DALLAS -- Coach America has signed a letter of intent to acquire Renzenberger Inc., one of the nation's largest transporters of railroad crews.

When the deal is completed, Renzenberger will become the third rail crew transporting company owned by Coach America.

In mid-2005, Coach America, which was known as CUSA at the time, purchased Crew Shuttle Services Inc. of Pocatello, Idaho, which operated 100 vehicles, providing rail crew transportation in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

When CUSA-Coach America was formed out of the western and south central operations of Coach USA in 2003, one of the companies that was part of the deal was Express Shuttle of Bismarck, N.D., which had been acquired by Coach USA in mid-2000. Express Shuttle operated a fleet of 20 vehicles providing rail crew transportation in upper plains and western states.

To manage this segment of its business, Coach America has formed a new operating division, Coach America Crew Transport, to provide employee transportation to a variety of vocational industries across the United States, including rail, mining, oil and gas, airline and construction.

The acquisition of Kansas City-based Renzenberger "is consistent with our strategy to expand our footprint in the crew transportation industry," said Fln Neve, vice president Coach America Crew Transport.

"It demonstrates our commitment to our customers and our employees in the crew transportation segment and our vision to be the leader in the crew transport market. We are very excited about the potential for these combined companies."

Renzenberger was founded 25 years ago, with two vans, as rail-crew transporter. Today, the company has a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles mostly vans, operating in 23 states.

Under rail labor laws, train crews must stop working at the moment their shifts end, often leaving them on trains in remote areas. Renzenberger picks up those crews and transports them to hotels.

Bill Smith, president of Renzenberger, said his company's deal with Coach America "will be a combination of two strong companies in the transportation industry, each with good business practices and strong management. It will allow us to standardize best practices across the two companies and better coordinate resources to meet our customers' expectations."

Terms of the proposed acquisition weren't disclosed. The agreement will require approval by the Surface Transportation Board.

Coach America is the nation's largest charter bus carrier, operating under a variety of names, including Gray Line, Coach USA and others. It operates in 22 states.