Carl Farrow Trucking Company closes up shop

Carl Farrow Haulage will shut down on Feb. 22. 

This family owned and operated business has resided in Caledon for over 49 years. The company is well known throughout the trucking industry and well respected by everyone in the constructing industry, providing a service for 55 years.

It was founded by Carl Farrow in 1963.  In the beginning it was him and his wife, Anne.  They had one truck and worked out of Downsview. A short time later, the family moved to Caledon East where the company continued to grow.  As it expanded, his children, Dave, Vince and Diane became involved in the day-to-day operations.  

Numerous articles about the company have been written: the first, in a Western Star advertisement (2004), the second, in the Bandagram Trucking magazine (2010) and the third, in Truck News magazine (2013).  Carl Farrow Haulage has also appeared in an internet video advertisement for FS Partners, a fuel company (2014). 

Over the years the company has hired well over 400 employees, some of whom were very devoted and remained with the company until they retired and/or the company closed.  Carl Farrow Haulage participated in the building of many major types of construction such as the Pearson airport expansion, the 401, 407 and 410 highways, local subdivision road construction, town of Caledon resurfacing as well as sand and salt etc. 

The company supported many local businesses such as Traction Visco, Car Quest, and Bolton Auto.  The company also supported community events like the Bolton Fall Fair, Annual Tractor Pull and sponsored baseball, soccer and hockey teams.

When asked why the company decided to close up a successful business, Dave Farrow could only respond by saying, “times were changing, the trucking industry was changing, government regulations were changing,” and they wanted to leave while the business was still a success. The trucking industry is tough where the owners and employees work long, hard hours, six or seven days a week.  It was time to retire.

Not many companies are able to survive for 10 years let alone over 55 years.