What Nebraska Salt & Grain does

Nebraska Salt & Grain (NSG Logistics) is a private commodity logistics and bulk material services company founded in 1975 in Gothenburg, Nebraska, now operating as a subsidiary of Instar Holdings. The company operates across six integrated service lines: transportation (dedicated and over-the-road trucking using hoppers, belt trailers, dry vans, tankers, flatbeds, pneumatics, end dumps, and truck & pup configurations for dry and liquid bulk hauling), transloading (rail-truck-vessel transfer at state-of-the-art facilities), grain handling and storage (2 million+ bushels of on-site capacity with full-service elevators and weigh scales), ice control products (white salt, Ice Slicer, feed salt), rock and aggregate, and dust control and soil stabilization. NSG serves state departments of transportation across 7 states (Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas), municipalities, construction contractors, commercial properties, and agricultural producers, with a strategic grain merchandising partnership with The Andersons.

The company's business model combines transaction-fee logistics services (transportation, transloading, grain handling) with hardware/product sales (ice control, aggregate, dust control chemicals). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with freight quotes routed through online contact forms and direct sales outreach. Geographic coverage spans 10 states concentrated in the Midwest and Texas, anchored by 5 terminal locations — the original Gothenburg, NE headquarters and four Texas sites (Cleburne, Fort Worth, Kress, Lubbock) — connected to major rail lines and highways for multi-modal transfer capability. A Southlake, TX executive office has been established to support the Texas operating hub. The company employs 51-100 people and uses a sales-led GTM motion supplemented by driver recruitment campaigns offering $3,000/$2,000 sign-on bonuses for owner-operators and company drivers respectively.

NSG has differentiated through 50 years of operational continuity, government contract incumbency (7 state DOTs), and integrated cross-selling across logistics, storage, and product supply lines. It competes on physical distribution advantage, regulatory incumbency, and Midwest brand heritage rather than technology, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, software platform, or digital product offering. The competitive moat is anchored by terminal infrastructure, DOT contract relationships, and the The Andersons grain partnership rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Nebraska Salt & Grain

Legal name

Nebraska Salt & Grain

Website

https://nsgco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nebraska Salt & Grain is a private Midwest commodity logistics company founded in 1975, providing transportation, transloading, grain storage, ice control products, aggregate, and dust control services across 10 states via 5 terminals, serving state DOTs, agricultural producers, construction contractors, and commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bulk Commodity Logistics

NAICS

Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130), General Warehousing and Storage (493110), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail-Served Bulk Grain Terminals & Transload Warehouses (AFAOACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD), Inland River/Barge Grain Terminals & Warehousing (AFAOACAE)

Keywords

• Bulk commodity logistics
• Transloading services
• Ice control products
• Aggregate supply
• Grain storage handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Southlake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transportation & Logistics Services: Revenue generated from dedicated and over-the-road trucking across the Midwest, Central US, and Texas. Services include hoppers, belt trailers, dry vans, tankers, flatbeds, pneumatics, end dumps, and truck & pup. Dry bulk hauling (grain, agricultural products, salt, aggregate, sand, cement) and liquid bulk hauling (fertilizers, tallow, agricultural oils).
2. Transloading Services: Fees for seamless transfer of materials between rail, truck, and vessel at state-of-the-art facilities for agricultural products, dry bulk, liquid bulk, and plastics.
3. Product Sales: Sale of ice control products (white salt, Ice Slicer, feed salt), rock and aggregate (concrete mixes, asphalt rock, decorative products), and dust control products (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, lignin sulfonate, synthetic polymers).
4. Grain Storage & Handling: Integrated grain handling and storage solutions with 2 million+ bushels of on-site storage capacity. Full-service elevators and weigh scales for grain merchandising.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nebraska Salt & Grain (operating as NSG Logistics) is a Midwest bulk commodity logistics provider offering dedicated trucking, multi-modal transloading, grain storage and merchandising, and direct sale of ice control, rock/aggregate, and dust control products. The company integrates six service lines from five terminals across Nebraska and Texas, supplying state departments of transportation, municipalities, contractors, agricultural producers, and commercial properties.

Product overview

NSG Logistics offers six integrated service lines as a unified logistics platform: Transportation (dedicated trucking with specialized trailer fleet), Transloading (rail-truck-vessel transfer), Grain & Storage (2M+ bushel capacity with The Andersons partnership), Ice Control & Salt (DOT-contracted deicing products), Rock & Aggregate (construction materials), and Dust Control & Stabilization (soil and dust suppression). These services are designed to work together as a comprehensive commodity logistics solution for the agricultural and industrial core of the central United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Services Dedicated and over-the-road trucking across the Midwest, Central US, and Texas, using hoppers, belt trailers, dry vans, tankers, flatbeds, pneumatics, end dumps, and truck & pup trailers for dry bulk (grain, agricultural products, salt, aggregate, sand, cement) and liquid bulk (fertilizers, tallow, agricultural oils) hauling. Sold to shippers requiring dedicated freight service and bulk haulage.
• Transloading Services Seamless transfer of materials between rail, truck, and vessel at state-of-the-art terminals connected to major rail lines and highways, handling agricultural products, dry bulk, liquid bulk, and plastics. Sold to agricultural producers, manufacturers, and logistics companies requiring multi-modal transfer.
• Grain & Storage Services Integrated grain handling and storage with 2 million+ bushels of on-site storage capacity, full-service elevators, and weigh scales, backed by a strategic grain partnership with The Andersons for grain merchandising. Sold to farmers, grain elevators, and grain operations across the Midwest.
• Ice Control & Salt Products Ice control products including white salt (highway-grade coarse salt meeting ASTM specifications), Ice Slicer (a fast-acting deicing compound at least 20% less corrosive than white salt), and feed salt for animal nutrition. Sold to state highway departments, municipalities, and commercial properties with bulk, bag, or supersack delivery options.
• Rock & Aggregate Products Concrete mixes, asphalt rock, and decorative aggregate products supplied to communities and contractors across Central Nebraska, meeting state highway specifications. Sold to construction contractors and public agencies.
• Dust Control & Soil Stabilization Products Specialized dust control and soil stabilization products including calcium chloride solution, magnesium chloride solution, lignin sulfonate, and synthetic polymer-based solutions, applied to construction sites, agricultural haul roads, and municipal areas to suppress dust and stabilize soil. Sold to contractors, agricultural operators, and municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 million+ bushels of on-site storage capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The AndersonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic grain partnership with The Andersons ensures high-quality grain merchandising. NSG provides integrated grain handling with 2 million+ bushels of on-site storage while The Andersons provides grain merchandising expertise and market access.
• Hutchinson Salt CompanyminorOthersSalt supplier for white salt products. Hutchinson Salt Company provides highway-grade coarse salt (3/8" and smaller) meeting or exceeding ASTM specifications for particle size and purity.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Integrated global agribusiness handling grain origination, storage, transportation, and merchandising across North America. Comparable to NSG's grain handling business but at vastly greater scale and with broader end-to-end supply chain capabilities.
• Lineage Logistics: Global temperature-controlled and warehouse storage provider with significant North American warehousing infrastructure. Comparable as a warehouse/storage operator but far larger in scale and scope than NSG's terminal footprint.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: One of the largest North American trucking operators with broad asset-based and non-asset logistics services across refrigerated, dry van, flatbed, and bulk. Comparable diversified trucking and logistics platform competing for dedicated freight contracts NSG also serves.
• Martin Marietta Materials: Large-scale producer of aggregates (crushed stone, sand, gravel) and cement serving construction and infrastructure customers. Comparable to NSG's rock and aggregate product line serving Central Nebraska contractors and DOTs, but at substantially greater scale.
• Bunge Global: Global agribusiness and grain merchandiser with North American grain origination, storage, and transportation operations. Comparable counterpart for NSG's grain merchandising partnership activities at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Heartland Express: Over-the-road trucking carrier headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa with exposure to Midwest freight lanes and dedicated transportation services. Closely comparable regional Midwest trucking operations.
• Werner Enterprises: Omaha, Nebraska-based trucking and logistics provider operating dry van, dedicated, and logistics services across North America. Most directly comparable to NSG given the overlapping Midwest geographic footprint and similar dry bulk hauling capabilities.
• Compass Minerals: Producer of deicing products (e.g., FreezGard, IceStop) and highway maintenance chemicals serving state DOTs and municipalities. Direct comparable to NSG's ice control product line and DOT customer base.
• The Andersons: Maumee, Ohio-based agribusiness engaged in grain merchandising, storage, and commodity logistics; NSG's strategic grain partner and a directly comparable counterpart for grain handling, merchandising, and origination services.

Emerging players

• GATX Corporation: Railcar leasing company that also invests in terminal and transloading infrastructure. Comparable to NSG's transloading operations and rail-connected terminals, though primarily a rail asset lessor rather than a full-service commodity logistics provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Nebraska Salt & Grain