Penner International

What Penner International does

Penner International Inc. is a third-generation, asset-based North American truckload carrier headquartered in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, tracing its origins to a single Model-T Ford truck operating between Winnipeg and Steinbach in 1923. Following a 1984 rebranding from Penners Transfer and the 1983 acquisition of Stordahl Truck Lines, the company built a fleet of approximately 350 trucks and 810 trailers (including 110 heated vans) operating across Canada and the United States, with nine owned terminal and yard locations spanning five Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia) plus a cross-dock facility in Fargo, North Dakota. Since February 3, 2020, Penner has operated as a subsidiary of C.A.T. Inc., another family-run Canadian carrier.

The company's core offering is full truckload dry van transportation, supplemented by expedited and team-driver services, heated cargo transport, HazMat-certified carriage, trade-show logistics, and last-mile/local cartage. Penner Freight Solutions, a brokerage and logistics coordination arm, layers an asset-light partner-carrier network over the owned fleet to handle seasonal peaks, quarter-end surges, and lanes outside the company's owned footprint. Technology stack is conventional for the sector: 100% GPS tracking (Shaw Tracking on trucks, Fleetlocate on trailers), full EDI integration, 24/7 online shipment tracking via a customer portal, and 100% Electronic Logging Device compliance. The company holds an unusually comprehensive cross-border certification portfolio — CTPAT, FAST, PIP, ACE, ACI, PAPS, CSA approval, HazMat, ELD, and SmartWay — which qualifies it for expedited border processing and preferred-shipper programs.

Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee, per-mile or per-load basis under a sales-led go-to-market motion targeting enterprise and mid-market shippers across eight named verticals: Automotive (including a long-term Ford Motor Company contract), Agriculture, Consumer Goods, Pulp & Paper, Hardware and Building Products, Furniture, Chemicals, and Food & Beverage. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company competes on the basis of service reliability, driver expertise (average tenure 15 years, turnover under 10%), regulatory clearance depth, and terminal density across the Canada-US corridor. Following the C.A.T. Inc. acquisition, Penner continues to operate under its own brand with Allan Penner having led the business as President and CEO since 1998.

Name

Penner International

Legal name

Penner International Inc.

Website

https://penner.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Penner International is a third-generation, asset-based North American truckload dry van carrier operating 350 trucks and 810 trailers across Canada and the United States, serving automotive, agricultural, consumer goods, and industrial shippers from nine Canadian terminals plus a Fargo, ND cross-dock, and now operating as a subsidiary of C.A.T. Inc. since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trucking Services

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (493110), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Van (General Freight) TL Carriers (TLADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full Truckload (FTL) Forwarding (TLACACAA), Contract Warehousing / Dedicated Warehousing (Dry) (TLALAAAB)

Keywords

• Truckload dry van services
• Asset-based trucking
• Cross-border freight
• Freight brokerage solutions
• Heated van transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Steinbach

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Truckload Dry Van Services: Asset-based truckload transportation services for full truckload shipments throughout Canada and the United States. Revenue generated per-mile or per-load basis for dedicated lane services and spot shipments.
2. Freight Solutions (Partner Carrier Capacity): Additional capacity through strategic relationships with hundreds of partner carriers to address customer requirements beyond normal volume commitments during seasonal peaks and quarter-end surges
3. Expedited and Team Services: Priority truckload services with expedited delivery and team driver operations
4. Specialized Services: Heated cargo, hazmat services, trade-show services, last mile and local cartage

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Penner International is an asset-based trucking company providing full truckload dry van transportation across Canada and the United States using a fleet of 350 trucks, 700 53' dry vans, and 110 heated vans. Services include dedicated lane truckload, expedited/team operations, hazmat, heated cargo, trade-show, and last-mile cartage, complemented by a brokerage division (Penner Freight Solutions) that leverages partner carriers and a Fargo cross-dock facility for cross-border consolidation into Western Canada.

Product overview

Penner International operates as an asset-based trucking company offering a unified suite of transportation services. The core offering is Truckload Services (700 dry vans and 110 heated vans), supplemented by Penner Freight Solutions for brokerage capacity and cross-dock consolidation, and Shipment Tracking for real-time visibility. Services span domestic and cross-border Canada-USA routes with specialized offerings including HazMat, heated cargo, trade-show transport, and last-mile cartage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truckload Services Asset-based full truckload transportation across Canada and the United States using 700 53' dry vans and 110 heated vans, with team and expedited options for cross-border Canada-U.S. routes and specialized services including hazmat, trade-show, and last-mile cartage. Designed for shippers requiring reliable, dedicated-lane or spot full-truckload capacity.
• Penner Freight Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 10% driver turnover rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bison Transport: One of Canada's largest asset-based truckload carriers, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Closely comparable to Penner on size, asset-based dry van model, cross-border Canada-US lanes, and family-rooted operating culture.
• Day & Ross: Canadian LTL and truckload carrier with significant cross-border Canada-US operations, owned by McCain Foods. Highly comparable on customer segments, lane geography, and asset-based model with brokerage overlay.
• Werner Enterprises: US-based asset-based TL carrier with dedicated, brokerage, and cross-border services. Closely comparable on asset-heavy model, enterprise customer base, and use of technology (EDI, telematics) for visibility.
• Challenger Motor Freight: Canadian asset-based TL carrier with cross-border Canada-US, US domestic, and Mexican operations. Comparable on family ownership heritage, cross-border dry van focus, and similar customer verticals.
• Schneider National: Large US-headquartered asset-based TL, intermodal, and logistics carrier with cross-border operations. Comparable on dry van core, dedicated capacity, brokerage, and enterprise shipper relationships, though materially larger.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest US asset-based TL carrier with significant cross-border Canada-US operations. Direct competitor for cross-border freight; comparable on dry van, dedicated, and brokerage services, though vastly larger in scale.
• C.A.T. Inc. Penner's parent company since February 2020, a comparable family-run Canadian cross-border TL carrier of similar size and customer base. Operates many of the same Canada-US lanes and represents the most directly comparable operating peer.

Broad incumbents

• TFI International: One of Canada's largest transportation and logistics conglomerates, with major TL, LTL, and logistics operations across North America. Comparable end markets and geographies but at materially larger scale and a publicly-traded platform.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: Larger US TL and intermodal carrier with digital freight brokerage (J.B. Hunt 360) and significant cross-border Canada-Mexico-US operations. Comparable on customer mix and freight technology, but at a much larger scale and with deeper digital capabilities.
• Mullen Group: Canadian-based diversified transportation and logistics provider with TL, LTL, logistics, and energy services. Overlaps with Penner on Western Canadian lanes and customer mix but is a much larger, publicly-traded platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Penner International