Honolulu Freight Service
Honolulu Freight Service is a family-owned freight forwarder, founded in 1936, that provides multi-modal ocean, trucking, and warehousing services between U.S. West Coast terminals and the Hawaiian Islands for construction, retail, military, hospitality, and food/grocery customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Honolulu Freight Service does
Honolulu Freight Service (HFS) is a family-owned and operated freight forwarding company founded in 1936 by Paul Beidleman, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with primary operations in Honolulu, Hawaii. The company is self-described as Hawaii's largest freight forwarder, providing multi-modal transportation services between the U.S. West Coast and the Hawaiian Islands, plus onward to Guam, Saipan, and Micronesia via its sister company Guam Freight Service. HFS operates five West Coast terminals (Honolulu, Los Angeles/Montebello, Oakland/San Leandro, Portland, and Tacoma) and a wholly-owned Xpress Trucking division providing asset-based local trucking on Oahu and Maui, including inter-island air service.
The company's core product portfolio spans less-than-container-load (LCL) and full-container-load (FCL) ocean freight, refrigerated (reefer) service, inter-island barge forwarding, oversize cargo handling, cargo consolidation, flat rack loading and banding, short-term warehousing (60,000 sq ft in Honolulu and ~50,000 sq ft in Oakland), and a 24/7 web-based Freight Tracker for shipment visibility. HFS coordinates with ocean carrier partners (Matson, Pasha, Sause Bros.) for Hawaii routes, Young Brothers for inter-island barge service, and a network of mainland drayage and neighbor-island trucking partners. The technology stack is largely operational: the proprietary Freight Tracker provides shipment telemetry, while back-office functions run on standard SaaS tools (JotForm, Paylocity, UnitedTranzActions).
HFS generates revenue on a transaction-fee basis across five identified streams: ocean freight forwarding (LCL/FCL charged by cubic foot or weight), trucking and pickup/delivery, warehousing, refrigerated service, and pass-through fuel/surcharges from ocean carriers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company serves five primary verticals — construction, retail, military/government, hospitality, and food/grocery — plus specialty cargo. Go-to-market combines field sales representatives at each terminal, inside sales via online quote/pickup forms (2-hour response SLA), and inbound traffic driven by trade shows, content marketing, and community engagement. HFS markets itself on family ownership continuity, end-to-end single-bill-of-lading convenience, owned Oahu trucking, and a near-90-year operating history.
Honolulu Freight Service firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Honolulu Freight Service
- Legal name
- Honolulu Freight Service
- Website
- https://honolulufreightservice.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Honolulu Freight Service is a family-owned freight forwarder, founded in 1936, that provides multi-modal ocean, trucking, and warehousing services between U.S. West Coast terminals and the Hawaiian Islands for construction, retail, military, hospitality, and food/grocery customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Honolulu Freight Service industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Forwarding Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)
- akta.pro primary industry
- FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation (TLACABAB), Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery) (TLAHALAB)
Keywords
Where Honolulu Freight Service is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Honolulu Freight Service business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Ocean Freight Forwarding: HFS provides ocean transport services between U.S. West Coast ports and Hawaiian Islands. Revenue is generated through ocean freight charges, including container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) services, with rates based on cubic feet or weight.
- Trucking and Pickup/Delivery: Local trucking services for pickup from anywhere in the United States and delivery to final destinations. HFS owns and operates Oahu trucking operations and has Xpress Trucking division for local trucking on Oahu and Maui.
- Warehousing Services: Short-term warehousing services at multiple terminal locations, including 60,000 sq ft at Honolulu terminal and near 50,000 sq ft at Oakland terminal.
- Refrigerated Services: Refrigerated pickup and delivery from U.S. West Coast port areas to Hawaii for temperature-sensitive cargo.
- Fuel and Surcharges: Pass-through charges for fuel surcharges implemented by ocean carriers (Matson, Pasha) and state harbor fees, which HFS adjusts pricing to reflect.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based pricing for all freight services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Honolulu Freight Service product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Honolulu Freight Service is a multi-modal freight forwarder providing ocean transport and comprehensive pickup and delivery services between the U.S. mainland and the Hawaiian Islands. The company offers less-than-container load (LCL) and full container load (FCL) shipping, refrigerated service, inter-island freight, oversize cargo handling, cargo consolidation, flat rack loading and banding, short-term warehousing, and local trucking on Oahu and Maui through its Xpress Trucking division. Customers receive a single bill of lading covering door-to-door logistics supported by 24/7 web-based freight tracking.
Product overview
Honolulu Freight Service is a multi-modal freight forwarder providing ocean transport and comprehensive pickup and delivery services between the North American continent and the Hawaiian Islands. The company operates both a core freight forwarding portfolio (LCL, FCL, Refrigerated, Inter-Island, Oversize Cargo, Cargo Consolidation, Flat Rack Loading, Warehousing, and Eastbound Service) alongside subsidiary operations (Xpress Trucking for local trucking and Guam Freight Service for Pacific territories). The flagship offering is seamless door-to-door transportation utilizing the company's own rolling stock, partner transportation providers, and five West Coast terminal locations, supplemented by real-time web-based freight tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Xpress Trucking: A division of Honolulu Freight Service providing local trucking on Oahu and Maui islands, with trucks, equipment, and terminal locations. Also offers Inter-Island air service.
Products and services
- Less than Container Load (LCL) Less-than-container load shipping service for cargo that does not require a full container, allowing shippers to share container space and reduce costs. Customers include businesses with smaller recurring shipments from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii.
- Full Container Load Service (FCL) Full container load shipping service for shippers needing exclusive use of an entire 20', 40', or 45' container for their cargo moving between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii.
- Refrigerated Service
- Inter-Island Service Freight forwarding service between Hawaiian Islands using the Young Brothers barge service, with consolidation into secured closed containers for neighbor island delivery.
- Oversize Cargo Specialized handling and transportation of oversized cargo that exceeds standard container dimensions, used by construction, industrial, and project cargo customers.
- Cargo Consolidation Program Program that pools shipments from multiple shippers into consolidated containers to optimize shipping costs and efficiency for customers without sufficient volume to fill a full container.
- Flat Rack Loading and Banding Loading and securing services for cargo on flat rack containers, including banding and securing of irregularly shaped items that cannot fit in standard enclosed containers.
- HFS Local Trucking Local trucking and pickup/delivery services on Oahu with company-owned trucking operations and terminals, providing door-to-port and port-to-door service for ocean freight customers.
- Warehousing Short-term warehousing services at HFS terminal facilities, including 60,000 sq ft of warehouse space at the Honolulu terminal with 20 dock doors, used for cargo consolidation and staging between ocean and trucking legs.
- Eastbound Service
- Xpress Trucking Asset-based local trucking division of HFS providing island-wide trucking on Oahu and Maui with trucks, equipment, and terminal locations, and offering inter-island air service. Acquired by HFS in May 2022.
Companies that use Honolulu Freight Service
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Honolulu Freight Service technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Honolulu Freight Service partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Xpress TruckingcoreXpress Trucking is a division of Honolulu Freight Service providing local trucking on the islands of Oahu & Maui. Asset-based with trucks, equipment, and terminal locations. Also offers Inter-Island air service. Acquired by HFS in May 2022.
- Inter-City DeliveryminorFounded in 1965, servicing ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles via their 5-acre secured facility.
- United DrayageminorFamily-owned company now in its second generation. 70 years of service. Grown into a medium-sized drayage company.
- Allstate Transport, Inc.minorContainer drayage company serving Washington State, located in Seattle, Washington. Fleet of 15 trucks consisting of both company-owned vehicles and owner-operated vehicles.
- MatsoncorePrimary ocean carrier partner for Hawaii service routes. One of the major steamship lines serving Hawaii.
- PashacoreOcean carrier partner for Hawaii service routes. Horizon Lines Hawaii business acquired by Pasha Group in 2015.
- Sause Bros.minorHawaii common carrier partner for ocean transportation services.
- Young BrotherscoreHawaii's inter-island barge service. HFS consolidates into secured closed containers and delivers to Young Brothers for neighbor island freight.
- Kona TransminorNeighbor island trucking partner serving Kona, Hawaii.
- Tri IsleminorNeighbor island trucking partner serving Maui and surrounding islands.
- Aloha Isle MovingminorNeighbor island partner for moving and relocation services.
- DACA (Distributors and Consolidators of America)minorLong-standing member of DACA, a selective club of regional freight carriers. Founded November 17, 1971. Members must be voted in and meet certain criteria.
- Guam Freight ServicecoreSister company of Honolulu Freight Service. Offers reliable and consistent ocean freight forwarding to Guam, Saipan, and Micronesia.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Honolulu Freight Service competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Matson Navigation Company: Matson is the primary ocean carrier partner for HFS's Hawaii service routes and a major Pacific steamship line. While technically a partner/supplier rather than a direct competitor, Matson also offers freight forwarding-adjacent logistics services and could represent vertical integration risk for HFS.
Broad incumbents
- Expeditors International: Expeditors is a publicly traded global logistics company with air and ocean freight forwarding services worldwide, including Pacific routes. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the freight forwarding industry but operating at vastly greater scale than HFS.
- Kuehne + Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders with global ocean, air, and contract logistics capabilities, including service to Hawaii. Comparable as a broad incumbent forwarder that competes on the same lanes but with much larger scale, technology, and customer reach than HFS.
- DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding is one of the world's largest ocean and air freight forwarders with global coverage, including Pacific lanes. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering similar LCL/FCL and multi-modal forwarding but at a vastly larger scale and with global network effects.
Direct peers
- Lynden Inc. Lynden is a multi-modal logistics company with asset-based ocean, air, trucking, and barge services serving Alaska, Hawaii, and other Pacific markets. Comparable asset-based regional forwarder with similar terminal and trucking ownership model and Pacific island focus.
- Pacific Transfer LLC: Pacific Transfer is a Hawaii-based freight forwarder and LCL consolidator providing ocean and inter-island services between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. It directly competes with HFS in LCL consolidation and container freight on the same West Coast–Hawaii lane.
- Aloha Cargo Transport: Aloha Cargo is a Hawaii freight forwarding company providing ocean and trucking services to Hawaiian businesses, with similar customer verticals (retail, hospitality, food). Comparable mid-sized regional forwarder competing for the same Hawaii shipper base as HFS.
- Pasha Hawaii (The Pasha Group): Pasha Hawaii operates the second major ocean liner service between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii and offers integrated freight forwarding, trucking, and logistics services — directly comparable to HFS on the same trade lane. While HFS is a freight forwarder and Pasha is a carrier+logistics provider, both compete for Hawaii shipper relationships and asset-based scale.
Emerging players
- Sentry Logistics Solutions: Sentry Logistics is a regional freight forwarder providing LCL/FCL and intermodal services across U.S. domestic and select international lanes. Comparable as an emerging player in the LCL consolidation and trucking-integrated forwarding space, though smaller and less Hawaii-focused than HFS.
Regional players
- Young Brothers Limited: Young Brothers operates Hawaii's inter-island barge service and is HFS's partner for neighbor-island freight. Comparable as a Hawaii-focused logistics provider with island-specific assets, though it specializes in inter-island barge rather than mainland–Hawaii ocean forwarding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Honolulu Freight Service social profiles
Digital presenceHonolulu Freight Service financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Honolulu Freight Service leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Honolulu Freight Service subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Honolulu Freight Service funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Honolulu Freight Service M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Honolulu Freight Service
What does Honolulu Freight Service do?
Honolulu Freight Service is a multi-modal freight forwarder providing ocean transport and comprehensive pickup and delivery services between the U.S. mainland and the Hawaiian Islands. The company offers less-than-container load (LCL) and full container load (FCL) shipping, refrigerated service, inter-island freight, oversize cargo handling, cargo consolidation, flat rack loading and banding, short-term warehousing, and local trucking on Oahu and Maui through its Xpress Trucking division. Customers receive a single bill of lading covering door-to-door logistics supported by 24/7 web-based freight tracking.
Is Honolulu Freight Service a public or private company?
Honolulu Freight Service is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Honolulu Freight Service founded?
Honolulu Freight Service was founded in 1936. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Honolulu Freight Service based?
Honolulu Freight Service is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Honolulu Freight Service make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ocean Freight Forwarding is the primary driver. The others are trucking and Pickup/Delivery, warehousing Services, refrigerated Services and fuel and Surcharges.
Who are Honolulu Freight Service's main competitors?
Matson Navigation Company is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Expeditors International, Kuehne + Nagel and DHL Global Forwarding. Direct peers are Lynden Inc., Pacific Transfer LLC, Aloha Cargo Transport and Pasha Hawaii (The Pasha Group). Sentry Logistics Solutions is listed as an emerging player. Young Brothers Limited is listed as a regional player.
Does Honolulu Freight Service have an API?
No public API is recorded for Honolulu Freight Service.
What industry is Honolulu Freight Service in?
Honolulu Freight Service's product category is Freight Forwarding Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACABAA, FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding, with a secondary code of TLACABAB, LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation. Its NAICS code is 48851 and its SIC code is 4731.