Come September 2022, Fort Morgan, Colorado, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, residents will be seeing a lot more green as Transystems begins hauling sugarbeets for Western Sugar Cooperative, according to a company news release.
Transystems’ fleet of state-of-the art green trucks already works for Western Sugar at its Billings, Montana, location. The expansion to Fort Morgan and Scottsbluff was an evolution of Transystems relationship with Western Sugar.
Last summer, the company secured a renewal of its existing contract at the Western factory in Billings. As discussions continued, it was logical to examine the combination of Billings, Scottsbluff and Fort Morgan,” the news release stated.
Those discussions resulted in Transystems securing a 10-year contract with Western Sugar.
Activity for the Fort Morgan and Scottsbluff projects has already begun, according to Transystems. The company is scouting locations for maintenance facilities.
“Ideally, these facilities are on, or very near, the factory to assure high quality equipment and great communication with the sugar company,” the news release stated.
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Employees & Training
With a need for more than 100 employees to drive and maintain the trucks and loaders scheduled to go to work in Colorado and 75 employees in Nebraska, recruiting and training are beginning to ramp up.
“Transystems offers truck driving schools that take non-licensed individuals through a hands-on, individualized training course that makes them ready and capable of obtaining a CDL (commercial driver’s license) ” the news release stated. “This is a great way to begin a career as a professional driver.”
Family-owned and -operated, Transystems brings years of beet hauling experience to the job, according to the news release.
Founded in 1942 by John Rice in Great Falls, Montona, Transystems is now in the hands of the second and third generations. Errol Rice is president of the company.
In the beginning, the company “fleet” was two well-used dump trucks. In the early decades, the company expanded to haul dry freight and petroleum products. The territory covered included the Western United States, Canada and Alaska.
In the mid-1960s, it became apparent that with some innovative trailer design and configuration, sugar beets could be economically moved by trucks over greater distances. Ultimately, almost all beets in North America turned to trucks rather than railroad cars.
Milestones in Transystems’ history of transporting sugarbeets:
- 1968 – Designed custom trailers to transport sugarbeets for Great Western Sugar Company at Billings
- 1969 – Added Holly Sugar Company as customer at Hardin and Sidney, Montana; and Worland and Torrington, Wyoming
- 1970 – Began loading sugarbeets for all customers
- 1983 – Added American Crystal Sugar Company as customer at Moorhead, Crookston and East Grand Forks, Minnesota; and Drayton, North Dakota
- 1984 – Added Hillsboro, North Dakota, factory of American Crystal
- 2001 – Began operations for The Amalgamated Sugar Company in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon
- 2006 – Began operations for Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative
- 2010 – Began designing and manufacturing bottom discharge trailers for hauling sugarbeets
- 2011 – Purchased first cleaner-loader for sugarbeets
- 2013 – Purchased sugarbeet harvester
- 2017 – Returned to Billings to transport beets for Western Sugar
- 2022 – Begin operations in Scottbluff and Fort Morgan for Western Sugar
For more information about Transystems and job opportunities, contact Kari Franks at (406) 727-7500.