Dillon Logistics was an industry leader in natural-gas truck adoption.  -  Photo: HDT file photo

Dillon Logistics was an industry leader in natural-gas truck adoption.

Photo: HDT file photo

Dillon Logistics, an Illinois-based tank carrier, abruptly shut its doors the last day of August, according to several published reports.

News about the closure circulated on Facebook from drivers and from other trucking companies eager to hire Dillon’s drivers. The company’s Facebook page appears to have been deleted. There's no indication on its website of the closure.

The Burr Ridge, Illinois-based fleet got its start at the dawn of deregulation in 1980 as a temperature sensitive transportation provider to the asphalt industry. According to the Department of Transportation’s SAFER database, the carrier had more than 300 power units, and its out-of-service rates for the last two years were well below the national average.

No reason for the sudden closure was immediately evident. The company was recapitalized four years ago by Cotton Creek Capital.

Founded in 1980, Dillon provided dry and liquid bulk transportation services to the agriculture, building products, industrial, and energy industries across a nationwide network of terminals.

In 2017 when it was recapitalized, Dillon operated what at the time was one of the largest fleets of tractors powered by natural gas in the country. The company was honored multiple times as an HDT Top Green Fleet, and Chief Operating Officer Charles Musgrove spoke at a Green Fleet Conference event in 2014.

As recently as Aug. 14, the Chicago Area Clean Cities coalition was tweeting about an April webinar on natural gas featuring Dillon and Trillium.

However, one source told HDT off the record that the large investment in natural gas, driven at least in part at the request of a major dedicated customer, may have contributed to financial problems at the company.

About the author
Deborah Lockridge

Deborah Lockridge

Editor and Associate Publisher

Reporting on trucking since 1990, Deborah is known for her award-winning magazine editorials and in-depth features on diverse issues, from the driver shortage to maintenance to rapidly changing technology.

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