From Winter Roads to Retirement: How R. French Transport Sold Its Fleet from Home in Arcola, SK 

R. French Transport started about 25 years ago, hauling livestock. On September 17, 2026, the company’s fleet was sold online from its own yard in Arcola, Saskatchewan. The results: more than 250 lots sold, attracting more than 650 bidders from around the world. 

Here’s how the sale came together, what it delivered, and how one Saskatchewan trucking company closed a chapter on its own terms. 

A 25-year trucking story, closed on the owners’ terms 

R. French Transport grew the way many Prairie operations do: one opportunity at a time. Livestock hauling in Saskatchewan led to moving liquid fertilizer and fuel on the winter roads of the Northwest Territories. The company incorporated in 2005, right as the Bakken oil play took off, and the work quickly expanded into hauling oil and providing related services. 

The company was sold in 2011, but its founders stayed on to manage it. This year, they decided it was time to wind down operations and retire. When they brought that decision to the ownership group, the principal owner asked a simple question: if this were still truly R. French Transport, what would you do? The answer was to call Ritchie Bros. 

“We’re excited in one way and a little apprehensive in the other,” one founder said. After a lifetime of hard work, retirement was the next chapter. 

Well-kept equipment, sold where it worked 

The dispersal represented a complete working operation, including: 

• Truck tractors, including Kenworth W900 and T800 units and Peterbilt 567, 367 and 389 models 

• Tanker trailers from Lazer Inox, Tremcar, Dragon, Advance and Heil 

• Water tanks, end dump trailers and pickups 

• More than 90 lots of shop tools, truck parts, and warehouse inventory 

The fleet reflected years of careful maintenance. Routine servicing and smaller repairs were handled in-house, while major engine work was completed through outside mechanical shops. Safety inspections were current across the fleet. 

Rather than transporting equipment to an auction site, the owners chose to sell directly from their yard in Arcola. Buyers were able to inspect equipment in person during the days leading up to the sale, while online bidding opened September 12 and closed September 17. 

Strong demand from around the world 

Interest in the sale grew steadily throughout the marketing period. In mid-August, the auction had just 323 watchlists. By sale week, that number had climbed to more than 4,000. The numbers below show how many serious buyers Ritchie Bros. puts in front of every seller.

• 10,000+ online sessions 

• 4,000+ watchlists 

• 650+ bidders 

• 250+ lots sold 

• 85+ buyers 

Registered bidders came from six countries: Canada, the United States, Germany, France, Latvia and the United Arab Emirates. That level of competition helped create demand across the entire inventory, from high-value tanker trailers down to shop equipment, parts, and warehouse items. 

The same sale that saw a tanker trailer sell for $146,000 also found buyers for everything from a shop press and pressure washer to office supplies. Every lot was exposed to the same pool of interested buyers. 

Closing one chapter and starting the next 

For R. French Transport, the sale wasn’t simply about equipment. It marked the conclusion of decades spent building and operating a business across Western Canada and the North. 

Selling from their own yard allowed the owners to keep the process simple while reaching buyers far beyond their local market. More importantly, it gave them a clear path to retirement and the confidence that the assets they had spent years building would move on to new owners. 

For R. French Transport, an online dispersal from home was the right way to close one chapter and begin the next.

Interested in offsite sales? This retirement dispersal is one example of a growing trend across Western Canada. Read What Does the Average Prairie Offsite Look Like? to see how offsite sales perform across the Prairies.  

Thinking about selling? Talk to your Ritchie Bros. representative to find out which selling option is right for your equipment, whether that’s a single unit or a whole fleet.

See also

Malcolm Excavating retirement sale reaches buyers beyond Ontario