Spring 2018
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Portage Transport Inc. is a US and Canadian bonded carrier specializing in LTL/FTL, temperature-controlled and hazardous shipments. In 2018, the Portage la Prairie, Manitoba based company is celebrating its 20th anniversary!

The start
Company President and CEO Bernie Driedger loved big trucks since he was a kid. When he turned 18, he got his Class I license and began driving part-time for a local farmer while working the family farm. At 28, he bought his first truck and was an owner-operator for the next 10 years. In 1998, Bernie committed to being at home with his family on a regular basis. While looking for opportunities that would keep him off the road, Bernie found that the trucking company that rented him space to park his truck was up for sale. And so it began!

In 1998, Portage Transport Service, owned and operated by the late Robert Gallagher of Oakville and Ron Johnson of Winnipeg, had terminals in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. Its main task was providing freight courier service linking Winnipeg to Portage, Brandon, Dauphin, and all points between. The carrier ran three trucks and 15 trailers.

As an owner-operator, Bernie always paid attention to how the carriers he drove for were managed, and developed a set of managerial tactics he would employ if he ever ran his own outfit – and conversely a set of tactics he would avoid like the plague. Armed with this philosophy, his experience behind the wheel, and his truck, Bernie and his wife Liz purchased Portage Transport Service, renamed it Portage Transport (1998) Inc., and embarked on a journey of an entirely different nature from anything in their experience.

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