What Ceres Transportation Group does

Ceres Transportation Group is a privately held, Charlotte, North Carolina-based freight forwarding and logistics company founded in 1995 (originally as Superior Freight Services) that has reported consecutive annual profitability every year since inception. The company operates a multi-modal portfolio spanning air freight (Same-Day, Next-Day, Second Day, consolidation, charter), expedited and economy truck services, exclusive vehicle service, customs brokerage across the US, Canada, and Mexico, and logistics, warehousing, and distribution. It holds IATA agent status across all major airlines and distributes services through a network of over 300 District Offices and Agents operating under franchise agreements with exclusive market territories across North America.

The underlying technology stack is an in-house real-time computer system and communications network linking all offices, offering internet shipment tracking, a customer-accessible virtual private database for bill entry and consignee management, last-two-weeks tracing by bill or customer number, customized management reporting, and full Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capability for status, tracking, invoicing, and electronic funds transfer. The website's copyright dates to 2018, and there is no evidence of modern platform integrations, public APIs, or mobile applications, suggesting limited investment in digital channel modernization.

Ceres makes money on a transaction-fee basis across all service lines (airfreight, truck, charter, exclusive vehicle, customs brokerage), with managed-services economics on the logistics and warehousing line. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; terms include 1.5% monthly interest on unpaid balances after 30 days and liability caps tied to the Warsaw Convention for international air carriage. Go-to-market is sales-led through the franchise/agent network and direct local representatives, supplemented by online quote requests and a shipment tracking portal. Customer segments are horizontal, targeting business/corporate customers, freight forwarders seeking domestic air partners, and international shippers requiring customs and documentation support. No public financials, funding, named customers, M&A, or management team disclosures are present in the available data.

Name

Ceres Transportation Group

Legal name

Ceres Transportation Group, Inc.

Website

https://ceresgroup.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ceres Transportation Group is a privately held, Charlotte-based freight forwarder and logistics company that provides multi-modal air freight, expedited trucking, customs brokerage, and warehousing services across North America via a network of over 300 franchise offices and agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Courier Services (4513), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Air Express (Time-Definite Air Parcel) (TLAAABAA)

Keywords

• Air freight services
• Expedited trucking
• Customs brokerage
• Global logistics
• Warehousing distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Air Freight Services: Revenue generated from air import/export services including Airport to Airport, Airport to Door, Consolidation, and Charters. Services include Same-Day, Overnight, Second Day, and time-definite air freight options.
2. Truck Services: Revenue from truckload services including van, refrigerated van, flatbeds, and specialized equipment. Includes Ceres Saver program combining expedited service with LTL pricing, and Express/Economy truck services throughout the US and Canada.
3. Air Charter Services: Revenue from on-demand emergency/expedited charter air transport. Available aircraft range from Beech, Piper and Cessna to 747s, with door-to-door service for any size shipment.
4. Exclusive Vehicle Services: Revenue from dedicated door-to-door expedited truck service with exclusive equipment use (cargo vans, straight trucks, tractor-trailers). Service available 24/7/365 with virtually no size, weight, or quantity restrictions.
5. Customs Brokerage Services: Revenue from brokerage services for customers seeking flexibility and affordability, available throughout Continental US, Canada and Mexico.
6. Logistics and Warehousing: Revenue from logistics, warehousing, and distribution services designed to reduce cycle time, lower costs, maximize efficiency, improve inventory control and maintain customer satisfaction.
7. Freight Charges and Accessorial Fees: Revenue from transportation charges including airfreight charges from origin to destination, C.O.D. handling fees, and interest on unpaid balances (1.5% per month after 30 days). Liability coverage and excess coverage options available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ceres Transportation Group is a multi-modal freight services company providing airfreight (Same-Day, Next-Day, Second Day), expedited and economy truck services, international air import/export, customs brokerage, air charter, exclusive vehicle service, and logistics/warehousing/distribution. The company operates through a network of more than 300 District Offices and Agents across North America and handles international air export shipments worldwide as an IATA-certified agent for all major airlines.

Product overview

Ceres Transportation Group is a multi-modal service transportation company offering a comprehensive portfolio of airfreight and expedited surface transportation services. The core offerings include Air Freight Services (Same-Day, Next-Day, Second Day), Truck Services (Express, Economy, Truckload), the Ceres Saver Program for economy ground service, Global Services for international air import/export, Logistics/Warehousing/Distribution, Information Technologies (tracking, EDI, custom reporting), Air Charter Services, Exclusive Vehicle Service, and Customs Brokerage. These products work together as an integrated transportation solution, with Information Technologies providing the digital backbone for tracking, reporting, and EDI capabilities across all service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ceres Saver: Expedited ground service with LTL pricing, combining air freight urgency with truckload cost efficiency.

Products and services

• Air Freight Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Landstar System: Asset-light transportation services company operating through a franchise/agent network of independent agents and owner-operators, providing truckload and expedited services. Highly comparable to Ceres' franchise model and BCO/agent-driven domestic surface and air services.
• Forward Air Corporation: Expedited less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier specializing in time-sensitive, high-value freight across North America. Directly comparable to Ceres' Exclusive Vehicle, Express Truck, and Ceres Saver services for time-definite domestic surface freight.
• ArcBest (Panther Premium Logistics): Asset-based freight and logistics provider offering premium expedited and logistics services through its Panther Premium Logistics division. Comparable to Ceres' air charter, exclusive vehicle, and expedited multi-modal offering.

Broad incumbents

• FedEx Custom Critical: Time-definite and same-day expedited shipping division of FedEx serving healthcare, aerospace, and manufacturing customers. Overlaps with Ceres' air charter and exclusive vehicle services, but operates as one business unit within a global integrator.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions / UPS Forwarding: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics arm of UPS, providing air forwarding, customs brokerage, and supply chain services. Directly comparable to Ceres' Global Services, customs brokerage, and warehousing capabilities as part of UPS' broader portfolio.
• Expeditors International: Global asset-light freight forwarder arranging air and ocean freight, customs brokerage, and distribution services. Comparable to Ceres' freight forwarding/arrangement role, though much larger and ocean-focused.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarder offering airfreight, seafreight, contract logistics, and customs services worldwide. Comparable to Ceres' global services and customs brokerage, though at vastly larger scale and with broader mode coverage.
• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider offering freight management, contract logistics, and customs services. Overlaps with Ceres' logistics/warehousing/distribution and customs brokerage, though at enterprise scale across ocean, air, and ground.
• DSV A/S: Global transport and logistics company offering air and sea freight forwarding, road transportation, and contract logistics. Broadly comparable to Ceres' multi-modal forwarding scope, particularly in air freight forwarding and customs, but at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Digital-first freight forwarder focusing on technology-enabled ocean and air forwarding plus customs brokerage. Comparable as a competing route to traditional forwarders for shippers seeking modern API-driven workflow, partially overlapping with Ceres' global services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceres-transportation-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ceres Transportation Group