Ltl Freight Magnets

In 1906, Grover 'Cleve' Harrell started what was to become the Yellow Cab Company with horse-drawn carriages in Oklahoma City. Harrell's older brother, A. J. arrived, soon followed by their younger brother Marvin, and the three went into business together. In 1929, the Harrell brothers established Yellow Transit Freight Lines to serve small manufacturers for whom express rates were prohibitive. Eventually the partnership dissolved, and A. J. took control of the freight lines, which he kept small until 1952 when an ownership group bought the freight company. During this time, Yellow pioneered the concept of consolidating small shipments into trailer loads. In 1968, the company name was changed to Yellow Freight System.

Consolidated Freightways (CF), was an American multinational LTL (Less Than Truckload) freight service and logistics company founded on April 1, 1929, in Portland, Oregon, and later relocated to Vancouver, Washington. At its height, the company possessed over 350 terminals, employing more than 15,000 truck drivers, dockworkers, dispatchers and management. Consolidated Freightways was once the nation's number one long-haul trucking company and the 3rd largest-ever U.S. bankruptcy filing, ceasing business in 2002.

Pacific Intermountain Express (P.I.E) got their start in 1927 when the Lilenquest brothers began providing freight service in Idaho, running two Model A trucks between Pocatello to Idaho Falls. The company grew steadily, but P.I.E finally took shape after procuring three other firms and consolidating them in 1940. By 1946 P.I.E had 535 employees and was growing rapidly through ongoing acquisitions in the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1954, P.I.E became the largest hauler of petroleum products in the world. Service now extended from the west coast all the way to St. Louis and Chicago. By the mid 1960s, P.I.E extended service to the east coast through more acquisitions, giving them 67 terminals in 29 states.

Founded in 1925 with a single Model T truck, Central Freight Lines was a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier based in Waco, Texas. Its founder, W.W. “Woody” Callan, Sr., launched the company as Central Forwarding and Warehouse Company. He started out transporting goods between Dallas and Waco with that single vehicle, and 96 years later, Central had over 5,000 tractors, trailers, and delivery trucks, with 80 terminals from Miami to Los Angeles. 

In 1936, Dick Cantlay and Joe Tanzola's trucking company purchased Western Truck Lines which allowed them to move into dry freight and then 20 years later, the purchase of Gillette Motor Freight had them changing names to Western Gillette Motor Freight and reaching all the way to Chicago and serving 1,400 cities in between. By the ’70s, the company had over 2,000 employees operating out of 52 company terminals in 15 States and a fleet of over 1,000 trucks. Cash flow problems started to rear their heads and in 1976 the company was sold to Roadway, marking the untimely end of Western Gillette Motor Freight.

Road Systems was the first and, for the longest time, the only company that specialized in refurbishing less-than-truckload (LTL) trailers. From their 200,000 square-foot-manufacturing facility in Searcy, Arkansas, Road Systems employed over 150 specialists in applying specialized processes, tooling, and expertise to refurbish and rebuild used trailers to like-new condition, while recycling up to 80% of existing components and materials. Road Systems was founded in 1977, and in the mid-'80s, was purchased by Con-Way Freight to become their manufacturing division. In addition to refurbing Con-Way's trailers, they also began making new trailers to company spec, all while still providing refurbish and rebuild services to customers nationwide.

Pilot Freight Carriers Inc. was founded by RY Sharpe in 1941 after he purchased Pennie Transportation, a small trucking company named that was going under. Pilot began hauling general commodities between Winston-Salem, North Carolina and New York, New York. Sharpe would continue to purchase smaller companies that had operating rights in areas he wanted to run in, and before too long, Pilot Freight Carriers was operating along the entire eastern seaboard. By the early '80s, Pilot Freight Carriers had more than 80 terminals, but before the decade was over, the once prosperous trucking company would find themselves in trouble and began a shut-down and sell off in that began in 1987 and ended in 1989.

Superior Fast Freight was an early LTL carrier that started out in Irwindale, California in 1955. Superior primarily focused on the West Coast, maintaining a strong line presence between Los Angeles and Seattle for decades before being bought out in 1994.

Established in 1937 during the height of The Depression, Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation quickly grew and by 1939, the company was operating 53 trucks and showing signs of steady growth. By the time the 80s rolled around, the company was fully operating as a national carrier rather than a regional one and, in the coming years, began servicing Canada and Mexico. Carolina Freight started from nothing and grew into a top national carrier and was one of the largest trucking companies in the Americas by the time of their demise in 1995.

Roadway Express, Inc. was founded in Akron, Ohio in December 1930. While Roadway began with an owner-operator model and primarily focused on truckload shipments, but by the mid '40s, it had shifted entirely to company-owned vehicles and mostly to less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. Roadway became a publicly traded company in 1956, and in subsequent years, it expanded across the United States and by 1982 was operating over 500 terminals nationwide. By 2003, Roadway Express was the largest LTL carrier in the US, and held that title until 2009 when they were purchased by a logistics holding company that would merge Roadway into their operations, ending Roadway's nearly 80 year legacy.

Silver Eagle Transport Inc. was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1930 with a focus on produce and tanker service. In the late '50s, the company got into LTL freight, which dramatically expanded their reach and took them through the '90s before closing up shop early in 2000.

J. Harwood Cochrane founded the Overnite Transportation Company in Richmond, Virginia back in 1935 with an initial fleet consisted of one tractor, one trailer, and one straight truck. Overnite saw steady growth in its early years, fueled by contracts with the region's big tobacco producers. The company went public in 1957 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1962. Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s Overnite grew through acquisition of smaller carriers or the assets of bankrupt competitors. In 1982, Overnite received authorization to operate in all 48 states of the contiguous US, allowing it to grow outside its home market in Virginia. By the mid-1980s, Overnite operated in 33 states plus Washington, D.C.

Founded in the mid-sixties in Overland Park, Kansas, American Freight System grew from a Midwest regional short haul carrier to a national long haul powerhouse inside just two decades. By the mid-eighties, American was operating close to 200 terminals from coast to coast with a fleet of 1,600 tractors and 5,200 trailers, making them the fourth-largest trucking company in the United States at the time. Unfortunately, the company sold themselves to an investment group in 1988 that promptly stripped the company for a quick profit, leaving American Freight System as a footnote in the history books.

Olson Transportation Co. was founded in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1927. Unlike most carriers that tried to grow and expand to cover as much territory as possible, Olson was small by design. Until their closure in 1968, they operated an efficient overnight LTL freight network that connected all of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan with Chicago. Their yellow and brown trucks were a common sight throughout the region and known by locals as the most reliable way to get their goods to market in Chicago.

Founded in Holland, Michigan in 1929, Holland Freight spent decades serving the central United States. Long recognized for delivering the most next-day service lanes in its territory, Holland expanded into the Southeast, Midwest, and Canada's two easternmost provinces, bringing their on-time reliability to even more customers. From humble beginnings in a single truck driven by the owner, to more than 10,000 dedicated employees in the 2020s, Holland Freight was a regional success story in the LTL freight business.

Pacific Intermountain Express (P.I.E) got their start in 1927 when the Lilenquest brothers began providing freight service in Idaho, running two Model A trucks between Pocatello to Idaho Falls. The company grew steadily, but P.I.E finally took shape after procuring three other firms and consolidating them in 1940. By 1946 P.I.E had 535 employees and was growing rapidly through ongoing acquisitions in the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1954, P.I.E became the largest hauler of petroleum products in the world. Service now extended from the west coast all the way to St. Louis and Chicago. By the mid 1960s, P.I.E extended service to the east coast through more acquisitions, giving them 67 terminals in 29 states.

Reddaway Truck Line was founded in 1919 by William Arthur "Art" Reddaway in Oregon City, Oregon with a single Model T truck. He managed the company with his wife, Ethel, and later, his son, Walter, succeeded him and led the company until his retirement in 1970. Reddaway Truck Line ran the I-5 corridor hauling general commodity and LTL freight between Alaska and California with 20 terminals along the way. In 1989, the firm was brought out by an Australian conglomerate and at that time, the truck line had over 800 pieces of company owned equipment and were one of the largest carriers on the West Coast.

At the height of the Great Depression in 1935, William Graves has just lost the family farm. Utilizing the lone asset that he had – a 1933 farm truck – Graves and his four sons formed Graves Truck Service, and began transporting everything from fruits and vegetables to livestock and coal in the Salina, Kansas area. Two years later, the Graves doubled their fleet by buying a second truck, and the seeds of a regional trucking giant were sown. The firm grew into an interstate colossus, with operating territory that stretched from Sioux City south to Dallas and from Kansas City west to Denver. Sadly, William Graves died in 1939, well before the empire had been built, but the company was left in his sons' capable hands.

Lakeville Motor Express (LME) was founded in Roseville, Minnesota in 1921 by Vincent Wren. The LTL freight carrier served ten states in the Midwest. In 1979, Vincent handed management of the company to his oldest son, John, who later became full owner by buying out his two brothers. John continued to operate the company as a family business until the late 2000s. One key aspect of LME's strategy in the late '90s was a robust interline relationship with other regional carriers. Known as ExpressLink, the partnership cooperated in transferring shipments between each of their areas of focus, effectively extending each company's range. LME ceased operations in November 2016 and filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2017.

Founded in 1945 in Bourbonnais, Illinois, Rudolf Express served the Midwest with a commitment to provide timely service that exceeded that of their competition. Clearly, they made good on that commitment, as they were a top regional carrier throughout the Midwest for nearly 60 years before calling it quits in 2002.

Known throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for their iconic orange and white trucks, Preston Trucking Co. was founded in 1932 in Chesapeake Bay. The company was started by a canned goods wholesaler who had difficulty moving their product in less than truckload quantities, and their accountant suggested the company start its own trucking division. Initially, the company focused on small, irregular loads. These loads would later be known as less-than-truckload, which would be the model for what would come to be known as LTL trucking. Preston would go on to grow and expand, buying up many smaller carriers and by the late '90s, they had just over 5,000 employees, most of whom were drivers before suddenly folding in 1999, citing a lack of s

Willig Freight Line was founded in 1923 and quickly proved to be a pioneer in California trucking. Over the next 40 years, Willig remained a modestly successful truck-load carrier while keeping the majority of its operations within the Golden State. In 1965, CPA Eric K. Anderson purchased Willig for a reported $2 million, immediately changing the operation from a TL carrier to an LTL operation and began overnight service from LA to San Francisco. Over the next several years, profits increased by 20% per year as Willig expanded throughout the west with new terminals and expanded service. By 1986 revenues increased to $62.6 million a year and became one of the US's top 100 carriers, but not a decade later, Willig would be defunct.

Founded in Pocatello, Idaho in 1913 by Clarence Garrett as a luggage transfer service for railroad passengers, Garrett Freight Lines grew to become the fifth-largest freight carrier in the U.S. and a major employer in Pocatello for nearly seven decades. Garrett was purchased in 1977 by a private equity firm, and then sold to ANR, an oil and gas concern, in 1978. ANR purchased three trucking companies with authority to operate routes from coast-to-coast. ANR redesigned the familiar green-and-gold Garrett logo, replacing it with a multicolored U.S. map design, and moved the firm’s headquarters to Denver, but eventually divested its trucking businesses, leaving Garrett to be absorbed by other entities.

Motor Freight Corporation (MFC) was started in 1926 by Harry Adams with one truck operating between Terre Haute and Brazil, Indiana. About a year later another truck was added and service was extended to Bloomington and Bedford and a little later to Indianapolis. Adams would proceed to buy up smaller truck lines year over year until the '60s when MFC was operating terminals in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and maintaining ICC operating authority on multiple routes. Increasing public interest in deregulation of the trucking industry in the early '70s had Adams seeing the writing on the wall, and he looked for a buyer for MFC, finding one in Branch Motor Express out of Pennsylvania.

New England Motor Freight (NEMF) began in 1918, hauling products for commercial bakeries in New Jersey. Over the next 100 years, the LTL carrier continued to expand, eventually building up to a fleet of 1,550 power units, 40 company terminals and, 3,700 employees, all while becoming a favorite among businesses in the northeast. Despite NEMF's size and reach, their fortunes took a turn in 2018, and amidst a downward spiral, New England Motor Freight filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019, ending what can only be described as a heck of a run.

Con-way Freight was founded as a non-union spinoff by Consolidated Freightways (CF) in 1983 in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan. CF’s business focus was long-haul transportation, with many of its routes averaging 1,300 miles. Research revealed that the most profitable segment of over-the-road transportation at the time was freight that traveled less than 500 miles, so a decision was made to pursue regional LTL operations. While deregulation through the 1980 Motor Carrier Act had left many carriers floundering and desperate for a buyout, CF elected to build Con-way from the ground up. The gamble paid off, and for the next three decades, Con-way Freight flourished, taking them through 2015 until they themselves were bought out.

Viking Freight System got their start in January 1966 as Viking Delivery Service based in San Jose, California. Their first customer was Pacific Telephone, and the cargo was computer punch cards that contained the daily phone number changes. These cards had to be delivered to 13 phone company offices at night so that updated information would be available the next day. By 1973 the company had grown to a large fleet of 27' van and flatbed trailers for both local and line haul routes as annual revenues reached $2.8 million. By 1981, Viking was the largest interstate carrier in California, with annual revenues of $48.0 million. Viking's success would eventually be their undoing as they were purchased by a worldwide carrier.

In 1921, Harry Zabarsky and his brother, Mickey, started St. Johnsbury Trucking (SJT) with a single truck, and within a few years, had a growing fleet. Based in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, SJT grew to serve the northeastern U.S., and much of eastern Canada. The company grew and expanded heavily through acquisitions of trucking companies, operating terminals throughout Delaware, New England, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The mid '80s saw fortunes turn for SJT in a post deregulation trucking industry, and by the end of the decade, it was clear the company was in trouble. After more than seven decades of business, St. Johnsbury Trucking officially closed its doors on June 14, 1993, leaving 4,400 hardworking people out of work.

California Motor Express (CME) trucking was founded in the early '30s in Los Angeles, California. As their name might imply, they served all of California and California only. With their primary route being I-5 between SoCal and NorCal, and serving major cities in between, CME really did 'carry California.'

Founded in 1968, Wichita Southeast Kansas Transit (WSKT) was a privately held trucking company that started as a certificated Kansas Intrastate Carrier, serving Wichita and Southeast Kansas with overnight freight service. WSKT grew their network to 46 terminals in a closed loop line haul configuration across fifteen states. WSKT offered LTL Interstate and Intrastate, Pool Distribution, and Time Definite Delivery services and continued their reputation of guaranteed overnight service up until the end when they were sold in 2005.

Starting out as Branch Storage Company in Perkasie, Pennsylvania in 1920, and went into the freight business as Branch Motor Express Company in 1923. It did not take long for the company to make its mark in moving freight, and applied for intrastate certificate of authority on several key routes within Pennsylvania. With two decades of building their intrastate business, Branch applied and received interstate authority from the ICC in 1944, relocated their headquarters to New York City, and began running between key manufacturing regions throughout the East Coast. Billing themselves as "The Main Stem of The Industrial East," Branch was a key player in manufacturing, moving both raw materials and finished goods throughout their network.

Consolidated Freightways (CF), was an American multinational LTL (Less Than Truckload) freight service and logistics company founded on April 1, 1929, in Portland, Oregon, and later relocated to Vancouver, Washington. At its height, the company possessed over 350 terminals, employing more than 15,000 truck drivers, dockworkers, dispatchers and management. Consolidated Freightways was once the nation's number one long-haul trucking company and the 3rd largest-ever U.S. bankruptcy filing, ceasing business in 2002.