Groendyke Transport and Georgia Tank Lines (GTL) recently signed a purchase agreement for Groendyke to acquire all the tank truck assets of GTL.
The companies anticipate a closing date of Jan. 1, 2022.
The acquisition will increase Groendyke’s driver count by 39 to about 900, the company said, while opening Groendyke to the new market of the Greater Atlanta area.
“We are excited to bring this group of safe, professional drivers to Groendyke Transport,” said Greg Hodgen, Groendyke president and CEO. “This acquisition expands our business into a new area, which fits well with one of our core values—growth. Throughout its 25-year history, owner Deborah Latham and the leadership team of Georgia Tank Lines have prided themselves on safety and determined customer and employee service, all of which make the acquisition of Georgia Tank Lines a great fit with Groendyke Transport and our long-term goals.”
Both companies are tank truck carriers. GTL specializes in hauling mainly petroleum products, while Groendyke hauls a wide array of petroleum products, chemicals, and other bulk hazardous materials.
“Over 25 years ago I started Georgia Tank Lines, never dreaming of how attached I would become to all of you,” Latham said in a message to employees posted on YouTube. “Our drivers, our staff, our customers, even our vendors, mean the world to me. Everyone of you is family. So the decision to sell the company took a lot of my heart and my soul.
“I was determined that it had to be a company with the same integrity, same work culture, and same dedication to safety as we have had all of these years.”
Groendyke, which will celebrate 90 years in business next year, boasts 40 terminals in 15 states, reaching as far west as Arizona, and all the way to the East Coast, and serving 49 states, Canada, and Mexico.
This transaction will add three locations to Groendyke’s footprint.
“Our goal is to remain a leader in safety, service, and employee satisfaction in the tank truck industry,” Hodgen said. “Expansion helps us fulfill that vision and better serve existing and new customers.”
Groendyke is the only eight-time winner (most recently in 2019, for safety efforts in 2018) of National Tank Truck Carriers’ North American Safety Champion award, given each year to the carrier with the best overall safety record and program.