Purolator Inc. is a Canadian courier majority owned by Canada Post. It was founded as Trans Canada Couriers, Ltd and acquired in 1967 by Purolator, a US manufacturer of oil and air filters.[3] In 1987, the company returned to Canadian ownership. Although it retained the Purolator name, it has had no connection with the oil filter business since that time.
History
Purolator began in the 1960s, initially called Trans Canada Couriers, Ltd. with two employees as a subsidiary of American Courier Corporation. In 1967, ACC was bought out by Purolator Filters, who made automotive oil filtration systems (hence the name "Pure-oil-later" = "Pur-o-lator").[4] By 1970, it operated 84 vehicles.[5] The courier company was later renamed Purolator. In 1987, it was sold by Purolator Filters to Canadian owners but retained the Purolator name.
In 1987 Purolator partnered with DHL's predecessor (Airborne Express) to better serve the American market which continued until 2008.