C&L Transport
C&L Transport is a privately held regional trucking carrier based in Garner, North Carolina, specializing in temperature-controlled freight transportation for food and beverage shippers across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What C&L Transport does
C&L Transport, Inc. is a privately held regional trucking carrier headquartered in Garner, North Carolina, operating in the U.S. temperature-controlled freight segment. The company runs a fleet of late-model tractors equipped with built-in trailer refrigeration, GPS-based real-time shipment tracking, ELD compliance systems, and a safety technology suite that includes collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, Eco Flaps, and event recorders. Its primary offering is refrigerated transport for perishable food, fruit, and beverage shippers — a use case requiring regulated temperatures across seasonal and altitude variations — supplemented by general dry van freight across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest regions.
The company is organized as a vertical specialist serving food and beverage shippers through direct freight contracts, with no intermediaries or third-party logistics resellers in its channel structure. Driver acquisition is treated as a strategic function: recruitment flows through a dedicated IntelliApp online portal, social media presence (Instagram, Facebook), and a structured referral program paying $1,000 after first dispatch and another $1,000 after 50,000 miles. Compensation for solo company drivers starts at $0.60 per mile with a $1,250 weekly minimum, while owner-operators receive 70% of line haul plus 100% fuel surcharge and a lease-purchase pathway requiring 30,000 company-driver miles plus a $5,000 security deposit. The operational technology layer integrates McLeod (transportation management), SambaSafety (driver safety monitoring), ELD devices, and the Double Nickel employment verification SaaS platform for HR workflows.
Revenue is generated entirely from freight transportation services priced per load/mile; no customer freight pricing is publicly disclosed, and no revenue, funding, or M&A data is available. Headcount sits in the 51–100 range, and the company maintains memberships in the American Trucking Associations and Truckload Carriers Association alongside a charitable affiliation ecosystem (North Carolina Food Bank, Wounded Warriors, Fold of Honor, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Boys & Girls Clubs of America). Ownership is described as founder/owner-operated with no institutional backing, and the operating entity is incorporated as C & L Transport, Inc. under North Carolina jurisdiction.
C&L Transport firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- C&L Transport
- Legal name
- C & L Transport, Inc.
- Website
- https://cltransport.us
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- C&L Transport is a privately held regional trucking carrier based in Garner, North Carolina, specializing in temperature-controlled freight transportation for food and beverage shippers across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
C&L Transport industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Refrigerated Trucking Services
- NAICS
- Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chilled / Fresh Transport (Refrigerated) (TLADAHAG)
Keywords
Where C&L Transport is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
C&L Transport business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Freight Transportation Services: C&L Transport generates revenue by providing temperature-controlled freight transportation services. The company specializes in perishable food, fruit, and beverage shipments that require regulated temperature environments during transport.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Solo Company Driver - Starting Pay |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Weekly | Owner Operator / Power Only |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Additional Compensation Items |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
C&L Transport product offering
Product offeringCore offering
C&L Transport is a regional trucking company that provides temperature-controlled (refrigerated) freight transportation services for perishable goods such as fresh produce, fruits, and beverages using trailers equipped with built-in refrigeration systems. The company also provides general dry van freight transport across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest regions, and operates a modern fleet with GPS tracking, ELD compliance, and advanced safety technologies.
Product overview
C&L Transport operates as a regional trucking company offering two primary service lines: (1) temperature-controlled (refrigerated) freight transport for perishable goods, and (2) general dry van freight transport across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. The company also maintains a secondary equipment sales offering. All services are delivered through a company-owned fleet of late-model tractors equipped with safety technologies (collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning), GPS tracking, and ELD compliance. The company also operates an employment verification portal for HR verification purposes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Temperature-Controlled Freight Transport
Quantifiable outcome
- Average driver pay of $75,000 per year
Companies that use C&L Transport
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
C&L Transport technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
C&L Transport partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- American Trucking Associations (ATA)minorMembership in the American Trucking Associations, a major trade association representing the trucking industry.
- Truckload Carriers Association (TCA)minorMembership in the Truckload Carriers Association, an organization serving truckload carriers and drivers.
- North Carolina Food BankminorCharitable affiliation supporting food bank operations through corporate giving and driver participation.
- Wounded Warriors Association (WAA)minorCharitable partnership supporting wounded veterans through organizational affiliation.
- Fold of HonorminorCharitable partnership providing scholarships to families of fallen or wounded service members and first responders.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMH)minorCharitable partnership supporting families of sick children through RMHC programs.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)minorCharitable partnership supporting youth development programs through BGCA affiliates.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
C&L Transport competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Prime Inc. Prime operates refrigerated, flatbed, and tanker divisions with substantial reefer capacity, providing overlapping long-haul service to food and beverage shippers.
- Hirschbach Motor Lines: Hirschbach is a refrigerated and dedicated carrier serving perishable-food shippers across multiple US regions, with comparable mid-size fleet and asset-based operating model.
- C.R. England: C.R. England operates one of the largest US refrigerated truckload fleets with a dedicated and LTL business, directly competing with C&L for temperature-controlled long-haul contracts.
- Crete Carrier Corporation: Crete Carrier is a regional and national irregular-route truckload carrier operating a comparable asset-based, family-influenced private fleet model with similar long-haul economics.
- Stevens Transport: Stevens Transport is a Dallas-based refrigerated trucking carrier with overlapping long-haul routes and a similar perishable-goods shipper base, making it a close functional peer.
- Marten Transport: Marten Transport operates a refrigerated, intermodal, and OTR truckload network with substantial reefer volume, competing for similar food-grade long-haul freight in the same corridors.
- Heartland Express: Heartland Express operates an irregular-route truckload network similar in scale and revenue mix, competing for non-specialized long-haul freight in overlapping geographies.
- KLLM Transport Services: KLLM is a refrigerated truckload specialist headquartered in Jackson, MS, running a comparable temperature-controlled long-haul model with similar food-and-beverage shipper focus and driver-oriented culture.
Broad incumbents
- Knight-Swift Transportation: Knight-Swift is the largest US truckload carrier, formed via roll-up acquisitions of refrigerated and dry-van operators, providing national one-stop service that competes with regional carriers like C&L for large shipper contracts.
- Schneider National: Schneider is one of the largest US truckload carriers with a dedicated refrigerated division, broader intermodal and logistics offerings, and substantially greater scale than C&L.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
C&L Transport social profiles
Digital presenceC&L Transport compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
C&L Transport financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
C&L Transport leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
C&L Transport funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
C&L Transport 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 C&L Transport
What does C&L Transport do?
C&L Transport is a regional trucking company that provides temperature-controlled (refrigerated) freight transportation services for perishable goods such as fresh produce, fruits, and beverages using trailers equipped with built-in refrigeration systems. The company also provides general dry van freight transport across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest regions, and operates a modern fleet with GPS tracking, ELD compliance, and advanced safety technologies.
Is C&L Transport a public or private company?
C&L Transport is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was C&L Transport founded?
C&L Transport was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is C&L Transport based?
C&L Transport is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does C&L Transport make money?
One revenue line is on record: freight Transportation Services.
Who are C&L Transport's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Prime Inc., Hirschbach Motor Lines, C.R. England, Crete Carrier Corporation, Stevens Transport, Marten Transport, Heartland Express and KLLM Transport Services. Broad incumbents are Knight-Swift Transportation and Schneider National.
Does C&L Transport have an API?
No public API is recorded for C&L Transport.
What industry is C&L Transport in?
C&L Transport's product category is Refrigerated Trucking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAHAG, Chilled / Fresh Transport (Refrigerated). Its NAICS code is 484230 and its SIC code is 4213.