Hill Transportation Services

What Hill Transportation Services does

Hill Transportation Services is an asset-based, privately held trucking and logistics company headquartered in Louisville, KY, that specializes in transporting metals — primarily steel and aluminum products including rolled products, sheets, plates, beams, bars, pipes, slabs, and ingots. Founded in 1999 (per firmographic records) as a family-owned carrier and grown through the Tri-Union Express acquisition, the company operates approximately 110 owned tractors and 150 trailers, supplemented by 100 owner operators, with terminal locations in East Chicago (IN), Griffith (IN), Shepherdsville (KY), and Owensboro (KY), plus sister company HTI Logistics' rail-served distribution centers in Louisville and East Chicago. Service lanes stretch from Southern Michigan to Northern Alabama across eight states, with heavy haul capabilities up to 84,000 lbs in KY/IN/OH and 76,000 lbs in MI that allow two raw-material loads per truck.

The company's core technology stack is layered on third-party platforms rather than internally developed: Lytx provides machine vision and AI-based driver risk detection with real-time in-cab alerts and post-trip video review; Omnitracs One unifies BOL scanning, HOS compliance, instant messaging, and automated arrival/departure notifications; Qualcomm provides electronic logging; and Samsara serves as the driver-facing app. Customer-facing infrastructure includes a TMS customer portal at tms.hilltrans.com with real-time shipment tracking, ETA updates, signed BOL downloads, and full load history, as well as full EDI integration covering 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender, 990 Response to Load Tender, 214 Shipment Status, and 210 Freight Details and Invoice transaction sets for automated enterprise B2B workflows.

Hill Transportation generates revenue primarily through transaction-based freight charges (per shipment or per mile) for flatbed, heavy haul, and van/reefer services, supplemented by recurring revenue from dedicated lane contracts such as Louisville–Kansas City, Louisville–Jackson TN, and Louisville–Heath OH. The company serves enterprise B2B customers in the metals industry via direct sales (online quote request) and EDI-integrated supply chain workflows. No public revenue figures, funding rounds, or external investors have been disclosed; the company appears to be founder/family-controlled with affiliated corporate entities (HTI Logistics, Tri-Union Express) under common ownership.

Name

Hill Transportation Services

Legal name

Hill Transportation Services

Website

https://hilltrans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hill Transportation Services is an asset-based, privately held trucking and logistics company based in Louisville, KY, that specializes in metals (steel and aluminum) transportation across eight Midwestern and Southern states using 110 owned tractors, 150 trailers, 100 owner operators, and heavy haul capability up to 84,000 lbs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flatbed and Heavy Haul Trucking Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Road Transportation (4884), Other Support Activities for Road Transportation (488490)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Trailer & Heavy Transport Equipment Providers (SPMT, Lowboy, Multi-Axle) (TLADAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Heavy Vehicle & Equipment Transport (RVs, Trucks, Buses) (HSAKAFAH)

Keywords

• Flatbed trucking services
• Heavy haul transportation
• Metals freight hauling
• Asset-based carrier
• Logistics technology platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: The company generates revenue through freight transportation services, charging per shipment or per mile for transporting metals (steel and aluminum) across the Midwest and Southern regions. Services include flatbed, heavy haul, and van/reefer transportation with transaction-based pricing.
2. Dedicated Lane Services: Provides dedicated lane services for specific routes (e.g., Louisville to Kansas City, Jackson TN or Heath OH lanes), generating recurring revenue from consistent shipper relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hill Transportation Services is an asset-based trucking company that hauls steel, aluminum, and other metals using an owned fleet of approximately 110 tractors and 150 trailers plus 100 owner operators. It offers regional and local flatbed, van, reefer, and heavy haul trucking (up to 84,000-85,000 lbs), supported by EDI integration, a real-time customer tracking portal, and Lytx/Omnitracs/Samsara/Qualcomm fleet and safety technology. Sister company HTI Logistics provides rail-served distribution in Louisville, KY and East Chicago, IN.

Product overview

Hill Transportation Services operates as an asset-based trucking company offering a unified transportation service portfolio centered on regional and local flatbed, van, and reefer freight hauling, with a fleet of approximately 110 tractors and 150 trailers plus 100 owner operators from its Tri-Union Express acquisition. The company integrates technology platforms including Lytx for AI-powered driver safety monitoring, Omnitracs One for fleet management, Qualcomm for electronic logging, and Samsara for driver communication. Customer-facing services include EDI integration for automated business processes and a web-based customer portal providing real-time shipment visibility, while sister company HTI Logistics provides rail-served warehouse distribution. The company specializes in heavy haul services up to 84,000 lbs and focuses on metals transportation (steel and aluminum) across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heavy Haul Services Heavy haul trucking capable of transporting up to 84,000 lbs in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio and up to 76,000 lbs in Michigan, allowing two loads of raw material on one truck. Targeted at industrial raw material shippers in the Midwest and South.
• Regional Flatbed Trucking Regional flatbed trucking serving Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Chicago with the company's owned tractor-trailer fleet. Designed for steel, aluminum, and other metals shippers needing regional coverage.
• Van and Reefer Trucking Regional van and refrigerated (reefer) trucking in KY, Chicagoland, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Columbus, OH areas, complementing the flatbed and heavy haul offerings for shippers requiring dry van or temperature-controlled capacity.
• Dedicated Lane Services Dedicated lane service on specific recurring routes (e.g., Louisville to Kansas City, Jackson TN, or Heath OH), generating recurring revenue from consistent shipper relationships and providing capacity certainty for metals and industrial customers.
• EDI Integration Services Electronic Data Interchange service enabling swift and secure electronic communication for automated order processing, invoicing, and shipment status with support for 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender, 990 Response to Load Tender, 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message, and 210 Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice transaction sets.
• Customer Shipment Tracking Portal Web-based logistics gateway at tms.hilltrans.com providing real-time shipment tracking, live truck routes with ETAs, detailed load information, signed bill of lading downloads, and historical load data for analysis, available to existing B2B shippers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Haul two loads of raw material on one truck, significantly reducing freight spending
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HTI LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company providing rail-served distribution centers strategically located in Louisville, KY and East Chicago, IN. HTI Logistics extends Hill Transportation's capabilities beyond trucking into warehousing and rail-served logistics solutions for the metals industry.
• Tri-Union ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired company providing additional capacity of 100 owner operators and a third warehouse in Griffith, IN. Together with Tri-Union Express, the network stretches from Southern Michigan to Northern Alabama.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• P.A.M. Transportation Services: Asset-based trucking company with similar regional/long-haul flatbed and dedicated lane services; comparable mid-market size, fleet-based operating model, and customer mix in industrial freight.
• Daseke: Specialized open-deck/heavy haul trucking provider with national footprint. Most directly comparable to Hill in the heavy haul, specialized trailer segment serving industrial customers; substantially larger but operates in the same niche.
• Heartland Express: Irregular route and regional trucking carrier operating asset-based tractor-trailer fleets; comparable operating model, asset-heavy structure, and exposure to industrial/consumer freight cycles.

Broad incumbents

• Schneider National: Major multimodal logistics provider with extensive truckload, intermodal, and logistics services; competes for the same enterprise metals/manufacturing customers and operates multimodal capabilities similar in concept to Hill/HTI.
• JB Hunt Transport Services: Large multi-segment logistics provider with intermodal, dedicated, and truckload services; the dedicated contract services business is conceptually adjacent to Hill's dedicated lane offering to metals customers.
• Ryder System: Major fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions provider; offers dedicated lane services and industrial customer capabilities that overlap with Hill's transaction and dedicated lane mix.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest U.S. truckload carrier with broad asset-based and logistics offerings; competes for industrial freight customers but at vastly greater scale and with a much wider service portfolio.
• Werner Enterprises: Large national trucking and logistics provider with dedicated, one-way, and logistics services. Overlaps with Hill's flatbed/dedicated lane offerings but at substantially greater scale and breadth.

Emerging players

• Forward Air: Specialized less-than-truckload and logistics provider with expedited and intermodal drayage services; comparable in its specialization focus, though oriented toward different freight segments than Hill's metals focus.

Regional players

• Saia Inc. Regional less-than-truckload carrier with strong industrial customer base and similar fleet management technology investments; operates in adjacent LTL/regional freight rather than flatbed/heavy haul.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hilltransportation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hilltransportation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hill-transportation-htsi-logistics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Hill Transportation Services