Kottke Trucking
Kottke Trucking is a third-generation, family-owned truckload carrier founded in 1938, specializing in refrigerated and dry freight transportation, LTL consolidation, cold storage, and brokerage for food, produce, and CPG shippers across the Midwest, Southeast, and dedicated U.S. lanes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1938
- HeadquartersBuffalo Lake, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kottke Trucking does
Kottke Trucking, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned truckload carrier headquartered in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, founded in 1938 and operating continuously for over 85 years. The company specializes in refrigerated (reefer) and dry freight transportation, with a fleet of more than 180 over-the-road power units, 300+ trailers (over 200 refrigerated), and a network of seven terminals across Minnesota, Florida, and Georgia, plus 18 drop trailer locations and a Central Florida LTL cross-dock. Its service portfolio spans six core offerings — truckload, less-than-truckload consolidation, cold storage, final-mile and pool distribution, brokerage, and dedicated contract carriage — supplemented by wholly-owned subsidiaries True Blue Warehousing (cold storage and final mile, Lake Alfred FL, launched 2023) and True Blue Supply Chain Management (brokerage, launched 2019).
Kottke serves food, produce, and consumer goods shippers across the Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and South/Southwest, with West and East Coast service under dedicated contracts. Named and aggregated customers include Butterball (turkey) and most major supermarket chains on the eastern half of the United States, serviced through a temperature-controlled LTL consolidation program running two-to-three times weekly. Technology consists of satellite tracking for real-time shipment visibility, EDI integration with customer systems, Samsara telematics, and 24/7 dispatcher support; the company reports 99.5%+ on-time pickup and delivery performance.
The business model is transaction-fee and managed-services based: per-load rates for truckload, LTL, final-mile, and brokerage; dedicated fleet contracts matched to specific customer requirements; and managed cold storage at the Lake Alfred facility. Owner operators receive 70% of gross haul plus fuel surcharges and trailer support, converting fixed labor cost into variable capacity. Go-to-market is sales-led through dedicated account managers, a Regional Sales Manager covering Midwest/Southeast/Florida, and a National Sales Manager, with a multi-channel digital presence (#BleedingBlue on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok) and philanthropic platforms (Trucks for Toys, Golf for a Cure) supporting brand presence in food-produce communities. The company is privately held under Kottke family ownership, with no external funding rounds or institutional investors recorded.
Kottke Trucking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kottke Trucking
- Legal name
- Kottke Trucking Inc.
- Website
- https://kottke-trucking.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1938
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kottke Trucking is a third-generation, family-owned truckload carrier founded in 1938, specializing in refrigerated and dry freight transportation, LTL consolidation, cold storage, and brokerage for food, produce, and CPG shippers across the Midwest, Southeast, and dedicated U.S. lanes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kottke Trucking industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Refrigerated Trucking / Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Truck Transportation (484), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refrigerated (Temp-Controlled) TL Carriers (TLADADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reefer Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) & Multi-Stop Distribution (TLADAHAB), Refrigerated (Chilled) Freight Forwarding (TLACAMAA)
Keywords
Where Kottke Trucking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Buffalo Lake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Kottke Trucking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Truckload Transportation: Full truckload dry and refrigerated transportation services focusing on Midwest and Southeast United States, specializing in food goods and produce.
- LTL (Less-Than-Truckload): Refrigerated LTL consolidation program for fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and juices, with cross-dock operations in Central Florida covering the eastern half of the country.
- Cold Storage / Warehousing: Cold storage services at True Blue Warehousing facility in Lake Alfred, FL with 16 dock doors and 20,000 sq. ft. of floor space, also assisting with troubled freight and final mile deliveries.
- Final Mile / Pool Distribution: Final mile delivery, pool distribution, consolidation and deconsolidation services, with fully staffed warehouse and local fleet.
- Brokerage: Sister company True Blue Supply Chain Management operates a fully licensed brokerage, partnering with hundreds of carriers to handle hard-to-cover lanes.
- Dedicated Services: Dedicated fleet services customized to specific customer needs, with fleet matched to exact requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Weekly | Owner Operator Compensation |
| Unit Pricing | Hourly | Local Minnesota Driver |
| Subscription | Weekly | Produce 5.5 Days Out Driver |
| Subscription | Annual | Regional Sales Manager |
| Unit Pricing | Hourly | Mechanic - Buffalo Lake |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kottke Trucking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kottke Trucking is a third-generation family-owned truckload carrier providing temperature-controlled (reefer) and dry freight transportation across the Midwest, Southeast, and Florida, with a fleet of 180+ over-the-road trucks and 300+ trailers. Integrated service lines include refrigerated truckload, LTL consolidation from a Central Florida cross-dock, cold storage at True Blue Warehousing, final mile/pool distribution, dedicated fleet solutions, and brokerage via sister company True Blue Supply Chain Management. The company specializes in food and produce transportation for supermarket chains, CPG manufacturers, and shippers requiring strict cold chain integrity.
Product overview
Kottke Trucking is a third-generation family-owned truckload carrier providing world-class logistics services. The company operates a unified platform of six core transportation services (Truckload, LTL, Cold Storage, Final Mile, Brokerage, and Dedicated) supplemented by True Blue Warehousing, a cold storage sub-brand. The portfolio is anchored by temperature-controlled (reefer) and dry freight capabilities, with proprietary satellite tracking for real-time shipment visibility. EDI capabilities enable seamless integration with customer systems. The company also offers reefer trailers for sale as an ancillary service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Truckload Services Over eight decades of dry and refrigerated truckload transportation services, focusing on Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States, handling food goods transportation. For shippers of food products and other commodities requiring full truckload capacity.
- LTL (Less-Than-Truckload)
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.5%+ on-time pickup & delivery rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kottke Trucking
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kottke Trucking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kottke Trucking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- True Blue Supply Chain ManagementcoreSister company of Kottke Trucking that operates a fully licensed brokerage operation. While technically a sister company under common ownership, it functions as a strategic extension of Kottke Trucking's service offerings, enabling the company to cover hard-to-service lanes by partnering with hundreds of carrier partners.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kottke Trucking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marten Transport: Marten Transport is a publicly traded refrigerated truckload and intermodal carrier with a similar reefer specialization, multi-service platform, and a long-tenured safety culture. Directly comparable to Kottke's refrigerated TL and LTL core.
- Stevens Transport: Family-owned refrigerated TL carrier (founded 1981) with similar dedicated and temperature-controlled services and a similar private, family-led operating model. Closest peer to Kottke on size, ownership structure, and reefer focus.
- Hirschbach Motor Lines: Refrigerated TL and dedicated carrier serving food shippers across the Midwest and Southeast. Comparable lane coverage, customer base, and dedicated fleet offering.
- Western Refrigerated Transportation: Refrigerated TL carrier with national lanes and dedicated services to food shippers. Directly comparable core product and customer set.
- Prime Inc. Privately held, family-owned multi-modal carrier with a significant refrigerated division and dedicated food-grade capacity. Similar in family ownership and reefer specialization.
- Heartland Express: Public TL carrier with a refrigerated subsidiary (Smith Transport) and a track record of tuck-in acquisitions — analogous to Kottke's Walbon and Wayne T. Fellows deals.
Broad incumbents
- Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest U.S. TL carrier with a significant refrigerated and LTL presence. Represents the scale competitor against which Kottke's regional density must compete for large national accounts.
- Schneider National: Diversified TL, intermodal, and logistics provider with a substantial dedicated and refrigerated segment. Comparable in dedicated and food shipper exposure but vastly larger.
- Werner Enterprises: Public TL carrier with dedicated, refrigerated, and logistics offerings. Comparable service mix but much larger scale and public-market discipline.
Others
- C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Largest U.S. 3PL and freight broker; Kottke was recognized as a Carrier of the Month by C.H. Robinson, illustrating it as both a counterpart and adjacent ecosystem participant to True Blue Supply Chain Management's brokerage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kottke Trucking social profiles
Digital presenceKottke Trucking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kottke Trucking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Kottke Trucking subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Kottke Trucking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kottke Trucking M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kottke Trucking
What does Kottke Trucking do?
Kottke Trucking is a third-generation family-owned truckload carrier providing temperature-controlled (reefer) and dry freight transportation across the Midwest, Southeast, and Florida, with a fleet of 180+ over-the-road trucks and 300+ trailers. Integrated service lines include refrigerated truckload, LTL consolidation from a Central Florida cross-dock, cold storage at True Blue Warehousing, final mile/pool distribution, dedicated fleet solutions, and brokerage via sister company True Blue Supply Chain Management. The company specializes in food and produce transportation for supermarket chains, CPG manufacturers, and shippers requiring strict cold chain integrity.
Is Kottke Trucking a public or private company?
Kottke Trucking is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Kottke Trucking founded?
Kottke Trucking was founded in 1938. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kottke Trucking based?
Kottke Trucking is headquartered in Buffalo Lake, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kottke Trucking make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Truckload Transportation is the primary driver. The others are LTL (Less-Than-Truckload), cold Storage / Warehousing, final Mile / Pool Distribution, brokerage and dedicated Services.
Who are Kottke Trucking's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marten Transport, Stevens Transport, Hirschbach Motor Lines, Western Refrigerated Transportation, Prime Inc. and Heartland Express. Broad incumbents are Knight-Swift Transportation, Schneider National and Werner Enterprises. C.H. Robinson Worldwide is listed as an others.
Does Kottke Trucking have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kottke Trucking.
What industry is Kottke Trucking in?
Kottke Trucking's product category is Refrigerated Trucking / Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADADAB, Refrigerated (Temp-Controlled) TL Carriers, with a secondary code of TLADAHAB, Reefer Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) & Multi-Stop Distribution. Its NAICS code is 4842 and its SIC code is 4213.