Daseke takes wheel of Builders Transportation

The purchase price for the flatbed carrier specializing in the transport of steel, aluminum and other metal products was $53.8 million.    Flatbed truck operator and logistics services provider Daseke has acquired Memphis, Tenn.-based Builders Transportation Co., a flatbed carrier that specializes in the transport of steel, aluminum and other metal products.
   Daseke, which is headquartered in Addison, Texas, purchased Builders for $53.8 million, which included $3.4 million in Daseke stock. Builders Transportation operates a fleet of more than 300 trucks and about 500 spread-axle trailers. 
   “We’ve had Builders Transportation on our radar for quite some time,” said Don Daseke, Daseke’s CEO, in a statement. “The company has been in business since 1954 and it has a long legacy as a family-run operation.”
    “Over the years, we’ve had companies approach us, but we never took any of that seriously — we didn’t want to give up what our family has built,” said John Phillips, CEO of Builders Transportation. “Being with Daseke lets us continue being who we are, and that’s critically important to us.”
   Daseke operates a fleet of more than 5,200 tractors and 11,000 flatbed and specialized trailers, as well as a million-plus square feet of warehouse space.