OTR Transportation

What OTR Transportation does

OTR Transportation, Inc. is a non-asset freight brokerage founded in 2015 by Jon Braun and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a second office in Austin, Texas opened in December 2024. The company specializes in temperature-controlled (reefer) and time-sensitive freight across North America, serving the United States, Canada, and Mexico with cross-border capabilities. Its customer base spans multiple verticals including food & beverage, manufacturing, industrial, aerospace, and automotive, served through an enterprise-led sales model with dedicated account teams.

The company operates a proprietary technology platform that applies AI to freight-carrier matching, market and load optimization, predictive bottleneck detection, and load tracking. These capabilities support a brokerage commission revenue model in which OTR matches shipper demand to carrier capacity rather than owning trucks itself. The company has earned industry recognition including FourKites Premier Carrier status and two consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 (ranked #2233 in 2023 and #4084 in 2024), as well as #29 on the 2023 Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50.

OTR became PE-backed in August 2022 through an investment by CIVC Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm. The company has 101–250 employees and is currently undergoing a leadership transition following the April 2025 death of founder Jon Braun; Kyle Ingraham was appointed CEO in June 2026 to lead the next phase of growth under PE ownership.

Name

OTR Transportation

Legal name

OTR Transportation, Inc.

Website

https://loadotr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

North American non-asset freight brokerage specializing in temperature-controlled and time-sensitive freight for food & beverage, manufacturing, industrial, aerospace, and automotive shippers across the US, Canada, and Mexico. PE-backed by CIVC Partners since 2022 and operating from Chicago and Austin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Brokerage Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Vehicle Diagnostics, Predictive Maintenance & Remote Monitoring (TLAEAFAE)

Keywords

• Freight brokerage services
• Temperature-controlled shipping
• Logistics management
• Truckload brokerage
• Supply chain solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Freight Brokerage Commission: OTR acts as a third-party logistics provider (3PL), brokering freight between shippers and carriers. Revenue is generated through transaction fees/commissions on shipped freight. The company matches customer freight needs with an extensive network of qualified carriers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

OTR Transportation is a freight brokerage that connects shippers with vetted motor carriers across multiple freight modes, including temperature-controlled, dry van, flatbed, expedited, less-than-truckload, drayage, cross-border, drop trailer, and specialized transport. The company focuses on time-sensitive and complex freight for industrial, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, food and beverage, and energy solutions shippers, supported by an AI-powered technology platform and 24/7/365 customer support.

Product overview

OTR Transportation is a technology-enabled freight brokerage platform providing a comprehensive suite of logistics services centered on time-sensitive and temperature-controlled freight. The core offering combines a proprietary technology platform with an extensive carrier network to deliver refrigerated, dry van, power only, drop trailer, and cross-border transportation solutions. The company's services include Temperature Controlled (refrigerated freight), Drop Trailer (flexible scheduling), Drayage (port/rail container handling), Dry Van (standard enclosed shipping), Cross Border (Mexico-US and Canada-US), Expedited (time-critical delivery), Flatbed (open-deck/heavy loads), Less Than Truckload (LTL), and Specialized (oversize/overweight) shipping. The platform emphasizes 24/7/365 customer support, AI-powered market adaptation, and full shipment visibility through load tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temperature Controlled

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as a top freight brokerage by FourKites' Premier Carrier List 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EPA SmartWay ProgramminorOthersOTR is registered as a partner in the US Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay program, which helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Landstar System: Landstar is an asset-light freight network that brokers truckload, LTL, expedited, and specialized freight through owner-operators. Its non-asset, agent-based model is a close analogue to OTR's carrier network approach, particularly in flatbed and specialized freight.
• RXO: RXO is a publicly traded asset-light freight brokerage spun out of XPO, offering truckload, LTL, last-mile, and managed transportation across North America. It is a direct peer to OTR: similar non-asset brokerage model, comparable shipper base, and overlapping service lines (reefer, expedited, cross-border).
• Coyote Logistics: Coyote is one of the largest U.S. freight brokerages, owned by UPS, offering truckload, LTL, intermodal and cross-border capacity solutions. It is a direct competitor to OTR in the same asset-light brokerage category with comparable enterprise sales motion and broad service portfolio.
• GlobalTranz (now Mode Transportation): Mode Transportation / GlobalTranz is a technology-enabled non-asset freight brokerage offering LTL, truckload, expedited, and managed transportation. Comparable to OTR's tech-forward brokerage model with overlapping LTL and truckload services and similar enterprise sales motion.
• Echo Global Logistics: Echo is a Chicago-based technology-enabled freight brokerage offering truckload, LTL, intermodal and managed transportation. Same asset-light brokerage model as OTR, same metro, and overlapping shipper base — a direct head-to-head competitor.
• Hub Group: Hub Group is an asset-light intermodal and logistics services company offering truck brokerage, dedicated, and final-mile. Overlaps with OTR on truckload brokerage, LTL, and intermodal/drayage, and competes for similar mid-to-large shipper contracts.

Broad incumbents

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: J.B. Hunt is a major asset-based multimodal carrier with a sizable Integrated Capacity Solutions (brokerage) business. It is a broader incumbent — competes with OTR in truckload brokerage and intermodal but also operates its own trucks and containers.
• Schneider National: Schneider is a large asset-based carrier with a significant brokerage segment and intermodal/dedicated services. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with OTR in brokerage but offers much wider logistics portfolio including owned capacity.
• ArcBest: ArcBest is an asset-based LTL carrier (ABF Freight) with a growing asset-light brokerage and managed transportation arm. It competes with OTR in LTL and truckload brokerage but is broader, with unionized LTL terminals as a differentiator.

Regional players

• Redwood Logistics: Redwood Logistics is a Chicago-based technology-enabled 3PL offering truckload, LTL, intermodal, drayage, and managed transportation. Highly comparable to OTR on tech-enabled asset-light brokerage with overlapping service lines, anchored in the same Midwestern market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/otr-transportation-inc-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OTR Transportation