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Colorado trucking company to cease operations after 39 years, employees say (with video)

Employees were notified on Jan. 16 that the owners were retiring and the small fleet was ceasing operations by the end of the month.

Colorado-based H.H. Williams Trucking to cease operations by the end of January. Photo: H.H. Williams Trucking
https://vimeo.com/385561610
Colorado-based H.H. Williams Trucking to cease operations by the end of January. Photo: H.H. Williams Trucking

Family-owned H.H. Williams Trucking of Greeley, Colorado, told employees on Thursday it will close its doors by the end of January.

An employee of H.H. Williams told FreightWaves that one of the company’s owners, Howard Williams, told office personnel on Thursday that he and his wife, Cheryl, both in their 70s, have decided to retire.

“I think we were all surprised and stunned by the news,” the employee, who didn’t want to be named, told FreightWaves. “He gave no other explanation other than he is retiring and the company will start winding down business operations.”

Howard Williams did not respond to FreightWaves’ telephone calls seeking comment.


Rumors started swirling on social media on Wednesday that the company was closing its doors, but it was news to the small fleet’s employees and drivers until mid-morning Thursday, the employee said.

Since early Thursday morning, a dispatcher has been fielding phone calls from concerned brokers about the company’s possible closure. He will stay on until the end of the month to ensure all of the trucks are back in the yard. 

Other employees have not been given a date as to when their employment will end.

The 39-year-old company, known for its green and white Mack trucks, has 23 trucks and drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.


“The owner told us that we still have trucks and equipment out on the road so it will take us until the end of the month to get everybody in and collect the keys,” the employee said.

The company had a dedicated account with Walmart for over 34 years, hauling drop and hook freight to stores in Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Montana, according to H.H. Williams’ website.

The website also stated that it had a reefer division with loads going to the West Coast and the Northwest.

This is a developing story.

Read more articles by FreightWaves’ Clarissa Hawes

Clarissa Hawes

Clarissa has covered all aspects of the trucking industry for 18 years. She is an award-winning journalist known for her investigative and business reporting. Before joining FreightWaves, she wrote for Land Line Magazine and Trucks.com. If you have a news tip or story idea, send her an email to chawes@firecrown.com or @cage_writer on X, formerly Twitter.