Central Transportation Services

What Central Transportation Services does

Central Transportation Services (CTS), founded in 1987 by Steve Cullins in Wichita, Kansas, is a family-owned dry bulk transportation and logistics provider operating across the lower 48 states and Canada. The business is run as CTS Transportation LLC through two integrated divisions: CTS Transportation, which provides asset-based pneumatic, hopper, belt-trailer, and end-dump trucking with computer tracking for on-time delivery, and CTS Logistics, which runs a brokerage and preferred-carrier network offering load matching, expediting, transportation-needs evaluation, and rail connection services. CTS extends beyond trucking into adjacent supply chain services including transloading, blending, portable vacuum equipment operations, dry bulk storage exceeding 9,000 tons, and company-owned railcars plus rail sidings at Wichita, KS and Batesville, AR.

The product set is concentrated on dry bulk commodities — soda ash, clay, salt, feed, cement, sand, fly ash, lime, calcium, and catalysts — for industrial shippers and consignees. Core technology consists of a proprietary computer tracking system for shipment visibility and the Transflo electronic logging and dispatch platform, supplemented by the physical infrastructure of company-owned rail assets, dry bulk storage, and handling equipment. There is no disclosed artificial intelligence, machine learning, or advanced data product in the offering.

CTS monetizes through transaction-fee pricing on trucking lanes and brokerage loads, recurring storage fees, and professional-services revenue from transloading and blending. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based: customers initiate engagements via dedicated toll-free lines, online rate quote forms, or fax, with repeat business driven by multi-decade relationships (the company's founding customer still moves 20-30 loads per day with CTS). The company is bootstrapped with no external investors, and leadership remains concentrated in the Cullins family across marketing/sales/logistics, operations, and safety/compliance/HR functions, supported by an experienced non-family workforce with 10-30+ years of tenure.

Name

Central Transportation Services

Legal name

CTS Transportation LLC

Website

https://ctsco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Transportation Services is a family-owned, Wichita, KS-based dry bulk carrier and broker operating across the lower 48 states and Canada through CTS Transportation (asset-based pneumatic, hopper, and end-dump trucking) and CTS Logistics (brokerage, storage, transloading, blending, and rail access) for industrial shippers of commodities such as soda ash, cement, salt, and fly ash.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dry Bulk Trucking and Logistics Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Bulk (Hopper/Pneumatic) TL Carriers (TLADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN)

Keywords

• Dry bulk trucking
• Pneumatic trucking
• Freight brokerage
• Bulk transloading
• Warehousing storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pneumatic Dry Bulk Trucking: Primary revenue stream from transporting dry bulk commodities using pneumatic trailers, hopper trailers, belt trailers, and end dumps. Services regional (8-10 states) and long haul routes to lower 48 states.
2. Brokerage/Logistics Services: CTS Logistics division provides carrier matching, load coordination, and supply chain optimization services to shippers. Revenue generated through brokerage commissions on arranged shipments.
3. Storage and Warehousing: Over 9,000 tons of dry bulk storage capacity available. Revenue from storage fees for customers requiring temporary inventory holding.
4. Transloading and Handling Services: Blending, transloading, and portable vacuum equipment services for cargo handling during supply chain transitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CTS Transportation operates pneumatic, hopper, belt trailer, and end dump trucking to move dry bulk commodities regionally (8-10 states) and long haul across the lower 48 states. CTS Logistics, the brokerage arm, arranges carrier capacity for shippers and consignees, while the company also provides dry bulk storage (over 9,000 tons), transloading, blending, and rail access through company-owned railcars and sidings.

Product overview

CTS operates two divisions under a unified platform: CTS Transportation (pneumatic dry bulk trucking with regional and long haul services) and CTS Logistics (brokerage and carrier network management). The company provides an integrated suite of dry bulk transportation services including trucking, brokerage, transloading, blending, storage, and rail access. Services are delivered through company-owned equipment and an extensive carrier network, serving the lower 48 states with primary operations in the Midwest and South regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CTS Transportation (Dry Bulk Trucking) Pneumatic, hopper, belt trailer, and end dump trucking for dry bulk commodities, offering regional (8-10 states) and long haul service to the lower 48 states with computer tracking for on-time delivery.
• CTS Logistics (Freight Brokerage) Brokerage division providing trusted carrier matching for dry bulk shipments, expedited load coordination, transportation needs evaluation, out-of-the-way load pickups, and rail connection finding for shippers, consignees, and carriers.
• Dry Bulk Storage and Warehousing Over 9,000 tons of safe dry bulk storage capacity for shippers needing temporary inventory holding or buffering between transportation stages.
• Transloading Services Transloading of dry bulk products between transportation modes, supported by portable vacuum equipment and company-owned railcars and rail sidings.
• Blending Services Blending of dry bulk materials as part of supply chain handling operations alongside transloading and storage.
• Rail Access Services Rail access for intermodal service, including company-owned railcars and rail sidings at Wichita, KS and Batesville, AR, plus assistance finding rail connections through CTS Logistics.

Quantifiable outcome

• First customer still moves 20-30 loads per day after decades of partnership

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Schneider National: One of the largest US truckload carriers, operating dedicated, intermodal, and bulk services. Overlaps with CTS in long-haul TL and intermodal, and competes for many of the same industrial shipper accounts at a much larger scale.
• Heartland Express: Public truckload carrier with asset-based and brokerage operations across the lower 48. Comparable long-haul dry van and TL network to CTS's lower-48 reach, though Heartland is dry-van focused rather than dry bulk.
• Werner Enterprises: Large publicly-traded truckload and logistics provider with dedicated, one-way TL, and brokerage divisions. Comparable to CTS in long-haul TL reach and brokerage offering, with vastly larger scale and digital capabilities.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest US truckload carrier with diversified dry van, refrigerated, flatbed, and bulk operations. Represents the scale ceiling CTS faces and competes for the same industrial dry bulk and brokerage RFPs CTS bids on.

Direct peers

• Quality Distribution (Quality Carriers): Largest bulk chemical truckload carrier in North America, operating dedicated tanker and dry bulk fleets. Overlaps with CTS on bulk commodity trucking, transloading, and storage; competes for similar industrial shippers in chemicals and minerals.
• Martin Transportation Systems: Privately-held dry bulk and specialized freight trucking company with similar fleet size and Mid-US footprint. Closely comparable to CTS in pneumatic bulk handling, customer concentration in construction/industrial, and family-operator profile.
• Grammer Industries: Indiana-based specialized carrier focused on dry bulk, liquid bulk, and flatbed freight across the Midwest and Southeast. Highly comparable regional density, similar commodity mix (cement, lime, aggregates), and comparable scale to CTS.
• Trimac Transportation: North American bulk carrier providing truck, intermodal, and transloading services for chemicals, petroleum, and dry bulk. Directly comparable to CTS's pneumatic dry bulk and transloading offering, with overlapping industrial customer base.
• Anderson Trucking Service: St. Cloud, MN-based asset-based truckload carrier specializing in heavy-haul, flatbed, and dry bulk freight across North America. Highly comparable to CTS in commodity mix, customer profile (industrial shippers), and privately-held, relationship-driven culture.

Others

• Landstar System: Asset-light freight network and brokerage that matches shippers with owner-operator capacity. Comparable to CTS Logistics division's brokerage model, though Landstar operates nationwide and is far larger and technology-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Central Transportation Services