The energy bust has touched off a wave of consolidation among the trucking companies that haul equipment around the oil patch, where business is shrinking along with the tumbling price of crude. This week, Daseke Inc. said it would buy Hornady Transportation LLC, its second acquisition in just over a month. After the deal is completed, Daseke’s fleet will total over 3,000 tractors and 6,000 trailers, an increase in the tractor count of about 40% since last fall and a 50% addition in trailers. Addison, Texas-based Daseke says in terms of equipment that it operates, the company is the largest flatbed trucking company in the U.S., although Landstar System Inc. LSTR -1.51 % is larger by revenue under a system that focuses on using independent owner-operator drivers. Flatbed truckers have fallen on hard times after several years of rapid expansion driven by the shale oil boom. With oil prices […]