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Throughout its more than one-half century of history, Speedy Transport has grown through its well-earned reputation for reliability and innovation.

Founded in 1941 as a local same-day parcel pickup and delivery service in the central Toronto area, the company, known then as Speedy Parcel Delivery, operated several small trucks in addition to its initial band of motorcycles, which had side cars that carried the parcels.

In 1945 Speedy had six trucks when Yves Cam and Maurice Weaver, along with three more partners, Ken Williams, George Lee, and Weaver's Brother, each advanced $900.00 to purchase the company. Cam recalls, "We started charging 10 cents for the first parcel and five cents for the second, but eventually the prices increased to 15 and 10 cents." As three of the partners left to pursue other interests, Cam and Weaver became the sole owners before selling the company to Brian Aitkens in 1970 although Cam remained with the company until his retirement in 1991.

Aitkens operated the company until 1978, when the current owner and President, Monty Martin, acquired Speedy Parcel. At that point the enterprise still operated in much the same manner as it always had, as a rather small, local parcel delivery service with approximately six trucks, manually loading and unloading trucks by "hand-bombing" the crates from person to person without the aid of mechanical devices, and still licensed solely for the conveyance of cartage in the central Toronto area only.

But under the able leadership and entrepreneurial foresight of Mr. Martin, Speedy experienced unparalleled growth, expanding to its present size and operation through the careful management of resources while seizing opportunities for further expansion. In an effort to provide better service, Speedy was one of the first cartage companies to install two-way radios on all its trucks. Having been previously located at several different sites, in 1982 the company moved to modern facilities on St. Clair Avenue West with dedicated docking facilities and proprietary fuel pumps.

In an important development in 1983, after a lengthy and arduous effort, the company obtained an operating license for areas outside of Metropolitan Toronto, giving Speedy permission to provide service for all of Ontario. That same year the company also procured its first tractor trailer unit for larger deliveries. During the early and mid 1980s, the company began to aggressively develop its service to the retail industry and relationship with the Canadian Retail Shippers Association, delivering freight from suppliers to the stores warehouses.

Again needing larger facilities, in 1985 Speedy relocated to 30 door warehouse and a fully mechanized operation for the loading and unloading
of freight, on Doney Crescent in Concord, Ontario, with 25 trucks and two tractor trailers. Realizing that its area of expertise and proficiency was not primarily in small parcel delivery, Speedy, at this time, decided to wholly dedicate itself to the cartage aspect of its business and established a minimum weight requirement of 250 pounds for all cargo.

By 1991 the company needed yet larger quarters and therefore moved to its current location in Brampton. "Terminal 410" is an ideally designed and situated transportation facility, meeting all the requirements for the fast and efficient movement of goods with 110 doors and 22 acres of land, under 24 hour security. Centrally located alongside the principal freeways and Toronto International Airport, it has excellent access to all major Canadian cities and United States border points. The 100,000 square feet of insulated and heated cross-dock spacing also provides areas for stage freighting and warehousing. A 20,000 square foot garage provides around the clock service for all the vehicles, including a strict in-house maintenance program.

To better reflect all of the aspects of the company, in 1994 the name was simplified from Speedy Parcel Delivery and Cartage to Speedy Transport. Furthermore with a license to expand operations in Quebec, the company also opened a terminal in Montreal, well equipped to service the entire province.

Reflecting on the impressive success of the company, Mr. Martin attributes it largely to Speedy's employees and management nucleus, and their commitment to service through the full utilization of technology. He emphasizes, "The drivers, dockhands, management and administrative group are the company's most valuable asset." Indeed, Mr. Martin has assembled a team of some of the most capable individuals in the industry -- each with a personal wealth of experience in the trucking field -- to direct the company. Mr. Martin continues, "The company would not be where it is today if it weren't for the commitment and skill of all 350 persons involved." In addition Mr. Martin's daughter, Nicole Martin, has been with the company since 1991 and oversees extensive administrative aspects.

By embracing advances in technology over the course of the company's history, from two-way radios, to obtaining the company's own radio frequency, to cellular phones, to portable computers, and to currently implementing a corporation wide electronic data interchange (EDI) to offer virtual paperless handling of shipments to clients, Speedy Transport has clearly demonstrated its commitment to offer enhanced capabilities to its clients. 

From hand-bombing small parcels in central Toronto to offering sophisticated cartage services across Ontario and Quebec, from motorcycles with sidecars to a large fleet of transport vehicles operating out of ultra-modern terminals, Speedy Transport has excelled in providing innovative services while living up to its name throughout its 50 years of history.