STRASBURG, Ohio—Tremcar has worked hard to solidify its reputation as a manufacturer of premium stainless-steel chemical and food-grade tankers and highly customized multi-axle trailers since Jacques Tremblay purchased the Canadian company from the Tougas brothers 36 years ago. But recent and upcoming expansions are quickly transforming Tremcar into an elite supplier of aluminum equipment, too.
The manufacturer last year produced 28% more aluminum tankers—primarily for fuel transportation—than in 2023 at its upgraded Tremcar USA facility in Strasburg, Ohio, which now features a dedicated building for barrel construction, two additional service bays, and a parts warehouse; and it plans to open a new plant this summer in Québec, Canada, that will produce aluminum trailers and truck-mounted tanks. “People know us for making the best stainless-steel tanks on the market,” said Daniel Tremblay, Tremcar president, and the son of Jacques, who retired in 2017. “That’s what we aim for, and we never cut corners—we always give more to our customers—so they’re still our top seller.
“But more and more, with our Strasburg plant and growing fuels business, people are seeing we make very good aluminum tanks.”
With help from its growing aluminum segment, Tremcar also increased total tank trailer output year-over-year, to nearly 1,300 units, in 2024; and expanding production capacity has the company poised for further growth under President Trump, Daniel said, arguing the administration’s pro-business, pro-energy policies far outweigh the threat of tariffs for commercial vehicle manufacturers. “People are excited,” agreed Melanie Dufresne, Tremcar director of marketing and communications.
“It’s positive for the economy—and when the economy’s good, people buy more tankers.”
Custom tank manufacturer
Aldé and Léo Tougas founded A&L Tougas in 1962 in Sabrevois, Québec, as a milk tank manufacturer. Jacques, who spent most of his career in the concrete industry, purchased the company in 1989 and renamed it Tremcar. Daniel entered the family business in 1992 and quickly gravitated to the tanker operation, which grew exponentially under his leadership. So Jacques opted to sell his concrete operations and join Daniel at Tremcar in 1995. “He saw my passion, and how involved I was in the business, and decided to come work here with me, so we could build something together,” Daniel recalled.
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Tremcar established its first U.S. plant in 1998 in Champlain, New York, then relocated the operation in 2004 to the old International Tank Trailer facility in Ohio. Today, the company is one of the largest tank trailer manufacturers in North America, with over 700 employees and production plants in Strasburg; Haverhill, Massachusetts (home of Boston Steel, a Tremcar USA division); Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu—where Tremcar has two facilities—and Saint-Césaire, Quebec; and London, Ontario. Tremcar specializes in innovative dairy transports, like a farm pickup tanker with automated metering and sampling introduced in 2020; heavy-duty tank trailers with up to eight axles; and A- and B-train combinations.
“Tremcar stands out for being a premier custom tank shop,” said Kevin Vogel, Strasburg quality control manager.
“We build the trailers people need.”
Now Tremcar aims to build more tank trailers, and boosting its U.S. market share—which accounted for 35% of total revenues last year—is a top priority. That’s why the company invested more than $5 million in the Strasburg expansion, and last year tripled its U.S. sales staff and added 35 skilled U.S. workers.
“Customers drive our growth,” Daniel said.
“They’re asking for more from Tremcar, and it breaks my heart when someone buys from a competitor because I can’t meet their demand.”
Strasburg production
The 7-acre Strasburg location, which Tremcar has expanded five times, produced 134 DOT 406 aluminum tankers in 2023, and 172 tankers last year in the first full year inside a new 20,000-sq.-ft. building with three versatile barrel lines. “We went from 2.5 trailers per week, if we were lucky, to 3-4, and now we’re looking to add a fourth line and go to 5-6 trailers per week,” said Dave Brooks, Strasburg plant manager.
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The $4 million facility is set up for lean-manufacturing efficiency and line flexibility, with three portable barrel rotators that enable quick changeovers. Tremcar was building B-trains with tridem leads and tandem pups for Alaska and Canada on Line 1; standard 53-ft. units for the U.S., South America, and the Caribbean on Line 2; and six-axle trailers for Michigan on Line 3 when Bulk Transporter visited.
“We’re shipping them out to dealers as fast as we can build them,” Brooks said.
The original horseshoe-shaped, 11,000-sq.-ft. building now is dedicated to tanker fabrication, finishing, and final inspections. Tremcar makes most parts and components, from custom cabinets and hose trays to ladders, fenders, and frames, in house using new tools and fixtures, a Kodiak plasma cutter, and Ermaksan press brake. End caps from Tremcar’s Saint-Césaire plant are shaped using a Blue Valley flanger.
Strasburg is up to 75 production workers, and 100 total employees—and it’s still growing.
“We have a solid team there, and it’s easy to invest when people are doing their jobs,” Daniel explained. “They’re serious about the work, so I want to support their efforts, and help them make things happen.
“Our goal is to keep moving forward. We’re not at full capacity yet.”
Strasburg service
A $1.5 million investment in the adjacent tank maintenance and repair shop added two bays and 5,000 sq. ft. in late 2023. The building now boasts 19,200 sq. ft. and 10 bays, including a dedicated fabrication space with a shear and press brake for speedier repairs and replacement parts. But, with five tank service facilities in a 180-mile radius, it’s the shop’s nine long-tenured, highly skilled employees—including 44-year industry veteran Ed Dugan—who make Strasburg stand out. “We have 215 years of combined experience in the service center here,” said Jim Everett, Strasburg service manager.
“They’re well-rounded, they’re knowledgeable—and they’ve seen it all.”
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The result is a persistent backlog. Even with the additional bays, customers wait 2-4 weeks for annual inspections, and 4-8 weeks for bigger projects, and every bay was full when Bulk Transporter arrived. The shop maintains, repairs, and inspects all tanker makes, models, and years. Regular jobs include modifications, accessory installations, frame repairs, and jacket replacements. They even fix vacuum-collapsed barrels. “It’s amazing how you can blow them out,” Everett said. “We cut off the rings in the damaged areas, fill them full of water, repressurize them, and they bounce right back.”
All trailers are metered for safety before they enter the shop.
“First and foremost, every trailer that comes in must have a cleaning slip,” Everett said. “If it’s missing, we’ll contact the company and have them send the slip or take the trailer back to have it cleaned. Then I want the SDS sheet, because even if it was cleaned, I want to know what we’re diving into.”
Continuous improvement
Improvements are ongoing across the company.
In Strasburg, Brooks is developing new confined-space entry training for employees and first responders, introducing ergonomic carts for parts movement and staging, and emphasizing good “housekeeping.” The location also is increasing inventory, improving the utilization of raw materials, and modernizing its management system to digitize paperwork and track tanks throughout the manufacturing process.
The state-of-the-art, 125,000-sq.-ft. Granby facility will feature “4.0 automation” powered by artificial intelligence and robotic welding cells—at a cost of $30 million—when it opens in July after two years of planning.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to upgrade operations,” Dufresne said.
Now is the right time, too—despite Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, Daniel maintained. Expanding U.S. production minimizes Tremcar’s risk, and the company already sources most of its materials and components from the U.S., but the owner and president also believes any tariffs imposed will be applied in “very precise places” to help protect complex U.S.-Canada parts supply chains.
“I don’t believe the tanker industry will be impacted at all,” he said. “It’s not something I’m losing sleep over, yet.”
