Crete Carrier

What Crete Carrier does

Crete Carrier Corporation, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a privately held, family-owned truckload transportation company operating across the continental United States through three specialized divisions: Crete Carrier (dry van, 4,000+ tractors and 10,500 trailers), Shaffer Trucking (refrigerated, 1,100+ tractors and 2,800+ reefer trailers, acquired 1974), and Hunt Transportation (flatbed and open-deck/specialized, 250+ tractors and 600 trailers, acquired 1999). The company runs more than 5,000 tractors and 13,000 trailers in total across 20 terminal locations in the lower 48 states, employing between 1,001 and 5,000 people including more than 1,400 veterans. Customers include Walmart, General Mills, Kellogg's, Kellanova, Kimberly Clark, Home Depot, Target, Costco, Hershey, Tyson, Chewy, and Mars Petcare.

The operating model is asset-based and direct-to-shipper, with no brokerage of third-party freight. Services span over-the-road, regional, and dedicated fleet operations, plus local spotting and shuttling. Technology is centered on a transportation management and logistics operations platform, with 2025 integration of FourKites as a Premiere Carrier for real-time load visibility. The company is structured as a debt-free, privately held enterprise under Acklie family ownership, with Tonn Ostergard as CEO and Chairman and Tim Aschoff as President and COO.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based pricing on truckload services (dry van, refrigerated, flatbed), with pricing structures for company drivers paying practical route miles (3-5% more miles than competitors) and owner operators on sliding scale, flat rate, or percentage-of-gross models with weekly fuel surcharge adjustments. Sales-led go-to-market targets enterprise shippers through dedicated sales teams handling rate quotes, spot quotes, and RFPs, with no third-party brokerage involvement. The model emphasizes long-term strategic partnerships and dedicated fleet contracts over spot market activity, reinforced by multi-year Carrier of the Year awards from major CPG and retail shippers.

Name

Crete Carrier

Legal name

Crete Carrier Corporation

Website

https://cretecarrier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Crete Carrier Corporation is a privately held, family-owned truckload carrier operating 5,000+ tractors and 13,000+ trailers across three divisions (dry van, refrigerated, flatbed) in the lower 48 U.S. states, serving enterprise shippers in food, retail, and consumer goods through direct asset-based services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Truckload Transportation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated (Temp-Controlled) TL Carriers (TLADADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Flatbed & Open-Deck TL Carriers (TLADADAC)

Keywords

• Truckload transportation services
• Dry van trucking
• Refrigerated freight services
• Flatbed transportation
• Dedicated fleet services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trucking and Transportation Services: Crete Carrier generates revenue through providing truckload transportation services across three specialized divisions: dry van (Crete Carrier), refrigerated (Shaffer Trucking), and flatbed/specialized (Hunt Transportation). Services include dedicated fleets, regional fleets, and over-the-road (OTR) operations throughout the continental United States.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crete Carrier Corporation is a privately-owned, asset-based trucking company that provides truckload transportation services across three specialized divisions: dry van (Crete Carrier), refrigerated (Shaffer Trucking), and flatbed/specialized (Hunt Transportation). The company operates more than 5,000 tractors and 13,000 trailers from 20 terminals nationwide, serving shippers throughout the continental United States with dedicated fleets, regional fleets, and over-the-road operations.

Product overview

Crete Carrier Corporation is a privately-owned trucking company operating three specialized divisions: Crete Carrier (dry van), Shaffer Trucking (refrigerated), and Hunt Transportation (flatbed/open-deck). The company operates over 5,000 tractors and 13,000 trailers from 20 terminals nationwide. Services include company driver employment, owner operator leasing programs, and a truck purchase program. The Leading Pay Plus benefits package supplements driver compensation with detention pay, insurance, profit sharing, and other incentives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crete Carrier Dry Van Trucking Dry van trucking division headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating a fleet of over 4,000 tractors and 10,500 53-foot trailers serving customers throughout the continental United States with general freight transportation services.
• Shaffer Trucking Refrigerated Transportation Temperature-controlled refrigerated trucking division operating more than 1,100 tractors and over 2,800 refrigerator trailers for national, regional, and local routes, including tri-temp units for cool, cold, and frozen goods serving food, beverage, and pharmaceutical shippers.
• Hunt Transportation Flatbed Services Specialized flatbed and open-deck trucking division headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, operating over 250 tractors and 600 flatbed, drop-deck, and RGN trailers handling oversized, overweight freight, construction and agricultural equipment, raw materials, and machinery.
• Dedicated Fleet Services Custom-designed dedicated fleets working full-time for specific enterprise customers; positioned as one of the largest providers of dedicated truckload services in the country.
• Company Driver Program Employment program for CDL-A drivers to operate company-owned tractors, offering practical mile-based pay ($0.68-$0.73/mile starting), comprehensive health insurance, 401k matching, profit sharing, and access to 20 terminal locations nationwide.
• Owner Operator Program Independent contractor driving program allowing truck owners to lease-on with access to Crete's freight network, fuel surcharge programs, sliding scale ($1.32-$1.91/mile) or flat rate pay options, and percentage of gross (70-72%) arrangements with comprehensive support services.
• Truck Purchase Program Program enabling company drivers to purchase trucks at wholesale pricing with a two-year/250,000-mile extended engine warranty, featuring 2022 Freightliner Cascadia Evolution tractors with Detroit DD15 engines.
• Leading Pay Plus Benefits Package Comprehensive driver compensation and benefits package including detention pay, drop and hook pay, free rider program, pet policy, quality equipment, insurance options, and access to company terminals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 50% of OTR drivers earn over $107,000 annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Werner Enterprises: Publicly traded truckload carrier with comparable fleet size (~8,000 tractors), similar geographic scope across the continental United States, and exposure to dedicated, refrigerated, and flatbed services. Werner is the closest publicly traded comparable for Crete Carrier's diversified TL business model.
• U.S. Xpress: Privately held truckload carrier of similar scale operating dry van, refrigerated, and dedicated services across the United States. Comparable business mix, asset-heavy model, and enterprise customer focus make it a direct private peer.
• Heartland Express: Publicly traded truckload carrier focused on dry van and refrigerated services across similar continental US lanes. Comparable asset-based TL model and customer concentration in retail/consumer goods.
• Daseke: Specialized flatbed and open-deck carrier most directly comparable to Crete's Hunt Transportation division. Serves similar oversized/overweight freight markets including construction, agriculture, and industrial machinery.
• Maverick Transportation: Privately held specialized flatbed carrier serving similar construction, oil & gas, and industrial equipment markets as Crete's Hunt Transportation division. Comparable asset-based model and specialized hauling expertise.

Broad incumbents

• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest truckload carrier in North America with substantially larger fleet and broader service portfolio including truckload, refrigerated, intermodal, and logistics. Operates across all of Crete's divisions at greater scale, serving similar enterprise customers.
• Schneider National: Publicly traded diversified carrier with truckload, intermodal, dedicated, and logistics services. Overlaps with Crete in dry van and dedicated fleet operations but operates at significantly larger scale with intermodal exposure.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: Largest publicly traded dedicated contract services provider in North America with truckload, intermodal, and brokerage operations. Overlaps with Crete in dedicated fleets and dry van truckload but offers broader multimodal services.
• Hub Group: Publicly traded intermodal and logistics services provider. While primarily intermodal-focused, it competes with Crete for enterprise shipper capacity and serves overlapping Fortune 500 customer relationships.
• ArcBest: Multimodal logistics provider with truckload, asset-based expedited, and logistics services. Overlaps with Crete in dry van TL while offering expedited and supply chain solutions that complement enterprise shipper relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CreteCarrier
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CreteCarrierCorporation
• Facebookfacebook.com/CreteCarrierCorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crete-carrier-corporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cretecarrier

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Crete Carrier