BRIDGEVILLE, Del. — Six years ago, Jeff Banning decided to take a different strategy to expand his freight brokerage company: He signed leases with owner-operators.
Banning, president of Trinity Transport, a family-owned transportation intermediary, believed starting a truck line would be the best way to keep up with the pace of demand and attract new business. He was right.
“We wanted to diversify,” Banning said. “A lot of our customers had needs we couldn’t fulfill as a broker.” Those needs ranged from handling containerized freight to expedited, overnight service.
The direction Trinity is taking is becoming increasingly common throughout the industry: More core intermediary companies are adding trucks to their lineups. It’s a sign that the traditional lines between brokerage and trucking are blurring.
The Transportation Intermediaries Association — whose members represent all aspects of the intermediary sector: intermodal, air, ocean, logistics management and perishable commodities — reports that 33% of its nearly 700 members now own or lease trucks.
“We were surprised to find that many owners of assets in what has traditionally been a nonasset-based business,” said Bob Voltmann, president of TIA. “It opened up a whole new perspective for us.”
For the full story, see the July 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
