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Saia Continues to Boost Midwest LTL Operations
Georgia-Based Carrier Extends Non-Core Footprint Growth
Key Takeaways:
- Saia opened terminals in Duluth, Minn., and Columbia, Mo., its fourth and fifth service center additions since the start of 2026.
- The additions bring Saia to 218 terminals, expanding Midwest capacity as the freight market rebounds and scale remains critical in LTL.
- Saia launched Saia REV on June 25 to improve transit times, logistics capabilities and shipment visibility while expanding Saia Logistics’ role.
Saia Inc. opened two terminals in the Midwest, its fourth and fifth service center additions since the start of 2026, the less-than-truckload carrier said.
The additions are the latest phase of the carrier’s expansion of its national network of terminals, particularly in the Midwest, an initiative coinciding with the ongoing rebound in the freight market.
Johns Creek, Ga.-based Saia now operates 218 terminals.
Saia’s Duluth, Minn., terminal opened earlier in June, and the Columbia, Mo., facility began operations in the week starting June 22.
“These additions reflect our ongoing commitment to strategically growing our footprint where customers need reliable service and capacity most,” said Saia Executive Vice President of Operations Patrick Sugar.
The carrier also opened terminals in Marysville, Wash., and Edinburgh, Ind., in May and a 74-door terminal in York, Pa.
Scale and density are vital in the LTL space, so an expansive terminal network is crucial.
Carriers in the top 10 of Transport Topics’ LTL sector rankings typically have more than 200 terminals, and the largest player in the segment, FedEx Freight, operates more than 350 terminals.
Terminals require a great deal of land — something not easy to find near metropolitan areas — and are expensive to build. Marysville, for instance, is part of the Seattle metropolitan area.
However, the once-in-a-generation opportunity offered by the demise of Yellow Corp. and its real estate being put up for sale offered a shortcut to an expedited network buildout.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Saia is attempting to enhance those metrics with an initiative launched June 25 known as Saia REV. The initiative focuses on faster transit times, expanded logistics capabilities and enhanced shipment visibility for customers.
The latter also expands the role of Saia Logistics after the January rebranding of third-party logistics division LinkEx.
