What ELS does

ELS is a privately held, regional open-deck trucking carrier headquartered in Kenly, North Carolina, with its primary operating terminal in Perrysburg, Ohio. Founded approximately in 2006 as a small fleet of owner-operators hauling flatbeds across the U.S. Southwest, the company reoriented its focus to the Midwest, where it now operates a dedicated Steel Division serving Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and parts of West Virginia. The core service is the transportation of overweight steel coils, for which ELS deploys a fleet of multi-axle flatbed trailers equipped with advanced tarping systems engineered to handle loads exceeding 85,000 lbs safely and with faster turnaround times.

The company's service offering is anchored on three driver engagement models that double as both labor sourcing and revenue mechanics: a Company Driver program (W-2, 27% of line haul, health benefits available), a Lease Purchase program (1099, 75% of line haul plus 100% of fuel surcharge), and an Owner Operator program (1099, tag and trailer lease options). Revenue is generated on a per-load transaction basis, with ELS retaining a percentage of line haul while paying drivers/operators their share. The company also historically launched an intermodal branch to diversify its logistics offering, though the current stated focus is the Midwest Steel Division.

ELS serves steel manufacturers and industrial shippers requiring specialized heavy-haul capacity, marketing itself through its company website, Facebook page, and driver recruitment via the Tenstreet platform. The company maintains no public listings, no external investors or parent entity, and no disclosed technology partnerships, integrations, APIs, or proprietary software assets. Its competitive positioning rests on domain specialization in steel coil logistics, regionally concentrated operations, and a driver-first culture that the company claims produces long driver tenures.

Name

ELS

Website

https://elsfreight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ELS is a privately held regional open-deck trucking carrier specializing in Midwest transportation of overweight steel coils using multi-axle flatbed trailers, serving steel manufacturers and industrial shippers across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flatbed trucking and heavy haul logistics

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Flatbed & Open-Deck TL Carriers (TLADADAC)

Keywords

• Flatbed trucking
• Heavy haul transport
• Steel coil logistics
• Intermodal freight
• Open deck carrier

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: ELS generates revenue by transporting freight (primarily overweight steel coils) for customers. The company retains a percentage of the line haul revenue while paying drivers/operators their share (27% for company drivers, 75% for lease purchase operators). Revenue is earned through hauling freight across the Midwest region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ELS' Midwest Steel Division is a premier flatbed carrier that transports overweight steel coils for steel manufacturers and industrial customers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and parts of West Virginia. The company utilizes multi-axle flatbed trailers equipped with advanced tarping systems to handle loads over 85,000 lbs safely and securely, and complements this core offering with an intermodal freight branch and direct-to-driver engagement through Company Driver, Lease Purchase, and Owner Operator programs.

Product overview

ELS operates as a top-tier open deck trucking carrier focused on the Midwest Steel Division, specializing in the transportation of overweight steel coils. The company utilizes multi-axle flatbed trailers equipped with advanced tarping systems to handle loads over 85,000 lbs. ELS offers three distinct driver engagement models: the Company Driver Program (W-2 with 27% line haul and health benefits), the Lease Purchase Program (75% line haul with 100% fuel surcharge on 1099), and the Owner Operator Program (tag and trailer lease options). The core service offering is the Midwest Steel Division, complemented by driver recruitment and retention programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midwest Steel Division Flatbed Service Premier flatbed carrier service for the transportation of overweight steel coils, utilizing multi-axle flatbed trailers equipped with advanced tarping systems for safe and secure delivery across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and parts of West Virginia; targeted at steel manufacturers and industrial customers.
• Intermodal Freight Services Intermodal freight branch that complements ELS' flatbed heavy haul service by diversifying logistics solutions for shippers, adding intermodal capacity to the company's service portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Loads over 85,000 lbs handled with precision and reliability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Broad incumbents

• Werner Enterprises: Large public truckload carrier operating dedicated flatbed and dedicated logistics services across North America, serving industrial and manufacturing shippers. Overlaps in flatbed equipment and steel-adjacent customers but offers a much broader service portfolio.
• Schneider National: Major public truckload and logistics provider with a dedicated flatbed segment serving manufacturing and industrial customers. Comparable in flatbed-heavy equipment mix but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Heartland Express: Public irregular route truckload carrier with a flatbed segment serving no-shippers across multiple industries. Comparable in regional flatbed service but operates nationally with much greater asset base.
• Forward Air: Expedited and specialty freight provider including flatbed and heavy-haul capabilities serving industrial customers. Comparable in expedited flatbed service niche but with significantly broader service portfolio.
• Daseke: Large North American specialized transportation platform (now part of TFI International) with extensive flatbed, heavy-haul, and specialized freight operations serving industrial customers including steel. Comparable service type but meaningfully larger and broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Melton Truck Lines: Flatbed specialist carrier based in Tulsa, OK with a similar model of dedicated equipment for oversized and heavyweight industrial freight, including steel hauling via multi-axle trailers. Directly comparable in service offering and customer base.
• Anderson Trucking Service (ATS): Midwestern flatbed and specialized heavy-haul carrier with multi-axle trailer fleet serving construction, steel, and industrial shippers. Closely comparable service offering and geographic profile.
• Boyd Brothers Transportation: Regional flatbed and heavy-haul carrier serving the Eastern U.S. with specialized trailers for steel and industrial customers. Directly comparable in equipment profile and customer vertical.
• TMC Transportation: Flatbed trucking specialist operated as a subsidiary of TFI International, focused on flatbed and heavy-haul freight across the Midwest and Eastern U.S. Closely comparable service model and customer overlap.
• Palletized Trucking: Regional flatbed carrier focused on heavy industrial freight including steel coils and plate, with a similar owner-operator and company driver mix. Comparable in scale, service niche, and operating profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/elsfreight
• Facebookfacebook.com/elsfreight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/els-freight-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 ELS