Brothers Express
Brothers Express Inc. is a privately held, family-owned trucking and logistics company founded in 1979 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, operating approximately 50 trucks and 75 trailers to provide dry van, refrigerated, LTL, expediting, dedicated, hazmat, and brokerage freight services to industrial and manufacturing shippers across the Midwest and North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersFort Wayne, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brothers Express does
Brothers Express Inc. is a privately held, family-owned trucking and logistics company founded in 1979 and headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a secondary operating terminal in Indianapolis. The company operates a fleet of approximately 50 tractors and 75 trailers and delivers asset-based freight services — dry van and refrigerated truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), expediting, dedicated/milk-run, and hazardous-materials transportation — primarily to industrial, manufacturing, distribution, and retail shippers across the Midwest and broader North America (Continental US, Canada, and Mexico). Coverage into Canada and Mexico is delivered in part through a brokerage arm, Brothers Logistical Services, which coordinates partner carriers, allowing asset-light extension of footprint without owned-fleet capital expenditure.
The service portfolio is organized around three core products (LTL, Truckload, Brokerage) and three specialized add-ons (Expediting, Milk Run/Dedicated, Hazmat). Equipment is serviced through a NationaLease maintenance affiliate providing localized servicing and single-source dispatch. The company's operating technology is described as a transportation management and logistics operations platform supporting dry van, refrigerated, and hazmat freight; no proprietary AI/ML, digital broker platform, or app-based customer tooling is disclosed, and customer engagement is conducted via phone, rate-quote forms, and downloadable shipping documents on the company website.
Brothers Express generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on truckload, LTL, brokerage, expedited, and hazmat shipments, with a contract-fee model applied to dedicated/milk-run services. Pricing is quote-based with no publicly disclosed rate cards. The go-to-market motion is direct sales and inside sales to mid-market shippers in the Fort Wayne/Indianapolis corridor and broader Midwest, supplemented by a partner-carrier network for out-of-region and cross-border capacity. Insurance coverage of $100,000 cargo and $1,000,000 liability is standard. The company has been operating under a stated 'measured growth philosophy' and shows no history of external equity investment, recent M&A beyond the 1994 acquisition of sibling carrier Parrish Carriage, or aggressive headcount expansion.
Brothers Express firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brothers Express
- Legal name
- Brothers Express Inc.
- Website
- https://brothersexpress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Brothers Express Inc. is a privately held, family-owned trucking and logistics company founded in 1979 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, operating approximately 50 trucks and 75 trailers to provide dry van, refrigerated, LTL, expediting, dedicated, hazmat, and brokerage freight services to industrial and manufacturing shippers across the Midwest and North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brothers Express industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trucking Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423)
- SIC
- Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Truckload (TL) Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal) (TLAIANAA), Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAC)
Keywords
Where Brothers Express is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Wayne
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Brothers Express business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Truckload Transportation Services: Core trucking revenue from transporting freight via owned fleet of approximately 50 units and 75 trailers. Services include dry van and refrigerated equipment for full truckload shipments across the Midwest and North America. Revenue generated through hourly pay, mileage pay, stop pay, delay pay, and layover pay structures.
- Brokerage Services: Third-party logistics services provided through Brothers Logistical Services, coordinating transportation of general commodities using reliable partner carriers throughout Continental US, Canada, and Mexico. Revenue generated from brokering freight with margin on carrier rates.
- Dedicated/Contract Carrier Services: Contract or dedicated services for customers with frequent shipments in close geographical areas. Customized programs tailored to reduce shipping costs and time through milk run and dedicated runs.
- Expediting Services: Expedited same-day and 24-hour delivery services across various equipment types from small packages to full truckloads. Revenue generated per shipment with competitive rates based on equipment type and urgency.
- Hazmat Transportation Services: Transportation of hazardous materials including Class 3 (flammable liquids), Division 4.2/4.3, Division 5.1/5.2, Class 8 (corrosive), Class 9, and other regulated materials. Specialized revenue stream with premium pricing for hazmat certification compliance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quote-based pricing for transportation services |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Brokerage coordination fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Brothers Express product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brothers Express is a family-owned trucking company that transports general commodities across North America using an owned fleet of approximately 50 trucks and 75 trailers (dry van and refrigerated), supplemented by partner-carrier capacity through its brokerage arm, Brothers Logistical Services. Its service portfolio spans full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), expedited 24-hour delivery, dedicated/milk-run routes, and hazmat transportation covering multiple DOT hazard classes.
Product overview
Brothers Express is a family-owned trucking and logistics company established in 1979, offering a single integrated service platform that combines Less Than Truckload (LTL), Truckload Services, and Brokerage Services (through Brothers Logistical Services). The core offering includes dry van and refrigerated transportation across the Midwest and North America, supplemented by specialized add-on services including Expediting Services for time-sensitive deliveries, Milk Run/Dedicated Services for contract routes, and Hazmat Services for hazardous material transport. The company operates approximately 50 units and 75 trailers from terminals in Indianapolis, IN and Fort Wayne, IN.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Truckload Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Companies can avoid high fleet ownership costs while maintaining control of product delivery through personalized service
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Brothers Express
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Brothers Express technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Brothers Express partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Parrish Leasing, Inc.minor
- NationaLeasecore
- Partner Carriers (Brokerage Network)core
- Aberdeen Expressminor
- Chicago Suburban Expressminor
- Commercial Warehouse & Cartage, Inc.minor
- Polaris Transportation Groupminor
- Southwestern Motor Transportminor
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Brothers Express competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Schneider National: Large asset-based truckload, intermodal, and logistics company with dedicated and brokerage services. Operates a much larger fleet but offers an overlapping service portfolio including dedicated contract carriage and hazmat transportation.
- C.H. Robinson Worldwide: One of the largest North American 3PLs and freight brokers with truckload, LTL, and intermodal brokerage services. Operates at vastly greater scale than Brothers Express but is directly comparable in offering asset-light freight arrangement alongside asset-based services.
- Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest truckload carrier in North America with TL, LTL, intermodal, and brokerage services. Broader incumbent offering an overlapping product set with significantly greater scale across the same customer segments.
- Werner Enterprises: National truckload carrier with dedicated, brokerage (Werner Logistics), and final-mile services. Comparable in combining owned trucking operations with dedicated contract services and freight brokerage.
Direct peers
- Hub Group: Asset-light intermodal and logistics services company with truckload brokerage, dedicated, and final mile services. Direct comparable in combining owned equipment with brokerage and dedicated contract services for North American shippers.
- Landstar System: Asset-light freight transportation provider and freight broker with a BCO (business capacity owner) agent network. Comparable to Brothers Express in offering truckload, expedited, and hazmat services through a mix of owner-operator and partner-carrier capacity.
- STG Logistics: Asset-based intermodal and containerized freight services company with drayage, truckload, and warehousing. Similar mid-sized carrier profile with multi-modal capability and asset-light expansion.
- ArcBest: Multimodal logistics provider combining LTL (ABF Freight) with asset-light truckload brokerage, expedited, and dedicated services. Closely mirrors Brothers Express' mix of LTL, TL, brokerage, and specialized services for industrial shippers.
- Averitt Express: Privately held, family-influenced transportation and logistics provider offering LTL, truckload, dedicated, and expedited services. Strongly comparable family-owned model with overlapping service mix for industrial and manufacturing customers.
- Echo Global Logistics: Technology-enabled freight brokerage with truckload, LTL, and expedited services across North America. Comparable asset-light brokerage business model serving similar mid-market shipper base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Brothers Express social profiles
Digital presenceBrothers Express financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brothers Express leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Brothers Express funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brothers Express 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 Brothers Express
What does Brothers Express do?
Brothers Express is a family-owned trucking company that transports general commodities across North America using an owned fleet of approximately 50 trucks and 75 trailers (dry van and refrigerated), supplemented by partner-carrier capacity through its brokerage arm, Brothers Logistical Services. Its service portfolio spans full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), expedited 24-hour delivery, dedicated/milk-run routes, and hazmat transportation covering multiple DOT hazard classes.
Is Brothers Express a public or private company?
Brothers Express is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Brothers Express founded?
Brothers Express was founded in 1979. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Brothers Express based?
Brothers Express is headquartered in Fort Wayne, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brothers Express make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Truckload Transportation Services are the primary driver. The others are brokerage Services, dedicated/Contract Carrier Services, expediting Services and hazmat Transportation Services.
Who are Brothers Express's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Schneider National, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Knight-Swift Transportation and Werner Enterprises. Direct peers are Hub Group, Landstar System, STG Logistics, ArcBest, Averitt Express and Echo Global Logistics.
Does Brothers Express have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brothers Express.
What industry is Brothers Express in?
Brothers Express's product category is Trucking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAMAB, Truckload (TL) Freight Brokerage, with a secondary code of TLAIANAA, Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4210.