Central Freight acquires Wilson Trucking

Trucker Central Freight Lines said today it will acquire fellow carrier Wilson Trucking for an undisclosed sum, a deal pairing two venerable less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers of similar ages but with different operating geographies.

The transaction combines Waco, Texas-based Central's 56-terminal network in 17 West and Southwest states with Fishersville, Va.-based Wilson's 29-terminal network serving nine Southeast states and the District of Columbia. Central operates about 9,600 tractors and trailers, while Wilson operates about 3,000.

Both carriers have been witnesses to much of the trucking industry's history: Central was formed in 1925, one year before Wilson.

The combination will open up a wider swath of the U.S. to Central, giving its customers the "extended coverage they've been asking for," said Don Orr, Central's president and CEO.