CalArk

What CalArk does

CalArk International is a privately held asset-based trucking and logistics company headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, founded in 1975 by Tom Bartholomew. The company operates three core service lines: full truckload dry van transportation across the lower 48 states with door-to-door cross-border service to and from Mexico via a Laredo, Texas terminal; contract warehousing and distribution from a 650,000+ square foot dry and temperature-controlled facility in Little Rock plus facilities in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia; and local delivery / final-mile services including pool distribution, cartage, last-mile, and residential delivery in regional markets. The fleet comprises 600+ conventional tractors (Peterbilt, Kenworth, International) and 2,200+ high cube dry vans, supported by maintenance facilities in Little Rock, Malvern, Garland, and Laredo, and drop yards across six states. CalArk is the parent of two wholly-owned operating entities, Central Hauling Company (dry-box full-truckload carrier) and Arkansas Equipment Leasing (AEL, which provides lease-to-purchase equipment financing to independent contractors).

Revenue is generated primarily through per-mile and per-shipment transportation fees for truckload services, warehousing and storage fees for the 3PL/contract logistics business, transaction-based fees for local delivery, and equipment lease payments through AEL. Customer acquisition is sales-led and direct B2B, executed through the company website (calark.com) quote forms, dedicated sales contacts, and six regional operations offices covering the Midwest, Eastern, Arkansas, Texas, Laredo, and Dallas regions, plus dispatch offices in Monterrey and Queretaro, Mexico. Driver compensation is structured on a per-mile basis (up to 60 CPM for OTR, tiered scales at Central Hauling) or hourly for warehouse and local delivery, with weekly billing cadence.

The technology stack includes the WebNTransit customer portal for real-time load tracking and proactive shipment notifications, the CalArk Driven mobile application (powered by Eleos Technologies) for driver messaging, dispatch, navigation, and hours-of-service tracking, the CalArk Driven Mobile app (powered by Transflo) for document scanning, electronic logging devices, GPS, and fleet safety systems (smart cruise, auto-braking, blind spot cameras, air disk brakes). These systems are sourced from third-party vendors rather than developed as proprietary AI or ML assets. Ownership remains with founder Tom Bartholomew, with Michael Jernigan serving as CFO and President; the company has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or public listing.

Name

CalArk

Legal name

CalArk International

Website

https://calark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

CalArk International is a privately held, asset-based trucking and logistics company founded in 1975 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, offering dry van truckload, contract warehousing, and final-mile delivery services across the lower 48 states and Mexico to enterprise shippers and freight brokers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Truckload Services: CalArk provides dry van truckload services throughout the lower 48 states with door-to-door service in and out of Mexico via Laredo, Texas. Revenue is generated through transportation fees per shipment/mile.
2. Warehouse Services: Contract warehousing services including cross-docking, transloading, storage, pool distribution, and fulfillment. Revenue generated through warehousing and storage fees.
3. Local Delivery Services: Final mile and LTL delivery services within regional areas, providing pool distribution, cartage, last mile, and residential deliveries.
4. Central Hauling Company: Dry-box full-truckload carrier subsidiary operating in the 48 states and Mexico.
5. Arkansas Equipment Leasing: Equipment leasing services for independent contractors, offering lease-to-purchase options for trucks and trailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CalArk International is a trucking and logistics company that provides full truckload dry van transportation throughout the lower 48 US states with door-to-door service in and out of Mexico via Laredo, Texas. It also offers contract warehousing (cross-docking, transloading, storage, and WMS-enabled fulfillment across 650,000+ sq ft) and local delivery / final mile services (LTL, pool distribution, cartage, last mile, and residential deliveries). The company operates a fleet of 600+ tractors and 2,200+ dry vans, supported by real-time tracking and a mobile driver app.

Product overview

CalArk International is a trucking and logistics company founded in 1975 offering three core service lines: Truckload/Dry Van Services (serving the lower 48 states with door-to-door Mexico service via Laredo), Warehouse Services (650K+ sq ft facility in Little Rock plus regional facilities), and Local Delivery/Final Mile (LTL delivery with pool distribution, cartage, last mile, white glove, and residential services). The company operates two sub-brands: Central Hauling Company (dry-box full-truckload carrier) and Arkansas Equipment Leasing (AEL, equipment leasing with lease-to-purchase options). CalArk also provides driver technology through its CalArk Driven app (powered by Eleos) for messaging, dispatch, navigation and HOS tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Central Hauling: Dry-box full-truckload carrier traveling the 48 states and Mexico with an average length of haul of 1,000 miles.
• Arkansas Equipment Leasing (AEL)

Products and services

• Truckload / Dry Van Services Full truckload dry van services throughout the lower 48 US states with door-to-door service in and out of Mexico via Laredo, Texas. Operated with 600+ conventional tractors and 2,200+ high cube dry vans for enterprise shippers and freight brokers.
• Contract Warehousing Services Contract warehousing offering cross-docking, transloading, storage, pool distribution, and fulfillment. Includes a 650,000+ sq ft dry and temperature controlled facility in Little Rock, AR (97 dock doors, 80 trailer positions, 20-32 ft ceiling) plus facilities in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Backed by a Warehouse Management System with EDI, RF, and bar-coding.
• Local Delivery / Final Mile Services LTL delivery typically within a few hundred mile radius of warehouses and distribution centers. Includes pool distribution, cartage, last mile, routed distribution, white glove, and residential deliveries for businesses requiring regional final mile service.
• 3PL and Mexico Cross-Border Services
• Central Hauling Company (Subsidiary Truckload Service)
• Arkansas Equipment Leasing (AEL)

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 500 trucking fleet ranking among 770,000+ for-hire carriers (2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Eleos TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationEleos provides the CalArk Driven mobile application used by drivers for messaging, dispatch information, navigation, and hours-of-service tracking. The app integrates driver workflow management with CalArk's operations.
• TransflosupportingTechnology or IntegrationTransflo provides the CalArk Driven Mobile scanning application for document capture. Note: This app is being replaced by the new CalArk Driven app and is only used for scanning purposes.
• Central Hauling CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral Hauling is a subsidiary dry-box full-truckload carrier operating in the 48 states and Mexico. It is part of the CalArk family of companies, with average length of haul of 1,000 miles and 3-1 trailer ratio for drop and hook loads.
• Arkansas Equipment LeasingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArkansas Equipment Leasing (AEL) works with CalArk to repurpose trucks for independent contractors. Offers lease-to-purchase options with no down payment and no balloon note. All trailers are 53' with swing doors, aluminum roofs, and air ride.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings: Largest US for-hire trucking carrier combining truckload, LTL, and logistics across North America. Directly comparable to CalArk's truckload and warehousing operations at far greater scale, with overlapping long-haul dry van, dedicated, and 3PL services.
• Werner Enterprises: Major US long-haul dry van truckload carrier with dedicated, logistics, and final mile services operating across North America. Closely comparable to CalArk's core dry van truckload business and multi-service platform model.
• Schneider National: Asset-based truckload, intermodal, and logistics provider with operations across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Comparable to CalArk's truckload services and cross-border Mexico operations via Schneider's cross-border expertise.
• Heartland Express: US dry van long-haul truckload carrier serving shippers across the continental US. Directly comparable to CalArk's core long-haul dry van operations with similar mid-sized carrier profile.
• Marten Transport: Long-haul truckload carrier with dedicated, intermodal, and logistics services. Comparable to CalArk's long-haul truckload and multi-service model with similar mid-sized asset-based profile.
• Covenant Logistics Group: Asset-based truckload carrier offering dedicated, expedited, and managed transportation services. Highly comparable to CalArk's mid-sized asset-based truckload profile and multi-service offering.
• ArcBest Corporation: Asset-based LTL carrier (ABF Freight) with truckload, logistics, and supply chain solutions. Comparable to CalArk's mix of truckload, LTL/local delivery, and 3PL/warehousing services.
• STG Logistics: Cross-border trucking and logistics provider specializing in US-Mexico freight with intermodal and drayage services. Directly comparable to CalArk's Laredo border terminal and Monterrey/Queretaro dispatch operations for Mexico cross-border service.

Broad incumbents

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: Large diversified transportation and logistics company with truckload, intermodal, dedicated, and final mile services. Comparable to CalArk's truckload and warehousing combination but at much larger scale and with a broader intermodal-heavy service portfolio.
• Ryder System: Major commercial truck leasing and rental company with truckload transportation and supply chain solutions. Comparable to CalArk's AEL equipment leasing subsidiary and broader logistics/dedicated services, though at much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/calark1
• Facebookfacebook.com/calark1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 CalArk