Nov. 16 marked a busy Saturday afternoon. No sooner had I posted the first story about Celadon’s purchase of Yanke, then I received a note that RTL-Westcan had been purchased by US tanker giant Kenan Advantage Group. This is a different deal than the Yanke buy. Kenan was looking to get into the Canadian market, and they seem to be intent on keeping RTL-Westcan intact. It’s still a big deal. Westcan represents 480 tractors, 500 drivers and some 1,000 employees in Western Canada.

But it didn’t end there. On Nov. 25, Manitoulin announced it has purchased Manitoba-based Smooth Freight and its fleet of 25 trucks and more than 200 trailers. “A key component of Manitoulin’s growth strategy continues to be building out our reach and service offerings in Western Canada,” said Don Goodwill, president, Manitoulin Transport. “We look for highly successful companies, with a customer-oriented culture that strongly reflects our own. Smooth Freight fit the bill on all accounts and we are delighted to welcome them into the Manitoulin family.” Founder Borden Hadley is staying on as a consultant, and Bobbi and Tobi Hadley will be retained in sales and management roles.

And finally, Contrans Group announced it has bought 30-truck fleet Best Transfer, adding to its portfolio of flatbed, tanker and dry bulk transportation offerings. “The purchase of Best Transfer fits well into the existing competencies of our Ontario divisions,” said Contrans’ chairman and CEO Stan Dunford. “We have existing relationships with many of the Best customers and believe that our purchase of Best Transfer will enhance those relationships with the ability to provide additional service capacity. The purchase also expands our terminal footprint with an additional terminal and yard space along the busy 401 corridor.”

With M&A activity picking up, check out this article I wrote from our Surface Transportation Summit in October.