Novco
Novco is a family-owned flatbed trucking company founded in 1981 in Elk River, Minnesota, hauling steel, concrete, and heavy industrial freight for marine, construction, and agricultural customers across the lower 48 US states and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersElk River, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Novco does
Novco, Inc. is a family-owned flatbed trucking company founded in 1981 in Elk River, Minnesota, operating a fleet of Kenworth and Peterbilt tractors pulling flatbed, step deck, RGN double drops, boom, pipe trailers, and chassis. The company primarily hauls steel, concrete, and other heavy industrial products, serving marine, construction, and agricultural industry customers across the lower 48 US states and all Canadian provinces. Novco generates revenue through quote-based freight haul contracts, with no publicly disclosed pricing, fleet size, or financial figures.
The company differentiates through regulatory certifications (WBENC woman-owned business, EPA SmartWay, TSA TWIC), a 40+ year operating history, and a comprehensive driver benefits package including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and life insurance premiums. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on phone-based dispatch, online shipping quote requests, and relationships with industry associations such as the American Concrete Pipe Association. Driver recruitment is conducted through dedicated phone and text lines plus short and long online application forms.
Novco is a privately held, independent company with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes. The headcount is reported at 11-50 employees. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platform, or app-based customer interface are disclosed. The company has limited onboarding of modern digital tools beyond its website presence, consistent with a small, tight-margin specialty carrier.
Novco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Novco
- Legal name
- Novco, Inc.
- Website
- https://novcotrucking.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Novco is a family-owned flatbed trucking company founded in 1981 in Elk River, Minnesota, hauling steel, concrete, and heavy industrial freight for marine, construction, and agricultural customers across the lower 48 US states and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Novco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Flatbed Trucking Services
- NAICS
- Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)
- akta.pro industry
- LTL Flatbed / Open-Deck & Over-Dimensional LTL CarriersTransportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Motor Carriers
Keywords
Where Novco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Elk River
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Novco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Trucking and freight services: Novco generates revenue through trucking and freight hauling services, operating a fleet of flatbed, step deck, and multi-use drop deck trailers. They transport steel, concrete, and other heavy products for industrial customers across the US and Canada.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping quote - custom pricing based on shipment requirements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Novco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Novco provides flatbed trucking and freight transportation services, hauling steel, concrete, and other heavy industrial cargo using a fleet of Kenworth and Peterbilt tractors paired with flatbed, step deck, drop deck, RGN, boom, pipe trailers, and chassis. The company serves marine, construction, and agricultural industry customers across the lower 48 US states and all Canadian provinces, with quote-based pricing and dispatch-driven delivery.
Product overview
Novco is a flatbed trucking company offering freight transportation services with a fleet of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks pulling flatbed, step deck, RGN (double drops), boom, pipe trailers and chassis. The company operates across the lower 48 states and all Canadian provinces, serving marine, construction, and agricultural industries. Novco's service portfolio includes core trucking/shipping services supported by an online shipping quote request system, and the company recruits CDL drivers through both short and long online application processes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Trucking Services Flatbed trucking services for shipping steel, concrete, and other heavy industrial cargo to marine, construction, and agricultural industry customers across the lower 48 US states and all Canadian provinces, using a fleet of Kenworth and Peterbilt tractors with diverse trailer types.
- Shipping Quote Service Online quote request service for shipping freight, allowing customers to submit estimated weight, dimensions, origin and destination addresses, and shipping notes to obtain custom pricing.
Companies that use Novco
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Novco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Novco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- American Concrete Pipe AssociationminorNovco displays the American Concrete Pipe Association logo on their website, indicating membership or partnership with the organization serving the concrete pipe industry.
- EPA SmartWay ProgramminorNovco is a SmartWay certified carrier, demonstrating commitment to environmental sustainability and fuel efficiency in their trucking operations.
- Transportation Security Administration (TWIC)coreNovco participates in the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) program, enabling them to transport goods through secured port facilities. The company assists drivers in acquiring TWIC cards.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Novco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Heartland Express: Truckload carrier with a flatbed subsidiary (TMC). Competes in the flatbed segment but operates as a much larger diversified national carrier.
- Landstar System: Asset-light transportation services company using BCO/agent networks to provide flatbed and specialized capacity. Competes for the same industrial shipper freight through a very different operating model.
- Schneider National: Large multi-modal carrier with a significant flatbed/intermodal segment. Competes for the same flatbed freight but as part of a much broader logistics portfolio with substantially more scale.
- Werner Enterprises: National truckload carrier operating dedicated, one-way, and logistics services. Overlaps with Novco in flatbed and specialized freight but at far greater scale and with broader service breadth.
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services: Multi-segment transportation and logistics provider with dedicated contract services and intermodal. Competes indirectly for industrial freight via dedicated capacity offerings.
Direct peers
- TMC Transportation: Flatbed trucking division of Heartland Express focused on specialized freight. Comparable flatbed operation serving similar industrial customers across the lower 48.
- Boyd Brothers Transportation: Flatbed specialized carrier serving construction, steel, and agricultural customers. Directly comparable asset-based flatbed model with overlapping customer verticals.
- Melton Truck Lines: Flatbed specialist carrier with comparable geographic reach across the US. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized, asset-based flatbed operator focused on industrial and construction freight.
- Daseke: Consolidator of flatbed and specialized transportation carriers serving heavy-haul, construction, and industrial markets. Comparable flatbed/specialized service mix and customer verticals.
- Maverick Transportation: Flatbed and specialized transportation carrier serving construction, steel, and heavy-haul markets. Comparable asset-based flatbed business with similar end-market exposure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Novco social profiles
Digital presenceNovco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Novco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Novco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Novco 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 Novco
What does Novco do?
Novco provides flatbed trucking and freight transportation services, hauling steel, concrete, and other heavy industrial cargo using a fleet of Kenworth and Peterbilt tractors paired with flatbed, step deck, drop deck, RGN, boom, pipe trailers, and chassis. The company serves marine, construction, and agricultural industry customers across the lower 48 US states and all Canadian provinces, with quote-based pricing and dispatch-driven delivery.
Is Novco a public or private company?
Novco is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Novco founded?
Novco was founded in 1981. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Novco based?
Novco is headquartered in Elk River, United States, in the North America region.
How does Novco make money?
One revenue line is on record: trucking and freight services.
Who are Novco's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Heartland Express, Landstar System, Schneider National, Werner Enterprises and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Direct peers are TMC Transportation, Boyd Brothers Transportation, Melton Truck Lines, Daseke and Maverick Transportation.
Does Novco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Novco.
What industry is Novco in?
Novco's product category is Flatbed Trucking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAEAM, LTL Flatbed / Open-Deck & Over-Dimensional LTL Carriers. Its NAICS code is 484230 and its SIC code is 4213.