-January 20,2024-
Des Moines Iowa-based Ruan Transportation has closed their two logistics offices in Tulare and Turlock, according to a State of California WARN notice.
Ruan Transport Corporation at 754 S Blackstone St. in Tulare CA laid off 92 employees and 47 employees at their 830 W. Glenwood St., Turlock CA location according to a January 8, 2024 notice.
According to City of Tulare officials, the company will be exiting their milk hauling business in California after serving Central Valley dairies for decades.
The company had advised patrons for some time that they were planning this exit although” the news set off quite a scramble”, says one dairy industry source. Everyone has found alternative transportation however, says our source.
Both Tulare and Turlock have multiple dairy processors that receive milk daily from dairies in the region.
Ruan Trucking was founded in 1932 by John Ruan with just one truck. The small business grew into Ruan Transportation Management Systems – now one of the nation’s largest trucking operations. The company says it sports 300+ operations and has 5000 employees – 4000 of them are truck drivers. The firm also has 1.5 mil sf of dedicated warehouse space.
Cost issue
The spokesperson for the company was not available for comment. Speculation, however, relates to the cost of tightening air quality rules in California that would require major fleets to upgrade from diesel to zero emission trucks. Litigation over reporting mandates on existing trucks has recently led to a temporary postponement of pending deadlines.Still, major investment in new trucks will be required in California.