Cooke Trucking Company

What Cooke Trucking Company does

Cooke Trucking Company, Inc. is a family-owned freight transportation carrier founded in 1958 and incorporated in 1971, headquartered in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The company provides coast-to-coast truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, with primary focus on furniture manufacturers and retailers and a secondary produce shipper vertical requiring refrigerated transport. Operations span ten Western U.S. states under ICC authority to haul general commodities in all states except Alaska and Hawaii, supported by a 16-bay warehouse facility in Mount Airy for load consolidation and multi-office brokerage dispatch in Roanoke VA, Flagler Beach FL, and Lexington NC.

The fleet is built around Peterbilt 579 tractors maintained under 30 months old and equipped with Ultra Loft Sleepers, Qualcomm communications, Prepass weigh-station bypass, Bendix Wingman Advanced collision mitigation, electronic stability programs, and electronic logging devices for DOT compliance. Air-ride refrigerated trailers serve temperature-sensitive cargo including furniture and produce, and 55 dry vans cover non-refrigerated freight. The wholly-owned subsidiary Cooke Transportation Services, LLC (founded 2000) operates as a full-service brokerage across the entire U.S. via an ALJEX-based CTS Load Board, paying carriers within 3-10 days of clean bill of lading.

Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee model. Customers request quote-based rates calculated by origin/destination zip codes, product type, and total weight, with fuel surcharges included. The company sells directly to enterprise B2B customers via its website and toll-free phone lines (800-888-9502, 800-579-3897), supported by carrier membership in the Furniture Shippers Association, Specialized Furniture Carrier Association (SFCA), and American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA). Cooke holds US EPA SmartWay certification and has no disclosed external equity investors, operating entirely on family/founder capital with a 67-year continuous operating history.

Name

Cooke Trucking Company

Legal name

Cooke Trucking Company, Inc.

Website

https://cooketrucking.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cooke Trucking Company is a family-owned U.S. freight carrier founded in 1958 in Mount Airy, NC, providing coast-to-coast truckload and LTL transportation. It specializes in furniture and refrigerated produce, operating a modern Peterbilt fleet and a brokerage subsidiary, Cooke Transportation Services LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trucking Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated (Temp-Controlled) TL Carriers (TLADADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dry Van (General Freight) TL Carriers (TLADADAA), Truckload (TL) Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAB)

Keywords

• Truckload freight services
• Less-than-truckload shipping
• Refrigerated trucking services
• Freight brokerage services
• Coast-to-coast transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Airy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Truckload Freight Transportation: Full truckload freight services coast-to-coast, charging per load/mile based on distance, weight, and commodity type
2. Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Services: LTL freight services allowing consolidation of smaller shipments, billed based on weight and destination
3. Brokerage Services (CTS): Cooke Transportation Services LLC provides freight brokerage handling loads across the entire United States, connecting shippers with carriers for a fee

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cooke Trucking Company is a family-owned freight carrier providing coast-to-coast truckload (TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation using air ride refrigerated and dry van equipment, primarily serving furniture manufacturers and produce shippers. The wholly-owned subsidiary Cooke Transportation Services LLC operates as a freight brokerage handling loads throughout the entire United States, connecting shippers with carriers for a fee.

Product overview

Cooke Trucking Company operates as a single, unified transportation business offering both truckload and LTL freight services across the United States. The company was founded in 1958 and is family-owned and operated. The core offering consists of air ride refrigerated and dry van trucking services, supplemented by Cooke Transportation Services LLC (a brokerage subsidiary founded in 2000) that provides freight matching through the CTS Load Board. A sixteen bay warehouse facility enables load consolidation. Services target the furniture industry primarily (serving as an American Home Furnishings Alliance carrier), though the company also handles produce. The fleet consists of Peterbilt Model 579 trucks equipped with Ultra Loft Sleepers, Qualcomm communication systems, Prepass weigh station bypass, and Sirius XM radio. All equipment is maintained under 30 months old.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truckload Freight Services Full truckload freight transportation services providing coast-to-coast goods movement using air ride refrigerated and dry van trailers and team drivers operating newer Peterbilt equipment. Aimed at manufacturers and shippers requiring dedicated trailer capacity.
• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Services Less-Than-Truckload freight services allowing consolidation of smaller shipments, utilizing a 16-bay warehouse facility to combine loads for efficient delivery. Designed for shippers with smaller freight volumes that do not require a full trailer.
• Cooke Transportation Services LLC - Freight Brokerage Full-service freight brokerage subsidiary founded in 2000 handling freight throughout the United States, offering outbound and inbound loads to/from the West Coast and local loads on the East Coast. Carriers are paid within 3-10 days of a clean bill of lading.
• Refrigerated (Reefer) Services Air ride refrigerated trailer service meeting California requirements for temperature-sensitive cargo including furniture and produce. Targeted at shippers requiring climate-controlled transportation for delicate or perishable goods.
• Dry Van Services Dry van trailer transportation service using 55 dry van trailers for non-refrigerated freight. Targeted at shippers of standard dry goods requiring enclosed trailer transport.
• CTS Load Board Online freight matching platform (ALJEX-based) enabling carriers and shippers to post and find available loads for brokerage and dispatch operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• West coast trips consistently average 4-6 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Furniture Shippers AssociationcoreOthersCooke Trucking Company is a carrier member of the Furniture Shippers Association, indicating long-standing relationship and specialization in furniture transportation.
• Specialized Furniture Carrier Association (SFCA)coreOthersSFCA was formed in 1986 with approximately 50 specialized furniture carriers. Cooke Trucking is listed as a member, demonstrating industry recognition and specialization.
• American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA)minorOthersWorld's largest trade organization serving the home furnishings industry. Cooke Trucking has a link to AHFA on their resources page.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• P.A.M. Transportation Services: Public truckload carrier with dedicated, brokerage, and intermodal services. Similar in being a mid-size, multi-channel TL operator with owned fleet plus non-asset brokerage exposure like Cooke's CTS arm.
• Hub Group: Public intermodal and logistics provider with a meaningful brokerage and truckload capability. Comparable in offering a mix of asset and asset-light solutions to shippers on long-haul lanes.
• ArcBest: Public LTL carrier with truckload and logistics (MoLo Solutions) segments. Directly relevant given Cooke's LTL offering through its 16-bay warehouse and its asset-based plus brokerage positioning.
• Werner Enterprises: Public truckload carrier with a sizable brokerage segment (Werner Logistics). Closely matches Cooke's combination of owned-asset TL plus asset-light brokerage, and competes on similar coast-to-coast lanes.
• Heartland Express: Mid-size public truckload carrier focused on long-haul irregular route and dedicated dry van. Comparable to Cooke in scale, long-haul lane mix, and operating philosophy of premium service in a TL niche.
• Marten Transport: Public refrigerated (reefer) truckload carrier with intermodal and brokerage services. Directly comparable to Cooke's refrigerated TL and reefer fleet strategy, and operates at a similar mid-size scale with its own brokerage arm.
• Saia Inc. Public less-than-truckload carrier serving enterprise customers across the U.S. Comparable to Cooke's LTL service line, particularly for multi-stop freight between East and West Coast markets.

Broad incumbents

• Schneider National: Diversified public carrier operating truckload, intermodal, and logistics. Provides a comparable end-to-end model — owned fleet plus brokerage — that competes for the same enterprise shipper RFPs as Cooke.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: One of the largest North American TL and intermodal carriers, with a sizable brokerage (JBI). Competes with Cooke on freight matching, lane pricing, and customer RFPs, and defines the upper bound of scale in this market.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest TL carrier in North America with refrigerated, LTL, and logistics segments. Sets the competitive pricing benchmark on national lanes and represents the upper end of refrigerated capacity that Cooke faces on West Coast produce business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/122419001149504
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooke-trucking-company-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Cooke Trucking Company