The philosophy of Hi-Way 13 Transport Ltd. is simple: “logistics is about going the extra mile.” While other companies see logistics as mere transportation, Hi-Way 13 considers it to be about hauling freight seamlessly, and focusing on employees and customers. This is an Alberta-based general freight truck loading company and oilfield specialty carrier, also providing heated warehousing and outside oilfield pipe storage.
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The founders of Hi-way 13, Tom and Fred O’Riordan, both enjoyed helping others and serving the public, which translated into their business as well. When launching their family-run transportation business in 1957, they focused on connecting with customers and establishing fulfilling partnerships. After Tom passed on, Fred bought his brother’s share and continued to run Hi-Way 13, and today Tom and Fred’s children are running the company.
The Hi-Way 13 website explains that the second generation of O’Riordans have carried on the family philosophy: “We’re here to satisfy customers to the best of our ability first. The ‘bottom line’ will look after itself.” This has carried the company to much success, including the ownership of 15 straight trucks, 65 tractors, and 178 trailers – consisting of 27, 48 and 53-foot tandem and tridem vans, decks, B-trains, super B-trains and pole trailers capable of hauling up to 80-foot lengths of pipe.
Hi-Way 13 considers the unique needs of a business, and offers a variety of logistics services in northern and western Canada. This includes: truckload and less-than-truckload freight solutions, oilfield transportation and oilfield equipment storage. The company hauls and stores oilfield pipe, heavy machinery and LTL general freight. The founders created the company with the vision of helping people in the region and after about six decades of hard work and determination, Hi-Way 13 continues to enjoy servicing northern and western Canada, including the Canadian oil fields.
The employees are the main strength of the services provided by Hi-Way 13. There are currently one hundred highly skilled individuals employed at the company, each of them dedicated to helping create a positive work environment with room for personal growth and advancement within the company. Professionals are trained to prioritize safety as well as service, which ensures the safety of employees as well as guaranteeing that products are shipped securely and on time.
Hauling oilfield equipment requires well-trained professionals who know how to properly secure and transport a variety of loads; it is very different than hauling regular freight. Hi-Way 13 is recognized as a leader in the oilfield industry with over 20 years experience of hauling specialty equipment. All of its trucks and oilfield trailers are equipped to handle heavy duty off-road loads and are designed with safety features that can be modified in order to ensure that the best possible service is delivered. This results in greater versatility, making the equipment useful for almost any oilfield trucking project.
The company believes that its drivers are its greatest asset. “They make the precise and exacting task of hauling oilfield equipment look effortless,” according to the Hi-Way 13 website. The drivers are helpful and flexible enough to aid in everything from loading and unloading, to transporting and stringing pipe out on strips of land called right-of-ways. There are teams of swampers and flaggers to help load and unload pipe safely, and also staff available for extended in-camp, onsite projects. Keeping true to the company motto, the employees really do go the extra mile, proving that Hi-Way 13 has whatever is needed in terms of personnel and necessary equipment.
Hi-Way 13 has specifically designed its long haul transportation solutions to meet the performance gaps in the supply chain. The company’s long haul truck load (TL) division provides services to western Canada (BC, AB, SK and MB), as well as northern Canada (NWT, YK and Nunavut). Well known for its pipe hauling capabilities, the team also has the resources to haul coils, rig mats, steel, beams, heavy equipment, and much more. The long haul truck drivers are certified, rigorously trained, courteous and helpful.
Hi-Way 13 understands that oilfield project managers need honest answers about the delivery of their loads. In Canada, there are often unpredictable weather circumstances and if a given delivery date cannot be met because of a situation such as a snowstorm, Hi-Way 13 will make sure that companies are being told the truth about the status of their load and when it can be expected. The company website proclaims to, “Take pride in the fact that our customers say they can count on us delivering honesty and integrity, as well as their freight.”
Each company’s truckload shipping challenges are unique, and the solutions to meet those challenges should be as well. Hi-Way 13 has the right equipment in its deck division to handle shipments of oil equipment, heavy machinery, pipe or general freight within western and northern Canada. Even if the shipment is outside the regular service area, Hi-Way 13 has established important ties with many different transportation companies so that the most suitable and economical option will be available.
Hi-Way 13 has one of the largest deck fleets in Alberta and transports where many other transportation companies won’t go across western and northern Canada. The company works hard to ensure that its own standards and internal regulations exceed the expectations of the Cargo Securement rules from Standard 10 of the National Safety Code, making drivers feel safe and confident about the security of the haul.
As well as hauling pipe of all lengths, sizes and shapes, Hi-Way 13 also maintains a secure yard in Camrose for storing pipe and oilfield equipment. The whole freight and storage yard is fully secured with gates and fences, and is equipped with specialty custom-built racks for safe pipe storage. Front-end loaders, cranes and pickers are on hand for loading and unloading most kinds of pipe. According to the Hi-Way 13 website, “Time is money. In the oilfield industry, you need to know that your pipe is readily accessible – whenever and wherever you need it.”
The Hi-Way 13 team is known for reliable and safe transportation and because of its vast experience in hauling and the oilfields, the team takes care of the big issues as well as the smallest details so that customers don’t have to. The company can be present for an oilfield project from start to finish as long as it is located in northern or western Canada. All that is needed is a detailed description of the project, the total distance of pipe required (its length and diameter), and the coating: bare or another specialty type, and Hi-Way 13 will take care of all the logistics. The company is dedicated to making sure all the equipment and resources arrive and the right place and at the right time.
2017 marks the 60th anniversary of Hi-Way 13 Transport Ltd. Its success is attributed to the people who make up the company – the employees that make the workplace culture optimistic and service-oriented. It is proud to be a family-owned business that is small enough to care about employees individually, but large enough to support the staff’s professional growth. The information given by the Hi-Way 13 dispatchers is highly dependable, which reflects the reliability of the company. The drivers’ dedication to safety regulations and the security of the clients’ products are taken very seriously, which is why the best practices to remain safe on the roads are enforced. “No cutting corners. No cookie-cutter approach.”
