Transource Freightways’ journey from a single truck to full-service regional carrier

With the internal drive to build something from nothing, Kal Kajla was determined to make a better life for him and his family.

Starting in 2005 with a single truck hauling furniture into the city of Vancouver, it was not long before Transource Freightways had established a presence and reputation in Canada’s west as a reliable and well-rounded regional carrier.

Today, Transource boasts an impressive fleet made up of around 50 day cabs, 50 five-tons, 175 highway tractors, and 600 trailers.

Hauling furniture, electronics, appliances, and mattresses, it covers B.C., Alberta, Washington, Oregon, and California, and offers TL, LTL, warehousing, final mile, cartage, and deck services to a growing customer base.

(Photo: Transource Freightways)

“From one truck to over 200 with multiple locations, the company has seen considerable growth over the last 15 years and will continue to strive for higher revenue infliction points,” said Jeff Ferguson, national sales manager for Transource. “The culture will remain the same as a family-owned business, and technology will have a major impact in shaping how the company will adapt to new challenges and environmental issues over the next 10 years.”

Kajla said one of the keys to the company’s growth over the last couple of years has been its ability to increase its geographic footprint.

“In order to provide the end-to-end solution to key clients, the company exercised a strategic plan to expand Transource’s operations,” said Kajla. “Over the last two years, we added facilities in Nanaimo, Kelowna, Prince George, Calgary, and Edmonton, all in order to provide a superior service to the customer base through density.”

As with any trucking company, there remains challenges for Transource, one of which has been a long-standing issue for the industry – the driver shortage.

For Ferguson, one way to combat the lack of qualified drivers looking for work is to encourage government to continue to help increase supply through training, programs like the Labour Market Impact Assessment, and helping carriers in the recruitment process.

“There is no question the pandemic pushed us to reevaluate our business practices and genuinely focus on our core strengths.”

Jeff Ferguson, Transource

“As a member of the B.C. Trucking Association, I am impressed with their efforts to work with WorkSafe B.C. on different avenues to find qualified drivers and provide the necessary skill training,” said Ferguson.

Covid-19 is a much more modern hurdle many companies have had to overcome, but for Transource, it was all about getting over the initial shock of the pandemic and getting a handle on protocols and how to keep their employees safe.

“By mid-May, we had endured the first shockwave and business was healthy and striving,” said Ferguson. “We do not see a negative impact going forward as we expect the economy to rebound after the vaccine becomes widespread. There is no question the pandemic pushed us to reevaluate our business practices and genuinely focus on our core strengths.”

One of those core strengths is Transource’s ability to adapt to its customers’ needs. In as competitive a market as the trucking industry, Transource aims to collaborate with its customers with the ultimate goal of offering a solution with its assets, as opposed to having to resort to a third-party.

“We like to say, ‘let us finish the final mile so you can relax,’” said Ferguson, who credits Kajla’s knack for foreshadowing in the early years of the business when looking at how home delivery has exploded with the launch of e-commerce platforms.

And though Kajla may have recognized a service that was being ignored in the marketplace back in 2005, he is not lost on what makes his company the success it is today.

“A special thank you to our drivers and employees for working hard every day as an essential service provider during these unprecedented times,” he said. “Thank a trucker today!”

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A university graduate with a degree in English, I have worked in the media and trucking industries as a writer, editor, and now as western bureau chief of Today's Trucking and TruckNews.com. I have several years of management experience in journalism, as well as hospitality, but am first and foremost a writer, both professionally and in my personal life, having completed two fiction novels.
derek@newcom.ca
@DerekClouthier


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  • Transource is definitely the cream of the crop! My company has had the pleasure of being their customer for 11 years. They are by far the most reliable carrier I’ve ever dealt with.