First Call Logistics

What First Call Logistics does

First Call Logistics, LLC is a U.S.-based third-party logistics provider and freight brokerage founded in 2005 as the logistics arm of the Horton Fruit Company. The company coordinates freight transportation across truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, sprinter van, expedited, cold chain, cross-border, and project freight modes, primarily serving shippers in Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, and Automotive verticals. The company operates specialized sub-brands: First Call FRESH for temperature-sensitive cold chain, First Call FAST for expedited time-sensitive shipments, and FC TRANS as an in-house fleet providing asset support. It also runs BRCGS-certified food-grade warehousing and distribution at facilities in Louisville, KY and Irving, TX, in addition to its Indianapolis, IN headquarters. Geographic coverage spans the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with cross-border movements supported through licensed customs broker partnerships.

The company runs a proprietary integrated platform combining a Transportation Management System (TMS) and a Warehouse Management System (WMS), offering milestone-based shipment tracking, centralized document and proof-of-delivery management, configurable reporting and dashboards, EDI and API connectivity for shipper system integration, and customer self-service portals. Carrier supply is sourced through a vetted third-party network plus the Highway.com carrier portal, supplemented by the FC TRANS in-house fleet. The technology stack is positioned as internally developed and operationally integrated rather than as a commercial product sold to third parties.

First Call generates revenue through transaction fees and commissions on brokered freight, augmented by managed-services revenue from warehousing, cross-docking, pallet restacking, and BRCGS-certified food-grade storage. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, with dedicated specialist teams per freight type, direct enterprise sales engagement, inbound web quote requests, and account management. The company is privately held as a subsidiary of the Horton Fruit Company, led by Co-CEOs Chris and Kyle Bland since 2019, with no disclosed external institutional funding.

Name

First Call Logistics

Legal name

First Call Logistics, LLC

Website

https://gofclogistics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Call Logistics is a U.S.-based 3PL freight brokerage and warehousing provider, coordinating truckload, LTL, cold chain, expedited, and cross-border freight for shippers across food and beverage, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and automotive industries across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Brokerage & Third-Party Logistics (3PL)

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (492110)

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Food & Beverage Cold Chain Logistics (Fresh, Chilled, Frozen) (TLAIAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shipper-Carrier Direct Contracting Networks (TLAEAJAC), Food & Beverage (Non-Pharma Cold/Chilled/Frozen) (TLAIALAI)

Keywords

• Freight brokerage services
• Cold chain logistics
• Warehousing distribution
• Expedited freight
• Transportation management

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Freight Brokerage Services: As a third-party logistics provider (3PL), First Call Logistics generates revenue by coordinating freight transportation between shippers and carriers. The company matches shipper freight requirements with carrier capacity, earning transaction fees or commissions on completed shipments across truckload, LTL, expedited, and specialized freight services.
2. Warehousing and Storage Services: Revenue generated from warehousing operations at facilities in Louisville, KY and Irving, TX, including inventory storage, cross-docking, pallet restacking, and value-added warehouse services with BRCGS-certified food-grade storage options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

First Call Logistics is a U.S.-based third-party logistics provider that brokers and coordinates freight transportation between shippers and carriers across truckload, less-than-truckload, expedited, flatbed, sprinter van, cold chain, cross-border, and project freight services. The company complements brokerage with warehousing and distribution operations at facilities in Louisville, KY and Irving, TX (including BRCGS-certified food-grade storage), and operates an in-house fleet (FC TRANS) alongside a vetted carrier network. Specialized sub-brands First Call FRESH (cold chain) and First Call FAST (expedited) handle temperature-sensitive and time-sensitive shipments across food and beverage, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and automotive industries in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Product overview

First Call Logistics is a U.S.-based 3PL freight brokerage offering a portfolio of transportation, cold chain, and warehousing services organized around specialized teams and a proprietary technology platform. The core service suite includes Dry Van Full Truckload (FTL), Less-Than-Truckload (LTL), Flatbed Truckload, Sprinter Van, Cross-Border Freight, and Project Freight. Two specialized sub-brands extend the portfolio: First Call FAST handles expedited and time-sensitive shipments, while First Call FRESH focuses on temperature-sensitive cold chain freight across food, beverage, and healthcare. Warehousing and distribution operations are supported by BRCGS-certified food-grade facilities in Louisville, KY and Irving, TX, with capabilities including cross-docking and pallet restacking. The company's proprietary Transportation Management System (TMS) and Warehouse Management System (WMS) operate within a connected platform providing milestone-based shipment tracking, document management, and invoice reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Call FRESH: Specialized cold chain team within First Call Logistics focused on temperature-sensitive freight across food, beverage, healthcare, and regulated supply chains.
• First Call FAST
• FC TRANS

Products and services

• Dry Van Full Truckload (FTL)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced transportation spend for retail shippers through service level and transparency improvements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Horton Fruit CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Call Logistics is a subsidiary of the Horton Fruit Company, originating in 2005 as the logistics arm of the produce company. The company was established when The Horton Fruit Company required dependable temperature-controlled transportation for perishable products.
• HighwaycoreTechnology or IntegrationHighway provides the technology platform for First Call's carrier network, enabling carriers to access available loads through highway.com/go/first-call-logistics. This platform facilitates carrier recruitment and load matching.
• FC TRANS (In-House Fleet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFC TRANS is First Call's in-house fleet providing asset support to enhance equipment availability alongside the carrier network. Used for dry van FTL and other transportation needs when additional capacity is required.
• Licensed Customs BrokerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFirst Call works alongside licensed customs brokers to support freight movements between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Customs clearance is handled by licensed brokers while First Call coordinates transportation planning and carrier alignment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hub Group: Asset-light intermodal and logistics provider with brokerage and dedicated trucking. Comparable in providing multi-mode solutions (intermodal, truckload, brokerage, logistics) to enterprise shippers across manufacturing, retail, and consumer verticals.
• Echo Global Logistics: Technology-driven freight brokerage and 3PL offering truckload, LTL, and managed transportation across multiple verticals. Highly comparable in service mix (multi-mode brokerage, TMS, vertical specialization) and customer target market (mid-market and enterprise shippers).
• AIT Worldwide Logistics: Global freight forwarder and 3PL with strong North American truckload, LTL, and expedited capabilities. Comparable as a mid-to-large diversified 3PL competing in similar verticals (F&B, manufacturing, retail) with multi-modal service offerings.
• RXO: Major U.S. freight brokerage spun off from XPO, now including Coyote Logistics. Direct competitor in asset-light brokerage with similar multi-vertical coverage (including cold chain through Coyote) and similar reliance on digital freight matching technology.
• Landstar System: Asset-light freight network using BCO (Business Capacity Owner) owner-operators. Comparable in asset-light model, multi-mode capabilities (truckload, expedited, specialized), and focus on capacity reliability, though structurally larger and publicly traded.

Emerging players

• Americold Logistics: Largest publicly-traded temperature-controlled warehouse and logistics provider. Comparable in cold chain specialization and BRCGS-style food safety compliance focus; primarily warehousing-adjacent rather than asset-light brokerage, so partial overlap with FCL's First Call FRESH offering.
• Lineage Logistics: The world's largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company. Comparable specifically in cold chain focus but primarily a warehousing specialist rather than broker; represents both a potential partner and a competitor for cold chain freight volumes.

Broad incumbents

• Schneider National: Large diversified logistics provider with truckload, intermodal, and logistics segments. Broad incumbent comparable in multi-modal offerings (truckload, intermodal, brokerage, logistics) but at substantially greater scale and with publicly disclosed financial profile.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: One of the largest U.S. trucking and logistics companies with significant ICS (Integrated Capacity Solutions) brokerage segment. Broad incumbent with multi-mode capabilities, far greater scale, and substantial technology investment through J.B. Hunt 360.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: The largest U.S. 3PL/freight broker with extensive truckload, LTL, intermodal, and cold chain capabilities through Navisphere. A direct competitor on enterprise shipper contracts but with vastly greater scale, technology investment, and carrier network leverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GoFClogistics
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoFClogistics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-call-logistics-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 First Call Logistics