The following was one of the early acquisition approvals that was made by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) when that government body was regulating the trucking industry. The industry became under the ICC jurisdiction in 1935 and it wasn’t until early 1936 that operating authorities and mergers started to be acted upon.
K&L Transportation Company, Inc. was formed March 25, 1933 and was operating routes in Georgia and into Jacksonville, Florida. K&L had been granted “grandfather” authority since they had been operating the routes on a consistent basis prior to the 1935 Motor Carrier Act.
To serve certain points south of Albany, Georgia the K&L company had to travel a circuitous route which caused problems arranging schedules with connecting carriers. K&L needed a more direct route between Atlanta and Albany but were prohibited to do with the routes they were granted by the ICC. They needed to find another way and that meant buying the desired authority from another trucking company. They found what was needed in Gamble Motor Express, Inc.

An agreement was reached with Gamble on April 22, 1936. K&L would purchase the property and operating rights of Gamble for $8,000. Gamble Motor Express had been in operation since 1929 and only in Georgia but with the desired Atlanta to Albany route that attracted K&L.
K&L prepared an application for approval from the ICC and filed with with the agency on June 1, 1936. By then K&L had 30 trucks and tractors along with 14 trailers. During the first six months of 1936 the company earned net income of $2,179.
Almost eleven months later, on April 28, 1937 the Interstate Commerce Commission made their decision and allowed the acquisition to become effective. The map below shows in detail how the two companies routes complimented each other to produce the desired result.