Central Freight Lines Inc., Waco, Texas, has accelerated its expansion into the Pacific Northwest through a purchase of selected terminal network and rolling stock of Eastern Oregon Fast Freight Inc.,
a non-union less-than-truckload carrier that operated 21 terminals in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
Bob Fasso, Central's president and chief executive officer, said, "For quite some time, we have targeted the Pacific Northwest as a region for expansion because of strong freight flows between the Northwest and our existing regions and favorable competitive dynamics. We had planned to initiate service in the latter part of the second quarter of 2004 in a limited number of locations.
"During our evaluation of the region, we discovered the opportunity to purchase EOFF's infrastructure and determined that we could immediately fill out a sizeable footprint in key freight centers throughout the region. We believe EOFF offered a unique opportunity to obtain strategic freight network assets."