About Us

We've come a long way together

Dennis Doehl was born an entrepreneur, splitting wood to make money while still in grade school. Later, in 1964, with a loan from the local credit union, Dennis bought Jay’s, a small trucking firm. He and two employees began hauling freight between Regina and Watrous. Soon they started moving households, sometimes needing relatives to pitch in.

In the early days, the office was the kitchen table. While Dennis’ wife, Arlene, handled the admin work and took care of their young family, Dennis’ mom often travelled with him as a packer. Lunches were brown bag affairs — usually bologna sandwiches. They used an old milk truck for a pack van. With only one seat for the driver, the packer (Arlene or her mother-in-law) had to sit on a lawn chair. The heater couldn’t keep up with prairie winters, so they’d have to repeatedly stop and scrape the windows with pieces of torn off boxes.

Moving on up

In 1970, Jay’s became an agent for Atlas Van Lines Canada. Then in 1977, Dennis bought Guardian Moving & Storage in Moose Jaw, expanding service to Regina and Saskatoon. Jay’s established the first overnight freight service in Saskatchewan in 1979, today serving more than 500 points across the province.

The heart of our success

Dennis downplays his personal achievements, preferring to talk about Jay’s in the community. Along with supporting many local organizations and the MS Society, Jay’s is a major sponsor of the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation, raising over a million dollars since 1992 with our Annual Golf Classic. And, every year, we award Jay’s Transportation Group Scholarships to help children and grandchildren of our employees achieve their educational aspirations.

Jay’s first Christmas party consisted of four staff members standing around an upside-down box in the Regina warehouse. Our parties today celebrate around 400 guests of honour — Jay’s hardworking team members from across Saskatchewan.

Determination, savvy and guts served Dennis and Arlene well as they built a thriving and diversified transportation leader now recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Top 100 Companies and Regina’s Top 50 Companies. In 2013, Jay’s joined Mullen Group, and our continued growth in moving, freight and storage serves the same purpose we always have: to satisfy our clients completely

Joining The Mullen Group

As of June 1, 2013 Jay’s became a stand-alone business within Mullen Group Ltd. Mullen Group Ltd. is a large provider of specialized transportation and related services to the oil and natural gas industry within Western Canada and is a leading supplier of trucking and logistics services. Jay’s is the twenty-sixth company purchased by the Mullen Group and the first with a Moving Division.

“We are extremely pleased to add Jay’s to our organization,” says Murray Mullen, chairman and CEO of Mullen Group. “[Jay’s] has an excellent reputation for providing outstanding service to its customers and we look forward to working with the management team to enhance the service offerings to Mullen Group’s existing customers… This is a great company with an established history and a strong management team.”

Our president and COO Terry Simonson had the following to say about the transition “We’ll continue the way we always have for almost 49 years. It’s very good for the Jay’s Group…” We have been assured by the Mullen Group that there will be no layoffs and if anything, the company will see more growth in our future.

We at Jay’s have come a long way in the past 49 years and look forward to this chapter in our history.

As the Chairman and CEO of Mullen Group Ltd., Murray Mullen is no stranger to acquiring new companies. When the opportunity presented itself, he knew that it was the right decision to invest in Jay’s Moving and Storage Ltd.

From the start Mr. Mullen saw Jay’s for what they are; a self-supporting and driven company with a staff that cares about the way they run their business. He believes in allowing the business units to manage themselves and in supporting the decisions they make as a company by “challenging [their] people to enhance their leadership skills and overall abilities through continuous training.”

Mr. Mullen understands that Jay’s has a family oriented culture within their doors. Growing up and working with 3 brothers and following in his Father’s footsteps as the CEO of Mullen Group Ltd., has allowed him to understand how important co-workers and employees are to an organization. He believes in cultivating staff and allowing them to grow with the company. He uses a “locker room philosophy” when describing the way he envisions a business to run. Staff should be treated as a team; there is comradery between employees and management that allows the business to run as smoothly as possible and gives employees the opportunity to have their voices heard.

When asked about Jay’s community involvement throughout the years and if we would continue to support these causes, he immediately replied, “I am fully supportive of your initiatives because [Mullen Group] believe that our Business Units and the employees have an obligation to support the communities that we live, work and play in.”

After speaking with Mr. Mullen it is obvious to see that he is a caring and compassionate man with a passion for what he does and in helping businesses succeed in their endeavours.

60^th anniversary

September 2, 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Jay’s Transportation Group Ltd. As much as we want to “Lead the Way” by looking forward, it is important to take time to look back on where we’ve come from. We started with 3 employees driving 3 straight trucks on a single freight route between two service points – Watrous and Regina. Today we have over 200 trucks in our fleet, service over 550 points across Saskatchewan, and employ over 400 individuals. We’ve come a long way!

There would be no Jay’s, no over half a century of success, if it weren’t for customers like you entrusting us to handle your moves, freight and belongings with care.

Our story is really thousands and thousands of your stories.

You’re who’s carried us.

Thank you.