21 www.ortrucking.org Issue 1 | 2022 Highway Heavy Hauling’s OTA Carrier Member KRISTINE KENNEDY AND Carson Kennedy, owners of Highway Heavy Hauling, “HWY,” started their careers at a local rigging and trucking company. Kristine was still attending Portland State University when she started as the receptionist. Carson was fresh out of diesel mechanic school when he became the assistant to the mechanic. The siblings moved up through the company and eventually Kristine became the Transportation Manager and Carson a top foreman for rigging crews. Kristine states that she and her brother were blessed with a lot of opportunity at Omega Morgan, formerly Morgan Industrial, Inc. Joe Morgan, the original owner, had no problem putting Kristine in dispatch after push-back from the guys that a young lady couldn’t do the job. “I think he saw a challenge and knew I would work harder than my predecessors,” stated Kristine. After parting ways with the company in 2012, both Kristine and Carson pursued avenues with other local companies. They both had a passion for wanting to be owners and made a run at purchasing a local rigging company. That did not pan out and they both continued working in the field of transportation and rigging. In May of 2013, through many talks with several mentors, including Steve Bates of V. Van Dyke Trucking, Kristine made a decision. She loved the transportation industry, she loved heavy haul and she missed being in charge. She told her brother that there was an opening in the market and it was time to start a trucking company. He was in. “We came from a background of ‘provide a solution or fail,’ so our idea was to provide trucking solutions with quality personnel for equipment large and small,” said Kristine. In the rigging industry they had perfected hauling KRISTINE KENNEDY Highway Heavy Hauling—The Rundown ` July 31, 2013 marks the first day that Highway Heavy Hauling ran a truck ` Under the leadership of President Kristine Kennedy, it is a certified women-owned business ` Operates 17 trucks in Oregon ` 18 employees ` Winner of the 2020 OTA Image Award, Annual winner of the Great West Safety Award for the past 5 years, and recent winner of the 2021 SC&RA Fleet Safety Award ` Founded a second company in 2018, MaximumMachinery Moving, LLC By Christa Wendland, OTA Communications Consultant
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