By Eric Berard VAUDREUIL-DORION, Que. – On Nov. 21, the TransX Group of Companies celebrated the official opening of its brand new terminal for the Montreal region. Established in the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, just a little west of the island, the new facility is built on 30 acres of land and was designed, right from the start, to be doubled in size as company growth demands it.

Guests from the transportation community, as well as TransX customers and suppliers, had the opportunity to take a tour of the new terminal that started its operations at the end of August, after $12 million was invested. Previous to that, TransX’s Montreal operations were located on a smaller site, in Pointe-Claire.

During its visit, Truck News had the opportunity to note that 32,000 sq.-ft. of dock and office space are available, in addition to four maintenance bays. There are a total of 36 cross-docks. Crossdocking means that you can unload a truck on one side and load another one on the other side, nearly doubling the productivity of employees, said a TransX spokesperson.

The secured yard can presently accommodate up to 180 trailers but can be modified to reach the 400-unit mark, should demand increase. All docks are equipped with a “red light-green light” safety system that tells the driver that people are still working at loading or unloading the trailer. The vehicle is not allowed to move until the green light is on.

When walking through the offices, one notices that plenty of natural light comes in. The dispatch department is on the first floor and there are always three people available to greet drivers coming back from a trip. Some of these trips can be quite long, since TransX delivers freight (TL, LTL, reefer and dry van) across Canada and the US, using a total of 11 terminals, three of them located south of the border.

The sales department is located on the second floor but what catches most of your attention is the amenities that are provided for the drivers.

There are separate showers for the ladies and gentlemen, a washing machine room and a very well-appointed and vast drivers’ lounge, equipped with comfy leather couches, a high-definition flat-screen TV and Internet connections. A training room is also located on this floor.

In the secondary building are, among other things, two stockrooms; one for the smaller parts and the other for the bigger items is located on the second floor. The building was designed so that these large items could be placed or removed with a forklift, from the inside or the outside.

There is also a scale on-site, which helps ensure a truck never leaves the yard if it is over the regulated weight limit.

After the guests had finished visiting the new facility, they were brought to a cocktail room where hors-d’oeuvres and drinks were offered. Welcome messages were read on behalf of the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion’s municipal Council, as well of the local Chamber of Commerce.

The president of TransX, the largest privately-owned carrier in Canada, Louie Tolaini, made a short speech, thanking his loyal customers for being part of an adventure that started when he was only 19 and just arriving in Canada with nothing but his dreams and his love of big trucks.

For those who might not now the history, Tolaini had one of his first jobs in Canada working in the oilfields in the western part of the country. With the oil rigs’ tremendous need for water, he quickly identified a need for trucks carrying the water to the drilling fields.

“I bought my first truck in 1959. It was a 1956 International, model S-180, running on gasoline,” he reminisced during an interview he gave to Truck News after the ribbon- cutting ceremony. We asked him how management was able to keep the “family atmosphere” that all the employees we met were talking about.

“We’re simply people, very simple. And we stay simple. I still talk to drivers, my door is always open. I try to stay simple and respect people. I don’t have a formula, but it works. I’m still very passionate about trucking.”

Even if the head office is located in Winnipeg, Tolaini, insisted on making the trip to Montreal for the event, especially to meet with customers.

“We talk a lot about job security but in fact, there’s just one security. It’s the customers. That’s what makes us,” concluded TransX’s president.

TransX has an estimated revenue of $500 million per year. •