Pemberton Truck Lines

What Pemberton Truck Lines does

Pemberton Truck Lines, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned common and contract truckload carrier founded in 1982 and headquartered at 2530 Mitchell Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. The company operates as an asset-based regional transportation provider, generating revenue through per-shipment fees charged to shippers under either common-carrier terms or negotiated contract rates. Its service platform is organized into four pillars: local last-mile delivery, regional transportation, turnkey yard management, and freight brokerage that gives customers access to a broader carrier network beyond Pemberton's owned fleet. The company also runs a structured driver-recruitment operation with separate tracks for company drivers, team drivers, and owner-operators.

The customer base is weighted toward enterprise shippers, with publicly named logos spanning retail (Academy Sports + Outdoors, Five Below, PetSmart), logistics (CoLinx), specialty manufacturing (Carlex Glass for automotive glass), and government (the State of Tennessee). Sales motion is direct and relationship-driven, supported by a company website, phone-based outreach, and an integrated online driver-application portal; there is no public rate card, pricing is quote-based, and revenue is earned through service delivery rather than product sales. The company reports no subsidiaries, no external funding, no acquisitions, and no publicly disclosed revenue.

Name

Pemberton Truck Lines

Legal name

Pemberton Truck Lines, Inc.

Website

https://ptlapp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pemberton Truck Lines is a privately held, family-owned common and contract truckload carrier based in Knoxville, Tennessee, founded in 1982. It provides local delivery, regional transportation, yard management, and brokerage services to enterprise and government customers in the Southeast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trucking and Logistics Services

NAICS

General Freight Trucking (4841), General Freight Trucking, Local (48411), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Manufacturing Parts Run / Line-Run Courier (TLAAAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal) (TLAIANAA)

Keywords

• Truckload transportation
• Freight brokerage
• Yard management
• Regional trucking
• Last-mile delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: Pemberton Truck Lines generates revenue through providing truckload transportation services including local last-mile delivery, regional transportation, yard management solutions, and freight brokerage. As a common and contract carrier, they charge for transportation services based on contracted rates or negotiated pricing for specific shipments. Revenue is earned through service delivery rather than product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pemberton Truck Lines is a privately held common and contract truckload carrier providing four core logistics solutions: local last-mile delivery, regional transportation, yard management, and freight brokerage. The company operates a company-owned truck fleet out of Knoxville, Tennessee, supplemented by a brokerage network connecting customers with third-party carriers for flexible shipping needs.

Product overview

Pemberton Truck Lines is a privately held common and contract truckload carrier offering a unified logistics service platform. The core offering comprises four logistics solutions: Local delivery, Regional transportation, Yard Management, and Brokerage services. In addition, the company provides three driver employment categories: Company Drivers, Team Drivers, and Owner-Operators. The services work together to provide end-to-end transportation solutions from last-mile urban delivery to regional hauls, with yard management optimization and access to a carrier network for flexible shipping needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Delivery Services Dependable last-mile delivery solutions navigating urban areas with precision; offered to enterprise shippers needing local freight transport.

Named customers6 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

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Averitt Express: Regional asset-based LTL and truckload carrier serving the Southeast U.S. with brokerage and dedicated services. Highly comparable to Pemberton in service mix (local/regional/transportation/brokerage), customer type (retail and industrial), and mid-sized privately-held operating model.
• R+L Carriers: Privately-held multi-modal carrier offering regional truckload, LTL, and logistics services across the U.S. Comparable service mix and private/family-owned structure, serving similar retail and industrial customer segments as Pemberton.
• Marten Transport: Mid-sized public truckload carrier with temperature-controlled, dry van, and brokerage services. Comparable to Pemberton on asset-based truckload and brokerage, similar customer base in retail/industrial, and similar Southeast operating regions.
• Heartland Express: Public truckload carrier with regional and irregular route operations serving similar customer segments. Comparable business model focused on asset-based truckload with operations in the Southeast U.S.

Broad incumbents

• Knight-Swift Transportation: One of the largest U.S. truckload carriers operating nationwide with extensive LTL, intermodal, and logistics services. Competes with Pemberton for regional truckload lanes and enterprise retail customers but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Werner Enterprises: Large publicly-traded truckload carrier with dedicated, one-way, and logistics/brokerage services across North America. Overlaps with Pemberton on truckload and brokerage offerings and competes for similar retail and industrial customers.
• Schneider National: National truckload, intermodal, and logistics provider with significant dedicated and brokerage operations. Comparable to Pemberton on truckload transportation and brokerage, but operates at much larger scale with broader geographic coverage.
• C.H. Robinson: Largest U.S. third-party logistics and freight brokerage provider with a global carrier network. Directly comparable to Pemberton's brokerage arm and competes for the same enterprise shipper freight, though operating at vastly greater scale and with proprietary digital tools.
• ArcBest: Public transportation and logistics company with LTL (ABF Freight) and asset-light brokerage/managed transportation. Competes with Pemberton for enterprise retail and industrial freight and offers overlapping brokerage capabilities.

Regional players

• Southeastern Freight Lines: Privately-held regional LTL carrier headquartered in the Southeast U.S. serving retail and industrial customers. Comparable in regional Southeast focus and private ownership, though focused on LTL rather than truckload.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pemberton-truck-lines-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Pemberton Truck Lines