Approximately 150 people came out to the new facility of Dunn Transport Ltd. in Carlyle on Saturday, May 7. A special event was hosted by the local business to celebrate three important milestones in the company history. To begin with, this year marks the 60th anniversary of business operations for the trucking outfit, it also sees the completion of the superb new building on Railway Ave, and it opens a new era as a three-year process begins to turn the reins over to a third generation of the Dunn family.
Nels Dunn, now nearly 92 years old, began trucking in 1951. He had a single truck back then, a Reo White with a single axle trailer, and he was located in Wolseley. A couple of years later he was a common carrier for British American Oil and Federated Co-op, and B.A. asked if he could relocate in the Â鶹ÊÓƵeast of the province, so Nels moved to Carlyle where he set up the business with two trucks at that time.
In 1974 Nels' son Wayne became a partner in the business and a third truck was added. Two years after that, Wayne's brother Bev joined the business, that was when they incorporated and the corporation became a legal entity in its own right instead of a sole proprietorship. Into the 80s, the two brothers bought their father out when he retired, and the business continued to move ahead in the transportation of refined petroleum products.
By 2009 the company had four trucks, and since then they have expanded to eight Kenworth trucks with Super-B trailers. Typically their rigs comprise of the tractor and two trailers, a normal load might be 58,000 litres of gas or 50,000 litres of diesel. The fuel is normally picked up at refineries in Regina, and then hauled out to gas stations or bulk plants across the southeast of the province. With 11 drivers, all the trucks are normally on the road at the same time, and will typically clock around 200,000 kilometres each per year.
The new building is impressive. The shop measures 90 ft by 85 ft, and the administration area is 20 ft by 85 ft. There are executive offices, a driver's area, and even showers and a kitchen facility. They rent one bay out in the shop to a bulk trucking outfit, retaining the rest to house the trucks in their down time and to service them as needed.
As he toured the new facility, Nels Dunn said "By golly, I never thought we'd have something like this!" Family members also recalled that 60 years ago when the truck needed servicing, there would be parts all over the kitchen floor. Times have certainly changed for this family business.
The celebration began just before noon, when the people at the head table were introduced. The drivers present were Darrel Ariss, Rob Dolinski, Steve Hoey, Dalton Braun, Lorne Millward and Wes Shewchuk. Members of the Dunn family were Nels, his two sons Wayne and Bev, their wives Laura and Debra, and the third generation sons Clint and Perry. Missing from the group were Garth Huber and Gordon Warner.
There were several rows of tables for the guests, and behind the guests two Kenworth Tractors joined by a blue ribbon. A meal was served, and then Bev Dunn gave a brief history of the company. He praised the drivers and said "Without good drivers there can be no good company." And he thanked the visitors for their attendance.
Bev also explained that Clint would serve as the operations manager, while his own son Perry would continue as the mechanic and run the shop. Wayne and Bev will stay on in management roles until, as Bev explained, "We are no longer needed."
Nels' daughter Rilla, then paid tribute to her mother, reminding all those in attendance that there is indeed a good woman behind each of the men. Then Councillor George Anderson offered the company the congratulations on behalf of the Mayor and Town of Carlyle.
The blue ribbon between the trucks was then cut by Nels, with his sons and grandsons on either side of him. Door prizes were then awarded, and the event was concluded. The Observer adds its congratulations to the company, and wishes the next generation the same wonderful success experienced by their forebears.
