Wadhams Enterprises

What Wadhams Enterprises does

Wadhams Enterprises is a family-owned transportation holding company headquartered in Phelps, New York, operating continuously since 1949. The company runs three wholly-owned carrier divisions — RIST Transport, Ltd. (general commodities LTL/TL/Brokerage), ARG Trucking Corp. (bulk petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas), and Earl T. Wadhams, Inc. (ETW) (bulk milk and food-grade tank carrier) — supported by a fleet of 530+ trucks and 970+ trailers and a workforce of over 900 employees across 25+ terminal locations spanning New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maine.

The business model is transaction-fee based across all three divisions: customers are quoted per load based on commodity type, distance, and frequency, with no public pricing disclosed. Go-to-market is direct, enterprise-grade field sales targeting commercial/industrial shippers, petroleum and LPG distributors, and dairy farms and food processors. Distribution is handled entirely through the company's owned terminal network rather than intermediaries, with each division operating its own regional service footprint. The three segments are intentionally horizontally segmented rather than vertically integrated, providing diversification across general freight, energy logistics, and agricultural haulage.

Operationally, the company is in an expansion phase, having acquired AMA Transportation in June 2023 to grow the RIST LTL network to 15 terminals and having deployed CLI's FACTS freight management software to automate dispatch, routing, and real-time customer updates. Ownership remains private and family-controlled under co-owners Rick and Steve Wadhams, sons of founder Earl T. Wadhams ("Red"), with no external institutional investors disclosed. An equipment-sales function and dedicated corporate recruiting indicate ongoing scaling of the operating platform.

Name

Wadhams Enterprises

Legal name

Wadhams Enterprises, Inc.

Website

https://wadhams.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wadhams Enterprises is a family-owned transportation holding company operating three Northeast US trucking divisions — RIST Transport (LTL/TL/Brokerage), ARG Trucking (Bulk Petroleum), and Earl T. Wadhams Inc. (Bulk Milk Hauling) — serving commercial, petroleum, and dairy customers across 25+ terminals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trucking and Freight Transportation Services

NAICS

General Freight Trucking (4841), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food-Grade Liquid Bulk Transport (Milk/Juice/Edible Oils/Syrups) (TLADALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Liquid Bulk / Tanker Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAL)

Keywords

• Trucking transportation
• Less-than-truckload freight
• Bulk petroleum hauling
• Milk transportation services
• Freight brokerage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phelps

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. RIST Transport - LTL/TL/Brokerage Services: General commodities carrier providing Less-Than-Truckload (LTL), Truckload (TL), and brokerage services across the Northeast region.
2. ARG Trucking - Bulk Petroleum Transport: Regional transportation of bulk petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas.
3. ETW - Bulk Milk and Food Grade Hauling: Bulk milk hauling and food grade tank carrier services, originating from the company's founding business in 1949.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wadhams Enterprises is a family-owned transportation company operating three carrier divisions: RIST Transport provides less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload (TL), and freight brokerage services for general commodities; ARG Trucking transports bulk petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); and Earl T. Wadhams, Inc. (ETW) hauls bulk milk and food-grade liquid commodities. The company operates a fleet of 530+ trucks and 970+ trailers from 25+ terminal locations across the Northeast United States, serving commercial, industrial, agricultural, and petroleum customers.

Product overview

Wadhams Enterprises is a family-owned transportation company operating as a unified platform of three distinct carrier divisions. The core portfolio consists of: (1) RIST Transport, Ltd. — a general commodities carrier offering truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), and brokerage services; (2) ARG Trucking Corp. — a regional bulk petroleum and LPG transporter; and (3) Earl T. Wadhams, Inc. (ETW) — a specialized bulk milk hauler and food-grade tank carrier. Together these divisions serve customers across petroleum, general freight, LTL, and agricultural milk hauling markets, with a combined fleet of 530+ trucks and 970+ trailers operated by over 900 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RIST Transport, Ltd. General Commodities Carrier featuring Truckload, LTL & Brokerage Services
• ARG Trucking Corp.
• Earl T. Wadhams, Inc.

Products and services

• RIST Transport LTL/TL/Brokerage Services General commodities carrier offering truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), and freight brokerage services for commercial and industrial customers across the Northeastern United States. RIST Transport operates 15+ terminals covering NY, PA, MA, CT, NJ, and ME following the June 2023 acquisition of AMA Transportation.
• ARG Trucking Bulk Petroleum Transport Regional transporter of bulk petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for commercial and industrial customers, operating through 3 terminals in New York (Rensselaer, Rochester, and Tonawanda).
• ETW Bulk Milk and Food Grade Hauling Bulk milk hauler and food-grade tank carrier in operation since 1949, providing specialized transportation for dairy and food-grade liquid commodities through 7 terminals in NY, PA, and MA.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AMA TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023RIST-AMA Transport acquired AMA Transportation in June 2023, expanding RIST's LTL freight operations. The integration included implementation of CLI's FACTS freight management software across 15 terminals, with automation of manual processes including dispatch, routing, and real-time customer updates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• A. Duie Pyle: Family-owned regional LTL and truckload carrier headquartered in the Northeast US (West Chester, PA), directly comparable to Wadhams/RIST in terms of regional focus, family ownership, and LTL/TL service mix across the same Northeast geography.
• Pitt Ohio: Privately held regional LTL, TL, and logistics provider based in Pittsburgh, PA, operating across the Northeast and Midwest. Highly comparable to Wadhams/RIST as a similarly-sized, family/private-equity-backed regional LTL competitor with comparable terminal density.
• New Penn Motor Express: Northeast-focused LTL carrier now operating as a YRC Freight regional brand, providing LTL service across the same Northeast footprint as RIST Transport. Comparable as a direct LTL competitor in shared geographies.
• Groendyke Transport: Bulk petroleum and chemical hauler operating across multiple US regions. Highly comparable to Wadhams' ARG Trucking division for bulk liquid petroleum/LPG transportation, similar asset-heavy tank truck model.
• Trimac Transportation: North American bulk trucking services provider specializing in liquid and dry bulk, including petroleum, chemicals, and food-grade products. Comparable to ARG and ETW divisions for specialized liquid bulk hauling.
• Foodliner / Quality Distribution: Bulk food-grade liquid transportation specialist with dedicated tanker fleet serving dairy, juice, and edible oil shippers. Direct comparable to Wadhams' ETW division for bulk milk and food-grade tank carriage.

Peers

• Ward Transport & Logistics Corp: Regional trucking and logistics provider in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic with LTL, TL, and dedicated services. Closely comparable in scale and regional scope to Wadhams' RIST division.

Broad incumbents

• Old Dominion Freight Line: Largest US LTL carrier by revenue with national service center network. While much larger than Wadhams, it competes with RIST in Northeast LTL lanes and represents the scale benchmark that sub-scale regional LTL carriers must compete against.
• Saia LTL Freight: Publicly traded national LTL carrier with significant Northeast terminal presence. Competes directly with RIST for LTL freight in shared Northeast geographies and represents a larger, capital-rich competitor in the same niche.
• R+L Carriers: Privately held national LTL, TL, and logistics provider with extensive US terminal network. Overlaps with Wadhams' RIST division in Northeast LTL lanes while offering broader geographic reach and asset-based capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rist_transport

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Wadhams Enterprises