Saia Continues to Expand Beyond Core Footprint

Scale and density are vital in the LTL space, so an expansive terminal network is crucial. (Saia LTL Freight via Facebook)

Saia continued to expand its less-than-truckload terminal network in recent weeks with the opening of two service centers beyond its core footprint along the I-95 corridor and the Southeast.

The carrier opened terminals in Marysville, Wash., and Edinburgh, Ind., as the Johns Creek, Ga.-based company looks to build density into its nationwide LTL network.

The Marysville terminal enhances Saia’s ability to move freight across Washington and into neighboring markets, while the Edinburgh location strengthens coverage in a high-traffic logistics corridor south of Indianapolis, the carrier said.

“These openings reflect our focus on getting closer to the customer and building density in the right places to better support shipper needs,” said Saia Executive Vice President of Operations Patrick Sugar.

“By adding capacity in both the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest, we’re able to create more efficient routing opportunities and deliver a more consistent service experience,” added Sugar.

Scale and density are vital in the LTL space, so an expansive terminal network is crucial. However, they require a great deal of land — something not easy to find near metropolitan areas — and are expensive to build. Marysville is part of the Seattle metropolitan area.

In April, Saia opened a 74-door terminal in York, Pa., intended to increase the carrier’s options in central Pennsylvania and the nearby mid-Atlantic and Northeast states.

The openings build upon the foundations laid by the ability to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity offered by the demise of Yellow Corp. and its real estate being put up for sale.

Saia opened more than 20 terminals in 2024. The carrier won 17 facilities in the first auction of Yellow service centers for a combined $235.7 million.

The carrier then won the most properties on offer in the second round of the auction, paying $7.92 million for 11 properties across seven Western states.

Initial buyers of the real estate tended to be major LTL carriers. Many of the largest LTL players bid aggressively for prime assets in the auctions.

Yellow filed for bankruptcy in August 2023. At the time Yellow sought court protection, it was the No. 3-ranked LTL player, owning 169 terminals and holding leases for 149 more.

Adding terminals is showing up in Saia’s performance metrics.

In the first two months of the second quarter of 2026, the company’s LTL shipments per workday rose 4.6% year over year while its tonnage per workday rose 7.6% compared with the same period in 2025, the carrier said June 2.

Beyond the company’s core LTL segment, Saia is also expanding. The company rebranded its LinkEx division as Saia Logistics in mid-January ahead of an expansion.

Growth at the former LinkEx division in 2026 involves expanding its last-mile dedicated carriage fleet, Saia Logistics General Manager David Miller told Transport Topics. Saia bought Lancaster, Texas-based LinkEx in 2015, but the third-party logistics specialist’s branding had yet to be aligned.

Currently, the company operates a last-mile dedicated fleet with 100 26-foot box trucks. The trucks are housed at Saia terminals. The unit operates out of 14 sites but expects to add 12 more locations by the end of 2026, Miller said.

Saia ranks No. 17 on the TT Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 7 in the LTL segment, compared with No. 9 in 2023.