What LMTS does

LMTS (L&M Transportation Services) is a privately held, asset-light third-party logistics (3PL) provider founded in 1977 by Joe McGee and headquartered in Raleigh, NC, operating as a subsidiary of the L&M Family of Companies. The company brokers truckload freight across three core divisions: a refrigerated/produce division handling temperature-controlled perishable goods since inception, a dry freight division covering van, flatbed, step-deck, and expedited moves, and a nursery division serving live-plant shippers with specialized equipment and dedicated drivers. Following a September 2024 rebrand from L&M Transportation Services to LMTS, the company expanded into white glove, final mile, high-value freight, drayage, and freight optimization services, and invested in a major TMS upgrade.

LMTS operates a technology stack anchored by MercuryGate TMS and extended through partnerships with Highway (carrier onboarding), Smart Capacity/Trucker Tools (loadboard and matching), Macropoint and Trucker Tools LoadTrack (real-time visibility), Parade.ai (carrier portal), and Triumph Pay (carrier payments). The platform provides 24/7 shipment tracking, load matching, and dispatch coverage. The business model is transaction-based brokerage (take rate on freight) supplemented by managed transportation services (LMTS Plus) for customers seeking dedicated system-based management; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with separate spot/short-term and contract/long-term rate structures.

The company employs approximately 37-50 full-time staff across offices in Raleigh NC, Nogales AZ, Jacksonville FL, and Lexington NC, plus agent offices in Opp AL and Raleigh. It serves a network of 10,000+ certified carriers and works with enterprise and mid-market shippers across produce, nursery, food and beverage, chemicals, retail, industrial, consumer goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, with named customers including Bolthouse Farms, W.T.B. Inc., Liggett Vector Brands, and Beveridge Paper. As of 2022, revenue exceeded $61M, and the company is actively hiring in Raleigh and Jacksonville as of mid-2025.

Name

LMTS

Legal name

L&M Transportation Services

Website

https://lmts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LMTS is a privately held 3PL truckload broker founded in 1977, specializing in refrigerated produce, dry freight, and nursery transportation across the US. It serves enterprise and mid-market shippers via a 10,000+ carrier network, MercuryGate TMS, and offices in NC, FL, AZ, and AL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Truckload Freight Brokerage (Third-Party Logistics)

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal) (TLAIAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Transportation Services (MTS) / Outsourced TMS Operations (TLAIAEAB), Transportation Management Services (TMS-as-a-Service / Managed Transportation) (TLAIANAB)

Keywords

• Truckload brokerage services
• Third-party logistics
• Refrigerated freight transportation
• Dry van freight brokerage
• Nursery stock shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Truckload Brokerage: Transaction-based truckload brokerage matching shipper loads with carrier capacity. Fees are typically a percentage of freight value or a per-transaction rate. Coordinates dry, temperature-controlled, and specialized freight across dedicated lanes and spot market.
2. Managed Transportation Services: LMTS Plus managed services offering ongoing transportation management, lane coordination, and dedicated service arrangements for customers seeking comprehensive 3PL solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LMTS is a third-party logistics (3PL) truckload brokerage that matches shippers with carriers from a 10,000+ certified carrier network across refrigerated produce, dry van, flatbed, and nursery specialty freight. The company operates dedicated Refrigerated, Dry Freight, and Nursery divisions supported by 24/7 dispatch, a custom web-based tracking platform with MercuryGate TMS integration, and a managed transportation offering (LMTSPlus). Since the September 2024 rebrand, LMTS has expanded into white glove, final mile, high-value freight, drayage, and freight optimization services.

Product overview

LMTS is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering a comprehensive transportation management platform with multiple service divisions. The core offering consists of Brokerage services including Refrigerated Freight Division (temperature-controlled produce distribution), Dry Freight Division, Nursery Division for live plants and trees, and Truck Load Produce Brokerage. Following the 2024 rebrand, LMTS expanded its product portfolio with add-on services including White Glove, Final Mile, High Value Freight, Drayage, and Freight Optimization. The company also offers LMTS Managed Systems (LMTSPlus) for managed freight services. With over 48 years of experience and a network of more than 10,000 carrier partners, the platform provides coordinated static lanes, ad-hoc business, seasonal surge support, spot rates, and longer-term contract rate solutions across diverse industries including produce, food and beverage, chemicals, retail, nursery stock, industrial goods, consumer packaged goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LMTS Brokerage Core third-party logistics (3PL) truckload brokerage connecting shippers with carriers for dry, temperature-controlled, and perishable goods transportation across dedicated lanes, spot market, and contract freight.
• Truck Load Produce Brokerage (Refrigerated Division) Refrigerated trailer brokerage services for full loads or mixers, providing 24/7 monitoring and load management for perishable fruits, vegetables, and fresh produce distribution.
• Dry Freight Brokerage Truckload dry freight brokerage offering refrigerated trailers, standard and specialized vans, flatbed and step-deck trailers, and expedited moves with 24/7 coverage and flexible capacity management for demand fluctuations.
• Nursery Division Brokerage Specialized transportation solutions for live plants, flowers, trees, and nursery goods using refrigerated vans, power-only, and other specialized equipment, with proactive capacity management for Spring, Fall, and holiday season surges.
• LMTS Managed Systems (LMTSPlus) Managed transportation services offering ongoing transportation management, lane coordination, and dedicated service arrangements for customers seeking comprehensive 3PL solutions beyond transactional brokerage.
• Specialty Services Bundle (White Glove, Final Mile, High-Value Freight, Drayage, Freight Optimization) Specialty transportation services added in the 2024 rebrand expansion: white glove handling for delicate or high-value shipments, final mile delivery, high-value freight security and handling, port and terminal drayage, and freight optimization for rate negotiation and cost reduction.

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2018LMTS is a proud member of TIA. Representatives (Tom Devine and Jim Devine) attend the annual Capital Ideas Conference. Jim Devine received the 2018 TIA Conference Scholarship.
• HighwaycoreTechnology or IntegrationLMTS has partnered with Highway to offer carriers a simpler, easier way to set up carrier accounts and begin working with LMTS. This streamlines the carrier onboarding process.
• Trucker Tools / Smart CapacitycoreTechnology or IntegrationLMTS uses Trucker Tools Smart Capacity loadboard, a free cloud-based web portal, to match carrier trucks with available loads. This provides real-time load matching and visibility.
• MercuryGatecoreTechnology or IntegrationLMTS uses MercuryGate TMS platform for transportation management system operations, accessible via lmts.mercurygate.net login portal.
• Produce Marketing Association (PMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMTS is an active participant in PMA Fresh Summit, attending annually with a booth presence. The 2019 event featured celebrity speakers and 1200+ exhibitors.
• L&M Family of CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMTS is part of the L&M Family of Companies which includes L&M Companies, L&M Farms, L&M Warehouse and Packing. The rebrand in 2024 was designed to solidify alignment within the family.
• EPA SmartWayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMTS is a SmartWay partner, demonstrating environmental commitment and fuel efficiency practices in freight transportation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: The largest US 3PL/freight broker with deep produce and refrigerated capabilities through its Robinson Fresh subsidiary. Competes with LMTS for produce shippers and temperature-controlled accounts but operates globally at vastly greater scale.
• ArcBest: Asset-based logistics provider with significant asset-light brokerage (MoLo) and LTL operations. Competes with LMTS for managed transportation and drayage customers seeking larger logistics partners.
• RXO: Pure-play freight brokerage spin-off from XPO Logistics with significant truckload capacity and digital tools. Competes for the same mid-market and enterprise shipper contracts as LMTS brokerage.
• Schneider Logistics: Large asset-based carrier with a sizable brokerage and managed transportation arm. Overlaps with LMTS Plus and offers enterprise customers the scale advantages LMTS cannot match as an independent.
• Hub Group: Large multi-modal 3PL offering brokerage, intermodal, and dedicated truckload. Overlaps with LMTS's brokerage and recent drayage additions while serving enterprise shippers with a much larger asset footprint.

Direct peers

• Landstar System: Asset-light freight broker that operates through an agent-owned network model, closely mirroring LMTS's structure of in-house account managers plus independent agent offices (e.g., Opp AL, Raleigh). Both rely on a large certified carrier network and target spot/contract freight across multiple verticals.
• KLLM Logistics Services: Asset-based refrigerated carrier and broker specializing in temperature-controlled freight and produce. Closest comparable to LMTS's Produce and Temperature-Controlled divisions on both capability and customer profile.
• Total Quality Logistics (TQL): Large privately held non-asset broker with a sales-led, relationship-driven model very similar to LMTS. Competes head-to-head for shipper dry and temperature-controlled freight across the same Southeast and Midwest geographies.
• Echo Global Logistics: Technology-enabled 3PL offering truckload, LTL, and managed transportation. Direct competitor to LMTS Plus managed services and core brokerage, especially with mid-market shippers.
• NFI Industries: Family-owned 3PL with dedicated refrigerated fleet plus brokerage and drayage, directly competing with LMTS's temperature-controlled produce and reefer business and matching the family-controlled ownership profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LMTSsales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 LMTS