COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 484121

General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

46companies1873–1991founding years46still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedHeidelberger Zement AG
1873
FoundedKuehne & Nagel International AG
1890
FoundedBenguet Corporation
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedA.P. Møller - Maersk A/S
1904
FoundedSuntory Ltd.
1907
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGeodis S.A.
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedNippon Express Company, Ltd.
1937
FoundedSchneider National, Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
FoundedOvernite Corporation
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedGefco SA
1949
FoundedOld Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
1950
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedSmithway Motor Xpress Corporation
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedSociété Norbert Dentressangle S.A.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
FoundedCannon Express, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedTransport Corporation of America, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedEvergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedKnight Transportation, Inc.
1989
FoundedLandstar System, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Heidelberger Zement AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.
Heidelberger Zement AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.
Kuehne & Nagel International AG →
Active · founded 1890 · Switzerland
Kuehne & Nagel International AG (KN) operates as a leading transport and logistics concern with more than 600 locations…
Kuehne & Nagel International AG →
Active · founded 1890 · Switzerland
Kuehne & Nagel International AG (KN) operates as a leading transport and logistics concern with more than 600 locations…
Benguet Corporation →
Active · founded 1903 · Philippines
Former Philippines mining giant Benguet Corporation has been redefining itself as a "total natural resource development…
Benguet Corporation →
Active · founded 1903 · Philippines
Former Philippines mining giant Benguet Corporation has been redefining itself as a "total natural resource development…
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S →
Active · founded 1904 · Denmark
A.P.
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S →
Active · founded 1904 · Denmark
A.P.
Crowley Maritime Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Crowley Maritime Corporation is the largest operator of tugboats and barges in the world.
Crowley Maritime Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Crowley Maritime Corporation is the largest operator of tugboats and barges in the world.
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
1950s:The company develops the Torys bar chain, which grows into more than 1,500 bars.
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
1950s:The company develops the Torys bar chain, which grows into more than 1,500 bars.
Geodis S.A. →
Active · founded 1925 · France
Geodis S.A.
Geodis S.A. →
Active · founded 1925 · France
Geodis S.A.
Nippon Express Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Nippon Express Company, Ltd., is one of Japan's largest transportation companies, with nearly 1,170 service centers in…
Nippon Express Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Nippon Express Company, Ltd., is one of Japan's largest transportation companies, with nearly 1,170 service centers in…
Schneider National, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Schneider National, Inc.
Schneider National, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Schneider National, Inc.
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
Overnite Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Overnite Corporation is a leading interstate trucking company serving all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and…
Overnite Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Overnite Corporation is a leading interstate trucking company serving all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and…
Gefco SA →
Active · founded 1949 · France
Gefco SA, based in Courvevoie, France, is one of Europe's leading logistics groups and one of the top ten in the…
Gefco SA →
Active · founded 1949 · France
Gefco SA, based in Courvevoie, France, is one of Europe's leading logistics groups and one of the top ten in the…
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1950
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1950
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
Boyd Bros.
Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
Boyd Bros.
Smithway Motor Xpress Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
Smithway Motor Xpress Corporation is a truckload motor carrier that operates throughout the United States and Canada.
Smithway Motor Xpress Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
Smithway Motor Xpress Corporation is a truckload motor carrier that operates throughout the United States and Canada.
Société Norbert Dentressangle S.A. →
Active · founded 1978 · France
Société Norbert Dentressangle S.A., named after the company's founder, is one of France's top three freight trucking…
Société Norbert Dentressangle S.A. →
Active · founded 1978 · France
Société Norbert Dentressangle S.A., named after the company's founder, is one of France's top three freight trucking…
Cannon Express, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Cannon Express, Inc.
Cannon Express, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Cannon Express, Inc.
Transport Corporation of America, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Transport America, legally named Transport Corporation of America, Inc., is a trucking firm headquartered in Eagan,…
Transport Corporation of America, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Transport America, legally named Transport Corporation of America, Inc., is a trucking firm headquartered in Eagan,…
Celadon Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Celadon Group Inc.
Celadon Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Celadon Group Inc.
Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Taiwan
With more than 130 owned and long-term chartered ships, Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd.
Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Taiwan
With more than 130 owned and long-term chartered ships, Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd.
Knight Transportation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Knight Transportation, Inc., is a trucking company focused on short-to-medium lengths of transporting freight.
Knight Transportation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Knight Transportation, Inc., is a trucking company focused on short-to-medium lengths of transporting freight.
Landstar System, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Landstar System, Inc.
Landstar System, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Landstar System, Inc.
Trailer Bridge, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Jacksonville, Florida-headquartered Trailer Bridge, Inc., describes itself as "an integrated trucking and marine…
Trailer Bridge, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Jacksonville, Florida-headquartered Trailer Bridge, Inc., describes itself as "an integrated trucking and marine…
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