WH Transportation is announcing it will discontinue its van trailer operations at the end of July 2008 and focus solely on flat bed operations. The company blames rising costs, especially for fuel, for the cutbacks.
In a news release issued Tuesday, WH says it is "returning to its roots" and will deliver housing components for its sister companies, Wausau Homes and Sterling Building Systems, and deliver general flat bed freight for other customers.
"The flat bed business is the best business for us to be in because it is a vital part of our core housing business," says co-owner Tom Schuette.
WH says it will continue van trailer operations through July to allow customers to find alternative carriers and for people to find other employment. The company is not specifying how many jobs may be lost, but that it will employ approximately 80 in Wisconsin. 340 drivers, owner operators, dispatchers, service technicians and support personnel in Wisconsin, Ohio and Georgia will be affected.
WH began as a flat bed carrier in the 1970s delivering housing components for Wausau Homes. It expanded into van freight business in the 1980s when the trucking industry became deregulated.
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