RoadOne IntermodaLogistics announces acquisition of The Transporter

Randolph, Mass.-based RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, a provider of intermodal, distribution, and logistics services, said earlier this week it has acquired Houston-based regional intermodal service provider The Transporter Inc.

A purchase price was not disclosed. The Transporter will now be known as Transporter Intermodal Logistics, a division of RoadOne.

Established in 1988, Transporter was founded by its president Russ Cook, whom is retiring from the business, while his sons—Jeff Ebel, VP of Operations and Greg Cook, VP of Sales, will remain on board as Vice Presidents and run daily operations. The company has Texas-based offices in Houston, Dallas, and Laredo, and it is one of the largest and most preferred operators in Texas, according to RoadOne, with more than 150 drivers. The company’s service offerings include: local and over the road solutions, drayage, reefer (refrigerated), hazmat, bonded, dry van and flatbed and an in-house brokerage service. It also has secure container yards in Houston and Dallas.

RoadOne officials said that this acquisition is the most recent example of how the company is expanding its U.S. Southwest region presence, adding that since November 2022 it has added a new Houston branch office and also moved into a 480,000 square-foot transload facility based in the overweight corridor in Pasadena, which is less than five miles from the port.  

“The Transporter team is a perfect match for RoadOne,” said Ken Kellaway, President & CEO at RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, in a statement. “Their focus on strong customer relationships is 100% in line with our company beliefs and commitment to the industry. The U.S. Southwest is an important market, especially as we see container volumes increase in the Gulf. We welcome Transporter to the RoadOne family of companies.”

As for what drove RoadOne to acquire Transporter, Kellaway told LM that RoadOne had been looking for a great partner in Houston as it sees Houston as the leader in the Gulf region and one of the emerging markets in the entire U.S. as volumes shift away from the West Coast. 

“We started discussions with The Transporter team back in April and were able to get a deal done right before the end of the year,” he said. “We are very excited to now have one of the best trucking companies in all of Texas in our family of companies. RoadOne now has much needed capacity to service our customers in Houston more efficiently, and with the acquisition of The Transporter, we are now a strong player in the Dallas and Laredo markets as well.

When asked what the competitive advantages of this deal are from a RoadOne perspective, Kellaway explained that RoadOne has committed to the Houston market with the aforementioned transition into a 480,000 square-foot warehouse facility in December 2022, adding that with RoadOne’s strong warehouse and transload demand it needed a great partner to help it grow the trucking operation down there. And he noted that Transporter has great customer relationships in Texas that RoadOne looks forward to expanding on nationally with the RoadOne platform.

“I am extremely pleased to have Transporter join the RoadOne organization,” said Transporter’s Cook in a statement. “With my sons at the helm, I know the company will continue to grow and prosper, especially now backed by RoadOne’s national network and array of logistics, drayage and distribution resources. Our customers and drivers are in good hands and will continue to be well taken care of into the future.”