COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 484112

General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance

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

27companies1873–1991founding years27still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
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
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedCR England, Inc.
1920
FoundedGeodis S.A.
1925
FoundedConsolidated Freightways Corporation
1929
FoundedSchneider National, Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedNichirei Corporation
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedGefco SA
1949
FoundedOld Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
1950
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSmithway Motor Xpress Corporation
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSociété Norbert Dentressangle S.A.
1978
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedTransport Corporation of America, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedCeladon Group Inc.
1986
FoundedKnight Transportation, Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
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
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
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.
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…
Stinnes AG →
Active · founded 1902 · Germany
Following its acquisition in 2002 by rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG, Stinnes AG has been repositioned as the lead…
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.
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
Suntory Ltd.
CR England, Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
CR England, Inc.
AMCOL International Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
AMCOL International Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of bentonite and bentonite-related products and…
Geodis S.A. →
Active · founded 1925 · France
Geodis S.A.
Consolidated Freightways Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Consolidated Freightways Corporation ranks third among North America's leading long-haul, less-than-truckload (LTL)…
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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