A. Duie Pyle
Based on results of a survey of nearly 3,000 shippers conducted by the Houston, Texbased market research firm Mastiogale www.mastiogale.com), the following carriers exceeded the industry benchmark for their respective index. (Indexes were: overall, national carrier group, inter-regional carrier group, mid-Atlantic region, Great Lakes/Midwest region, Southern region, and Western region.)
West Chester, Pa., www.pyleco.com
Founded in 1924, privately held A. Duie Pyle has grown from a one-man, one-truck operation into a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier that covers points in the Northeast, Southeast and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and all of Atlantic Canada. It has LTL terminals in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio. A. Duie Pyle expanded its truck-load operations by investing in 50 new over-the-road tractors to supplement its dedicated pool of more than 150 owner/operator drivers. Its truckload operations include terminals in New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. It also operates nearly 2 million square feet of warehouse space in in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
AAA Cooper Transportation
Dothan, Ala., www.aaacooper.com
AAA Cooper Transportation (ACT) is a family owned, regional less-than-truckload carrier serving 12 Southeastern states and Puerto Rico. It has 78 terminals, including such industrial areas as Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville and Minneapolis. The company also provides trailer-load brokerage and dedicated service. It's partnerships extend capabilities to serve areas of the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Alaska.
Alvan Motor Freight Inc.
Kalamazoo, Mich., www.alvanmotor.com
Family owned for over 60 years, Alvan Motor Freight is a Midwest regional carrier serving Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It provides intrastate service in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana and, through alliances, reaches into the Northeast and Puerto Rico with New Penn and to the West with Norrenberns Truck Service (NOTS). The company can also provide coverage to and from all points in Canada. Alvan also offers just-in-time truckload services and other custom-designed products, including consolidation, distribution and international services.
Averitt Express Inc.
Cookeville, Tenn., www.averittexpress.com
Primarily a Southeastern carrier, Averitt Express serves Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and parts of California, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin. It also has partner arrangements to cover Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. In addition to its LTL services, Averitt opened its newest PortSide distribution centers in Seattle, Wash.; Oakland, Calif. and Panama City, Fla. The PortSide facilities provide drayage, transloading, deconsolidation/consolidation and nationwide intermodal transportation management. Previously opened PortSide operations are in California, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.
Bullet Freight Systems Inc.
Anaheim, Calif., www.bulletfreight.com
Founded in Orange, California in 1986, Bullet Freight Systems now has five terminals: Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; Seattle and Chicago. It provides direct loading and maintains network of partners for nationwide service. It also has 48-state authority for dedicated and contract carriage. The company has grown over its 20 years from a handful of shippers to 6,000 and has revenues of over $100 million. All shares are held by the company's co-chairmen Dana Del Francia and Scott Sawicki.
Con-way Freight
Ann Arbor, Mich., www.freight.con-way.com
Founded as a regional carrier in 1983, Conway Freight's first two carriers were Con-way Western Express and Con-way Central Express. In 1987, the company added Con-way Southern Express and then in 1989, it expanded with Con-way Southwest Express. Subsequent expansions led the company to become not only a regional less-than-truck-load carrier but also an interregional carrier with services in Canada, Mexico, and inter-modal and truckload capabilities. One of Conway's most recent announcements was its OceanGuaranteed service offered jointly with APL Logistics. The less-than-container-load service handles shipments from China to the U.S. with a day-definite delivery guarantee.
Dayton Freight Lines
Dayton, Ohio, www.daytonfreight.com
The 25-year-old Dayton Freight Lines provides LTL service through 37 company-owned service centers in 11 central states and, through strategic alliances, to the remainder of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam. Intrastate service areas include llinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Privately held, Dayton Freight Lines operates a fleet of 822 Tractors and 1,786 Trailers.
FedEx Freight
www.fedex.com/us/freight/main
FedEx Freight's roots run to Viking Freight, founded in 1966 in California and American Freightways, founded in 1982 by Sheridan Garrison. Viking became part of the Caliber System, which was acquired by FedEx in 1988. FedEx then acquired American Freightways in 2001 and re-branded the combined LTL carriers to create a national network of regional and inter-regional services under the name FedEx Freight.
FedEx National LTL
(Watkins Motor Lines) Lakeland, Fla., www.fedexnational.com
Established in 1932 in Metcalf, Ga., Watkins grew to a nationwide LTL carrier with revenues of over $1 billion before it was acquired by FedEx to establish that company's FedEx National LTL division. With 9,000 employees and nearly 140 service centers, FedEx National LTL focuses on long-haul moves. The Watkins acquisition included Watkins Canada Express, providing long-haul LTL service across Canada. The group is now FedEx Freight Canada.
Jevic Transportation Inc.
Delanco, N.J., www.jevic.com
Founded in 1981, Jevic Transportation has taken an unconventional approach to the LTL market, providing time-definite deliveries without regard for whether the delivery falls within the business day. Other specialized services include heated equipment for freeze-sensitive shipments and an operating model that avoids break-bulk handling. Despite its positioning as a hybrid carrier, Jevic struggled to meet financial goals under SCS Transportation and, in 2006, SCS sold Jevic to a private equity firm so it could concentrate on its remaining Saia multi-regional LTL operation. Jevic had revenues of $345 million in 2005
Lakeville Motor Express
Roseville, Minn., www.lakevillemotor.com
Midwestern regional LTL carrier Lakeville Motor Express covers 100% of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Through its ExpressLINK partnership, it extends its reach to the remainder of the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Croix. The family-owned company was founded in 1921.
Peninsula Truck Lines Inc.
Auburn, Wash, www.peninsulatruck.com
Peninsula Truck Lines' newest terminal opened in Boise, Idaho, in 2006. The regional LTL carrier, founded in 1951, serves over 950 cities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, Canada. Peninsula operates 12 terminals in Washington, three in Oregon, one in Idaho and one in Vancouver, British Columbia. Other services provided by the carrier include interstate and intrastate assembly and consolidation services, cross-dock and pool distribution services.
Pitt Ohio Express
Pittsburgh, www.pittohio.com
From a horse and buggy serving a single customer in 1919 to its present 9,500+ shipments daily to over 14,000 destinations, Pitt Ohio Express has remained a family-run company. It provides direct LTL service to more than seven states. Onboard computers in its 1,200 vehicles provide real time pick up status. Pitt Ohio Express serves the entire Mid-Atlantic region including Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, the Detroit, Mich. area, Chicago and the Greater Triad area of North Carolina.
R+L Carriers
Wilmington, Ohio, www.rlcarriers.com
R+L Carriers serves 49 states plus Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It's latest announcement was a two-day service between Des Moines, Iowa and markets around Huntington, W. Va. The company was founded in Ohio in 1965 and expanded substantially following deregulation in 1980. Its 1989 acquisition of Gator Freightways expanded coverage into the South and was followed in 1992 by the purchase of Greenwood Motor Lines, and then in 1996 by the purchase of Herder Truck Lines of Texas. While it was acquiring other companies, R+L was also adding new terminals to its LTL network.
Southeastern Freight Lines
Lexington, S.C., www.sefl.com
With the addition of its Ocala, Fla., service center, the 50-year-old Southeastern Freight Lines now operates 72 service centers throughout the Southeast. The regional LTL carrier extends its reach through partnerships with other regional carriers. In addition to its LTL service, Southeastern offers assembly and distribution and is a "responsible care partner" in the American Chemical Council's program for the safe handling and transport of chemicals and allied products.
Ward Trucking Corp.
Altoona, Pa., www.wardtrucking.com
Based in Altoona, Pa., Ward Trucking, was founded in 1931 and provides LTL service in the Mid-Atlantic region. It also operates a truckload carrier division and provides freight management and warehousing services. Its truckload division began operating in 1981 as the Keystone Division of Ward Trucking Corp., consisting of five owner operators. In 1989 the company began hiring company drivers and now has 175 company drivers.
Wilson Trucking
Fishersville, Va., www.wilsontrucking.com
Wilson Trucking has been providing LTL service for 80 years. Where possible, Wilson line-hauls directly from origin to destination to avoid unnecessary handling. The company operates 900 tractors and 1,770 trailers.
Mastiogale's Customer Value Map plots individual carrier performance on cost and benefit against an industry average established using over 12,000 shipper observations of 262 less-than-truckload carriers.
