Ability Tri-Modal
Ability Tri-Modal provides transportation and warehousing services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1947
- HeadquartersCarson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ability Tri-Modal does
Ability Tri-Modal Transportation Services, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned trucking and warehousing company headquartered in Carson, California, tracing its origins to 1947 when Bill C.W. Owen began operations with a single truck. The firm operates five facilities across two coasts: three in Carson, CA (corporate, Lucerne Street, and Watson Center), one in Rancho Dominguez, CA (Reyes Street), and one in Ladson, SC, totaling over 750,000 sq ft of privately-owned West Coast space plus 459,000 sq ft in South Carolina. The company serves retail shippers, importers, food and beverage, footwear, medical supplies, e-commerce, and bulk chemical customers through four integrated service lines: transportation (LTL retail distribution, full truckload, harbor drayage, pool point delivery, consolidation/deconsolidation, and air freight), warehousing (storage, inventory management, order processing, and e-commerce fulfillment), transload and crossdock, and value-added services (pick and pack, kitting, labeling, RFID, quality assurance).
The company's technology backbone is built and maintained by an in-house MIS department, including a custom Warehouse Management System with EDI, RF, barcode scanning, UCC-128 labeling, digital imaging, biometric timekeeping, and customer-specific configurations; a Transportation Management System providing real-time visibility, EDI, barcoding, and labeling; and a proprietary automated crossdock system that scans inbound product and sorts by outbound destination with a capacity of 60,000 cases per 24-hour period. The Carson cluster sits within 7 miles of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, 1 mile from the Alameda Corridor, and 1.5 miles from the ICTF, with the Ladson facility located 22 miles from the Wando Terminal and 12 miles from North Charleston, providing bi-coastal port-adjacent coverage.
Revenue is generated through transaction-fee billing on customized, quote-based logistics solutions, with multi-year contracts supporting long-term enterprise relationships; named anchor customers include Rex Transportation (prime vendor since 1989) and a pharmaceutical customer with a 20+ year relationship. Services are sold through a dedicated B2B sales team led by a Vice President of Sales, with a Request-a-Quote lead capture channel on the company website. The firm is privately held and family-owned across three generations, with Greg Owen serving as Head Coach following the 2015 passing of his son and former President Joshua Owen.
Ability Tri-Modal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ability Tri-Modal
- Legal name
- Ability/Tri-Modal Transportation Services, Inc.
- Website
- http://abilitytrimodal.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1947
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ability Tri-Modal provides transportation and warehousing services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ability Tri-Modal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Third-Party Logistics & Warehousing Services
- NAICS
- Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cross-Dock & Transload Operations (Asset-Based) (TLAIAMAD)
Keywords
Where Ability Tri-Modal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Ability Tri-Modal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Transportation Services: Local trucking services including LTL retail distribution, full truckload pickup/delivery, harbor drayage, pool point delivery, consolidation/deconsolidation, just-in-time service, and air freight. Primarily serves Southern California from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
- Warehousing Services: Storage and distribution services across four facilities. Services include inventory management, order processing, fulfillment, e-commerce fulfillment, and value-added services like pick and pack, kitting, labeling.
- Transload and Crossdock: Movement of freight from inbound containers to outbound trailers. Transloading maximizes cube utilization from smaller containers into 53-foot trailers. Crossdock sorts to multiple destinations with automated system.
- Value-Added Services: Pick and pack, inventory sorting, promotional products, palletization, bar code labeling, price ticketing, RFID, UCC 128 labeling, kitting, quality assurance and rework projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Customized logistics solutions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ability Tri-Modal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ability Tri-Modal is a third-generation trucking and warehousing company that bundles transportation, warehousing, and transload/crossdock services for retail shippers and importers. The company owns and operates over 750,000 square feet of warehouse space across five facilities (four in Southern California and one in South Carolina), an automated crossdock system capable of processing over 60,000 cases in a 24-hour period, and a fleet providing LTL retail distribution, full truckload pickup/delivery, harbor drayage, pool point delivery, consolidation/deconsolidation, just-in-time service, air freight, and value-added services such as pick-and-pack, kitting, and labeling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Transportation Services Local and regional trucking services for retail shippers, importers, and logistics companies throughout Southern California from San Diego to Santa Barbara, including less-than-truckload retail distribution, full truckload pickup and delivery, harbor drayage at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, pool point deliveries, consolidation/deconsolidation, just-in-time service, and air freight.
- Warehousing Services Storage and distribution services across four facilities, including inventory management, order processing, fulfillment, e-commerce fulfillment, and value-added services such as pick and pack, kitting, and labeling, with state-of-the-art facilities such as the 215,635 sq ft Reyes Street facility in Rancho Dominguez and FSMA-compliant Watson Center in Carson.
- Transload and Crossdock Services Movement of freight from inbound containers to outbound trailers. Transloading maximizes cube utilization by consolidating 1.5 to 1.75 smaller containers into a single 53-foot trailer. The fully automated crossdock system scans inbound product and sorts cases based on outbound destination, with capacity to run over 60,000 cases in 24 hours. Designed especially for footwear retailers and importers.
- Value-Added Services Pick and pack, inventory sorting, promotional products, palletization, bar code labeling, price ticketing, RFID, UCC 128 labeling, kitting, and quality assurance and rework projects, delivered through the company's in-house Warehouse Management System with EDI, RF, barcode scanning, and customer-preferred configurations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% reduction in diesel pollution from trucks since 2008 through Clean Truck Program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ability Tri-Modal
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ability Tri-Modal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ability Tri-Modal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Facing FentanylcoreCollaborative partnership to spotlight dangers of illicit fentanyl. Partnered with DEA and Trucking Cares Foundation for National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day events including Times Square takeover.
- Voices for Awareness FoundationcorePartnership to combat fentanyl crisis by leveraging trucking industry's extensive reach to disseminate critical awareness messages. TCF donated $25,000 to VFA for the second consecutive year. Total charitable giving in 2024 reached $200,000.
- Trucking Cares FoundationcoreGreg Owen, Head Coach of Ability Tri-Modal, selected as new chairman of Trucking Cares Foundation. TCF is the trucking industry's charitable arm founded in 2018. Under Owen's leadership, priorities include raising the foundation's profile, developing new fundraising initiatives, and establishing an endowed TCF fund.
- Rotary Club of Long BeachcoreAbility Tri-Modal is a proud member of Rotary Club of Long Beach. Greg Owen is Past District Governor. Multiple team members are Rotarians including two Past Club Presidents. Participates in Rotary projects including Mozambique Water Project, PolioPlus fundraising, and youth leadership programs.
- U.S. Drug Enforcement AdministrationminorParticipated in National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day events alongside DEA Administrator Terry Cole and other government officials at Times Square event.
- Rotary District 5320corePartnership with Rotarians of District 5320 for community projects including wildfire relief ($250,000+ worth of supplies delivered) and various fundraising initiatives.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ability Tri-Modal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NFI Industries: Family-owned, asset-based 3PL with dedicated drayage operations at LA/Long Beach ports, dedicated warehousing, and crossdock capabilities serving similar retail and consumer goods customers. Operates a comparable bundled-service 3PL model with bi-coastal (and broader) reach.
- Kenco Group: Warehousing-led third-party logistics provider offering dedicated and multi-client facilities, value-added services (pick/pack, kitting, labeling), and integrated transportation — a direct functional analog to Ability Tri-Modal's warehousing-plus-transload model.
- Hub Group: Asset-based intermodal drayage, trucking, and logistics services provider operating dedicated port and rail operations across the West and East Coasts. Directly comparable on intermodal drayage and railroad-anchored asset-light logistics, with public-company scale.
- Pace Runners (California Cartage Company): California Cartage and its subsidiary Pace Runners operate asset-based intermodal drayage directly out of LA/Long Beach ports along with warehousing, making them one of the most direct port-area competitors to Ability Tri-Modal's core geography.
Broad incumbents
- Geodis: Global contract logistics and freight provider with US warehousing, distribution, and crossdock operations serving retail and consumer goods. Overlaps with Ability Tri-Modal on warehousing and value-added fulfillment, but operates at far greater scale and breadth.
- DHL Supply Chain: North America's largest contract logistics operator, with extensive warehousing, dedicated transportation, and value-added services for retail and consumer customers. A broad incumbent against which Ability Tri-Modal competes for enterprise 3PL contracts.
- Yusen Logistics: Global 3PL offering warehousing, distribution, and crossdock across the Americas with strong retail and consumer goods orientation. Comparable capability set, but global scale dwarfs Ability Tri-Modal's regional footprint.
- Ryder Supply Chain Solutions: Public-company 3PL offering dedicated warehousing, transportation management, and crossdock solutions across the US. A broader incumbent offering overlapping dedicated and multi-client warehousing solutions similar to Ability Tri-Modal's bundling.
- Penske Logistics: Large 3PL with dedicated transportation, warehousing, and supply-chain services for retail and consumer goods customers. Overlaps meaningfully on bundle-of-services logistics for similar end markets.
- XPO: Public logistics company with LTL, dedicated transportation, and warehousing services across North America. Adjacent/overlapping capability set with asset-based operations comparable to Ability Tri-Modal, though at materially larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ability Tri-Modal social profiles
Digital presenceAbility Tri-Modal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ability Tri-Modal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Ability Tri-Modal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ability Tri-Modal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ability Tri-Modal
What does Ability Tri-Modal do?
Ability Tri-Modal is a third-generation trucking and warehousing company that bundles transportation, warehousing, and transload/crossdock services for retail shippers and importers. The company owns and operates over 750,000 square feet of warehouse space across five facilities (four in Southern California and one in South Carolina), an automated crossdock system capable of processing over 60,000 cases in a 24-hour period, and a fleet providing LTL retail distribution, full truckload pickup/delivery, harbor drayage, pool point delivery, consolidation/deconsolidation, just-in-time service, air freight, and value-added services such as pick-and-pack, kitting, and labeling.
Is Ability Tri-Modal a public or private company?
Ability Tri-Modal is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Ability Tri-Modal founded?
Ability Tri-Modal was founded in 1947. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ability Tri-Modal based?
Ability Tri-Modal is headquartered in Carson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ability Tri-Modal make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Transportation Services are the primary driver. The others are warehousing Services, transload and Crossdock and value-Added Services.
Who are Ability Tri-Modal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NFI Industries, Kenco Group, Hub Group and Pace Runners (California Cartage Company). Broad incumbents are Geodis, DHL Supply Chain, Yusen Logistics, Ryder Supply Chain Solutions, Penske Logistics and XPO.
Does Ability Tri-Modal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ability Tri-Modal.
What industry is Ability Tri-Modal in?
Ability Tri-Modal's product category is Third-Party Logistics & Warehousing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIAMAD, Cross-Dock & Transload Operations (Asset-Based). Its NAICS code is 4842 and its SIC code is 4213.