The Founding Years: Oak Harbor Transfer, the forerunner to Oak Harbor Freight Lines, was founded in 1916 by Ben Koetje of Oak Harbor, WA. Oak Harbor Transfer was a local cartage carrier servicing Whidbey Island. In 1936 John and Gus Vander Pol purchased the small island carrier for $600.00 cash and assumed its debt. Their younger brother Henry joined them in 1937. In 1942 the brothers purchased another small carrier called Oak Harbor Freight Lines, they merged the two operations together and kept the latter name.

Family Business: The brothers over time developed the carrier into a small LTL shipping freight operation serving a number of counties in Western Washington. In 1974 Henry purchased the company in full. In this same year his two sons Edward and David began working with their father.