A family-owned Canadian cross-border trucking company — McKevitt Trucking, headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario – has ceased operations after more than three-quarters of a century.
A source familiar with the situation told FreightWaves on Tuesday that former drivers for McKevitt Trucking were told about three weeks ago that the company was winding down operations by Oct. 31. The source declined to comment further.
It’s unclear why one of the largest cross-border truckload and less-than-truckload carriers in Northern Ontario shut its doors. TBNewsWatch first reported the trucking company’s closure.
FreightWaves has reached out to John McKevitt Sr., president of McKevitt Trucking, for comment.
Privately held McKevitt Trucking started as a one-truck operation in 1948 and ramped up operations to a fleet of 165 tractors and 450 trailers. It hauled general freight, household goods, building materials, refrigerated food and paper products.
At the time of its closure, McKevitt Trucking was down to 81 power units and the same number of drivers. Late Tuesday, the trucking company’s website and email were no longer working.
In addition to its headquarters in Thunder Bay, McKevitt Trucking will close its terminals in Ontario, including Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay and Mississauga.
Its trucks had been inspected nine times and two had been placed out of service in a 24-month period, resulting in a 22.2% out-of-service rate. This is slightly lower than the industry’s national average of around 22.3%, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration SAFER website.
The trucking company’s drivers were inspected 17 times and none were placed out of service. The national average for drivers is around 6.7%. In the past two years, McKevitt Trucking has been involved in two tow-aways.
According to FMCSA data, McKevitt’s Bodily Injury Property Damage coverage is slated to be canceled on Dec. 1.
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