Cargo Express
Privately held North Carolina-based logistics and utility services provider offering international freight forwarding, solar lighting, and domestic courier services. It targets commercial businesses, municipalities, and individual shippers across the US, Africa, and the Middle East.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWinston-salem, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cargo Express does
Cargo Express is a privately held logistics and utility services provider founded in 1985 and based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with its main headquarters at 6275 South Main Street, Salisbury, NC. The company operates two distinct business lines. The first is international freight forwarding, offering customs clearance, trade advisory, dry cargo, containerized cargo, RORO, air cargo, and warehousing/distribution services, with a stated specialization in trade lanes to Africa (focusing on Liberia and Guinea, where it operates offices in Ganta, Monrovia, and Conakry) and the Middle East. The second is a solar lighting and utility services division that sells street lighting (100–200W units at $250 each, including installation, 2-year warranty, and city-worker training) and per-watt residential/commercial solar systems ($4.75/W) targeting municipalities and end users in Africa. A third, smaller line — Interstate Courier Express — provides door-to-door parcel delivery within the Southern United States with online tracking and delivery confirmation.
The underlying operating model combines project-based professional services (customs documentation, freight forwarding, trade advisory) with hardware sales for the solar product line. Pricing is unit-based for solar hardware and quote-based for freight, and the company accepts all major credit cards. The customer base is hybrid: commercial businesses shipping automotive, electronics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals internationally; individual shippers and small businesses using domestic courier services; and government and municipal buyers procuring solar street lighting in Africa. Underlying technology is described as "state-of-the-art logistics capabilities" with no disclosed proprietary platform, software stack, or AI components.
Cargo Express sells primarily through direct sales, supported by content marketing on its company website and SEO targeting terms like "freight forwarders near me" and "international courier near me" in North Carolina. Office footprint includes Salisbury, NC (headquarters); Savannah, GA; and three African offices in Liberia and Guinea. The company is privately held with no disclosed investors, ownership structure, funding rounds, or acquisitions. No management team, revenue figures, or quantitative growth indicators were found in the source material.
Cargo Express firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cargo Express
- Legal name
- Cargo Express
- Website
- https://cargoexpress.info
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Privately held North Carolina-based logistics and utility services provider offering international freight forwarding, solar lighting, and domestic courier services. It targets commercial businesses, municipalities, and individual shippers across the US, Africa, and the Middle East.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Cargo Express is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winston-salem
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Cargo Express business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Freight Forwarding Services: International cargo shipping services including customs clearance, trade services, dry cargo, containerized cargo, RORO, and air cargo transportation to global destinations with focus on Africa and Middle East markets.
- Interstate Courier Express: Door-to-door courier and parcel delivery services within the Southern United States, providing quick delivery time and online tracking facilities.
- Solar Lighting and Utility Services: Commercial solar lighting solutions and utility infrastructure services including street lighting and residential/commercial solar systems with installation and warranty services.
- Solar Energy Systems: Sale of solar panels, batteries, modules, inverters, connectors, and PV structures for residential and commercial lighting needs with customization based on location and energy requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Street Lighting Solutions - 100-200 watts unit |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Solar Lighting for Homes and Businesses - per watt rate |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Cargo Express product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cargo Express provides international freight forwarding and shipping services covering customs clearance, dry cargo, containerized cargo, RORO, air cargo, trade advisory, and warehousing and distribution, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. The company also operates interstate courier delivery within the Southern United States and supplies commercial solar lighting and street lighting systems to municipalities and businesses.
Product overview
Cargo Express is a logistics and utility services provider based in North Carolina offering a comprehensive suite of freight forwarding and solar energy solutions. The company operates as a one-stop logistics provider offering international shipping services (customs clearance, trade services, dry cargo, containerized cargo, RORO, air cargo, warehousing and distribution) alongside residential and commercial solar lighting products. The logistics division specializes in African and Middle Eastern trade routes, while the utility services division provides street lighting and solar energy systems to address energy needs in rural towns and growing cities across Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Customs Clearance
Companies that use Cargo Express
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cargo Express technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cargo Express partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cargo Express competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Freightos: Digital freight marketplace and forwarding platform bringing online pricing and booking to ocean and air freight — an emerging digital-forward competitor addressing the same international shipper pain points Cargo Express solves.
Direct peers
- Flexport: US-headquartered digital freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and customs services to businesses globally — directly comparable as a tech-enabled alternative forwarder, though at vastly larger scale and broader geographic coverage than Cargo Express.
- ScanGlobal Logistics: Mid-sized global freight forwarder offering air, ocean, and road transport with customs clearance and warehousing — a more size-comparable peer to Cargo Express competing for international commercial shipping customers.
- Radiant Logistics: US-based asset-light freight forwarding and logistics company operating through a network of domestic and international locations serving commercial customers — a more size-comparable peer to Cargo Express in the small/mid-cap freight forwarder segment.
Broad incumbents
- DHL Global Forwarding: Division of Deutsche Post DHL offering international air, ocean, and road freight forwarding plus customs services with extensive African network — a broad incumbent providing overlapping services to similar commercial shippers.
- Yusen Logistics: Global logistics provider offering international freight forwarding (air, ocean), warehousing, and customs services with established presence across Africa and the Middle East — a broad incumbent competitor for Cargo Express's target lanes.
- C.H. Robinson: Large US-based freight forwarder and third-party logistics provider offering ocean, air, and customs services to commercial shippers — overlapping service portfolio and customer base with Cargo Express, though at much greater scale.
- Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with deep ocean, air, and customs brokerage capabilities including strong African and Middle Eastern trade lane presence — a global incumbent against which Cargo Express competes for the same shipper customers.
- Expeditors International: Global logistics company providing airfreight, ocean freight, and customs brokerage to commercial customers worldwide — a comparable incumbent forwarder competing for the same international shipping wallet.
Regional players
- Siginon Logistics: East Africa-focused freight forwarding and logistics company with ocean, air, road, and warehousing services — a regional peer sharing Cargo Express's Africa-centric niche but operating on the opposite side of the continent.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Cargo Express social profiles
Digital presenceCargo Express financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cargo Express leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cargo Express funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cargo 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 Cargo Express
What does Cargo Express do?
Cargo Express provides international freight forwarding and shipping services covering customs clearance, dry cargo, containerized cargo, RORO, air cargo, trade advisory, and warehousing and distribution, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. The company also operates interstate courier delivery within the Southern United States and supplies commercial solar lighting and street lighting systems to municipalities and businesses.
Is Cargo Express a public or private company?
Cargo Express is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Cargo Express founded?
Cargo Express was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cargo Express based?
Cargo Express is headquartered in Winston-salem, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cargo Express make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Freight Forwarding Services are the primary driver. The others are interstate Courier Express, solar Lighting and Utility Services and solar Energy Systems.
Who are Cargo Express's main competitors?
Freightos is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Flexport, ScanGlobal Logistics and Radiant Logistics. Broad incumbents are DHL Global Forwarding, Yusen Logistics, C.H. Robinson, Kuehne+Nagel and Expeditors International. Siginon Logistics is listed as a regional player.
Does Cargo Express have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cargo Express.