them. The company conducted a special hand-off ceremony Sept. 17.

BISON TRANSPORT has been given the green light to build a $2.5 million truck marshalling yard just east of Windsor, according to a report from The Windsor Star. Town council approved official plan changes on Sept. 7 regarding the truck hub, which will allow greater use of long-combination vehicles (LCVs) in Ontario based on the Winnipeg carrier’s plan. Bison wants to use the yard to detach the second trailer from LCVs bound for Michigan, since the state doesn’t allow LCVs on its highways, according to the report. The yard would also allow single-trailer trucks configured for LCV applications to pick up a second trailer before continuing on into the province. Bison is planning to build at the southeast corner of the Highway 401 and Highway 77 interchange just north of Comber. The site could be expanded to as large as 26 acres, according to the project’s planner.

TST OVERLAND EXPRESS is expanding its transportation network with a new Winnipeg, Man.-Minneapolis, Minn. gateway. The company says the new hub will improve transit times on many lanes in the Midwest by up to two days. It’s the third time in the last six months that TST Overland Express has made transportation network improvements, the company says. TST chose Minneapolis as a new regional distribution hub in the upper US Midwest because it can help the carrier provide better service between Western Canada and the US, particularly the Midwest, the company says. TST says proprietary new technology and a direct line-haul service have enabled the company to improve its services in Western Canada. Direct line-haul service reduces freight handling and transit times while the proprietary technology has allowed the company to cross the border more efficiently and better manage its routing and documentation.

CONFORCE INTERNATIONAL has agreed to sell its 50.1% stake in Conforce 1 Container Terminals (CCT) to Marino Kulas, owner of Conforce International. Kulas has agreed to purchase the company’s interest in CCT for $445,000. The purchase price is subject to review by a qualified independent third party and may be adjusted according to the findings of the review. Officials say the transaction will reduce the amount of the company’s shareholder loans and eliminate all financial obligations related to the container terminal business. According to sources, the rationale behind selling CCT was based on the company’s decision to focus its resources exclusively on the commercialization of EKO-FLOR, a composite flooring solution engineered for the container and trailer industries. As a result of successful product evaluations, the company expects that production will commence in the fourth quarter of 2010.

AERO DELIVERY, an affiliate company of the YANKE GROUP OF COMPANIES, has acquired the land, buildings and operations of Saskatoon Fresh Pack and Fresh Pack Ice Makers in Saskatoon. The facility, located at 1701 16th Street West, consists of 10 acres of land, 90,000 sq. ft. of refrigerated storage and the existing business operations of the ice and freezer businesses. Officials say the purchase will give Aero Delivery the ability to offer full HACCP registered facilities and improved technologies to its customers, while offering Fresh Pack a greater transportation network for existing and future customers.