13 www.ortrucking.org Issue 4 | 2024 CORPORATE LONGEVITY, FAMILY values, and employee-centric culture are all common in the trucking industry, but while many trucking companies talk at length about their values, Oak Harbor Freight Lines and their leadership embody them every day. A family-owned and operated business since its inception in 1916, Oak Harbor Freight Lines has prioritized its values in all aspects of its business, even as it has grown and expanded outside of its home state of Washington. Today Oak Harbor Freight Lines operates 40 terminals across seven states, offering customers LTL (Less Than Truckload) and truckload services. The story of what is today one of the biggest trucking companies operating in the western United States began in 1910, when the Vander Pol family crossed the Atlantic Ocean for America thanks to a sponsorship from Holland American Land Company. After working for two years in North Dakota to pay off their sponsorship to America, the family settled in Oak Harbor, Washington, where the former Dutch farm laborers achieved their goal of owning their own farm. Brothers Gus and John Vander Pol branched out from the family farm and joined the trucking industry in 1936 when they purchased Oak Harbor Transfer, which, at the time, primarily made deliveries around Whidbey Island, Washington. Their brother Henry joined the company a year later and helped start Oak Harbor’s daily run into Seattle, while managing a new terminal there. As the company grew, Oak Harbor Transfer purchased Oak Harbor Freight Lines in 1942 and retained the name. Like so many others across the world, the brothers faced challenges during World War II with gasoline rationing, an inability to get truck parts, and increased costs for tires and labor, all while adhering to strict national embargoes on increasing the price of delivery rates. Henry Vander Pol recalled that war period as one that was extraordinarily trying for the company. After the passing of his brother John, Gus sold his portion of Oak Harbor Freight Lines to Henry in the late 1960s and Henry’s sons, Ed and David Vander Pol, began taking a larger role in the family business. Following the deregulation of the trucking industry through the Motor Carrier Act in 1979, Oak Harbor Freight Lines expanded significantly in the 1980s through the purchase of existing lines and authorities in both Eastern and Western Washington. The company also received approval for their first terminal outside of Washington in Portland, Oregon. Oak Harbor Freight Lines was soon able to serve the entire I-5 corridor in Oregon. “We believe in using partners to serve regions we cannot,” said Ed. “We couldn’t find a partner with the same level of service as ours, so we opened our own Oak Harbor Freight Lines: Leading from the Front for 108 Years By Jennifer Sitton | OTA Communications Consultant OHFL ELECTRIC TRUCKS—Oak Harbor Freight Lines’ new E-trucks to service the California area.
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