Talkin' Trucks With Mike:A History of the TNT Companies

I have taken that photo exactly because it was unusual. In fact, it was the main TNT Distribution facility serviced by 42 doors, it was 120 feet wide with a 24,000 square foot dock. As you can see on the photo the facility received trailers from different carriers. In the case of Dugan and Overland, they subleased some dock space to complement the space already used some blocks away from another LTL carrier for Dugan and because the non significative operations in the Chicago area for Overland.

Dugan subleased space from Navajo LTL

 

The operations of TNT in the province of Québec were interlocked with one key man , Desmond Guy, who had worked as the plenipotentiary (invested with complete authority to act independently) for the Australian Group in Quebec for over twenty years.

He came to TNT in 1974 as General Manager of Champlain Sept-Iles Express just after its take over by TNT. Two years later he was appointed President of Champlain Group, the operational name of the financial holding Quebec Ontario Freightways which oversaw all TNT operations in the province. Desmond Guy had the mandate to expand TNT operations in Quebec and take advantage of all opportunities.In that context Desmond Guy proceeded, over the years, to the acquisition of an arrey of a dozen of small local and regional carriers. He pushed further his involvement being probably one of the investors who set up in 1977 Mirair, a scheduled air freight trucking carrier in which TNT held a participation of 50%.



In early 80's, Champlain Group is renamed TNT Quebec Group and and few years later TNT Quebec's LTL operations were merged into TNT Overland Express, leaving TNT Quebec with the remaining specialized carriers under Desmond Guy leadership. Later in the decade, Desmond Guy took advantage of the opportunity to acquire some TNT Quebec specialized divisions through a numbered company, 2318-1654 (Québec) this, after a serie of complex operational and financial transactions.

The divisions was TNT Heavy Haul and Atlas Trucking + Nolin Transport bought by Desmond with his own money.







At the end of this process, TNT Quebec Group had become an empty shell replaced by the numbered company 2318-1654 (Quebec) now owned by Desmond Guy who became the major shareholder of the financial holding Quebec Ontario Freightways with TNT as the minority shareholder. On the operational side, nothing had changed; 2318-1654 (Québec) continued to operate from the TNT Quebec Group terminal as an exclusive sub-contractor of TNT Canada for which it operated also Mirair as well as Entrepot Lapalme.



Finally in 1993, Desmond Guy added another company to his portofolio, TCL Transport inc.
in the purpose to operate some dedicated carriage contracts in Canada on behalf of TNT Logistics Corp. jointly owned by Transport Group inc. and TNT Freightways Corp.



During his long and successful career Desmond Guy moved successively from Truck Driver to Dock Foreman, Brand Manager and Regional Manager (Motorways)

Operation Manager : (L. Wood & Son/Atlas Trucking)

Start up of heavy haul service (Maislin Transport)

General Manager : (Champlain Sept-Îles Express)

President : (Champlain Group/TNT Quebec Group)

Business Owner : 2318-1654 (Québec) / TCL Transport inc.