What Berner Trucking does

Berner Trucking is a privately held trucking and transportation services company founded in 1946 and headquartered in Dover, Ohio. The company operates a fleet of 75-100 trucks across three primary service lines: end dump trucking for bulk commodities (aggregates, coal, hazardous waste, scrap, stone, salt), roll-off services for scrap and container transport, and dry van freight for general cargo. Berner primarily serves industrial and manufacturing customers in the Ohio Valley, Midwest, and Eastern US, with the ability to operate nationally when customer requirements demand it. The company has 51-100 employees across operations, safety, maintenance, billing, and administrative functions.

The company generates revenue through transaction-based freight charges for hauling services. Its go-to-market is direct sales with no intermediaries or channel partners; the company markets primarily through its website and organic social channels. Berner sells into vertical segments including energy/utility power plants (coal hauling), scrap metal dealers, agricultural limestone delivery, and general freight shippers. It also operates a wholly-owned brokerage subsidiary, Knisely, Inc., formed in the late 1980s to facilitate capacity growth through owner-operators.

Berner has no proprietary technology platform — it is a traditional asset-heavy trucking operation with no APIs, integrations, or disclosed digital products. The business has been under multi-generational family leadership since founder John Berner transitioned control to Jim Knisely in the late 1980s, with Blake Knisely currently serving as Business Growth Strategist. There is no evidence of venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor involvement; the company is closely held.

Name

Berner Trucking

Legal name

Berner Trucking, Inc.

Website

https://bernertrucking.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Berner Trucking is a privately held Ohio-based trucking company operating 75-100 trucks across end dump, roll-off, and dry van services. Founded in 1946, it serves industrial, manufacturing, scrap, and agricultural customers primarily east of the Mississippi River.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trucking and Transportation Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), General Freight Trucking (4841), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Bulk Trucking (End-Dump/Walking-Floor/Hopper) (TLADAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coal & Coke Transport (TLADAKAF), Dry Van (General Freight) TL Carriers (TLADADAA)

Keywords

• Bulk commodity trucking
• End dump hauling
• Roll-off services
• Dry van freight
• Hazmat transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Trucking and Transportation Services: The company generates revenue through providing trucking and transportation services, hauling various materials and products for customers. Services include end dump trucking for aggregates, coal, hazardous waste, scrap, stone, salt; roll-off services for scrap and container pickup; and dry van services for freight movement across the country. Revenue is generated through transaction-based freight charges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Berner Trucking is a trucking and transportation services company that hauls bulk commodities and freight for industrial, energy, agricultural, scrap, and general freight customers using a fleet of 75-100 trucks. Core services include end dump trailers for aggregates, coal, hazardous waste, scrap, stone, and salt; roll-off trailers for scrap hauling and container pickup; and dry van trailers for moving freight across the country. The company generates revenue through per-load transportation fees primarily east of the Mississippi River.

Product overview

Berner Trucking is a trucking and transportation services company offering three primary service lines: End Dumps for bulk commodities (aggregates, coal, hazardous waste, scrap, stone, salt), Roll-off services for scrap and container transport, and Dry Vans for general freight. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Dover, Ohio, the company operates 75-100 trucks primarily east of the Mississippi River, with additional specialty services including coal delivery, scrap metal hauling, rock/salt delivery, limestone aggregate delivery, and hazardous materials transportation. The company also operates a sister brokerage company, Knisely, Inc., to facilitate company growth and bring owner/operators into the picture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• End Dump Trucking End dump trailer service for hauling aggregates, coal, hazardous waste, scrap, stone, salt, and other bulk commodities for industrial, energy, and agricultural customers in the Ohio Valley and Eastern US.
• Roll-Off Trucking Roll-off trailer service for hauling most types of scrap and picking up various container sizes, designed for the variable volume and flexible container needs of scrap metal processors and dealers.
• Dry Van Freight Dry van freight transportation service that moves products across the country with competitive pricing and comprehensive communication per load, primarily east of the Mississippi River with national service available.
• Coal Hauling Coal delivery service to utility power plants and industrial boilers throughout the Midwest, with delivery claimed to be faster and more competitive than rail.
• Scrap Hauling Scrap metal transportation service handling almost any type of scrap from finest mill scale to plate and structural steel for scrap processors and dealers.
• Rock and Salt Delivery Delivery of rocks for surface material during warmer months and salt for road icing conditions, with capability to fill almost any size order on short notice.
• Limestone Aggregate Delivery Lime and limestone aggregate delivery service for the Ohio Valley farming community, providing timely delivery to meet agricultural demand.
• Hazardous Materials Hauling Hazardous materials transportation service with three decades of experience, hauling hazardous waste for various industrial customers.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CRST International: CRST is one of the largest privately-held trucking companies in North America, offering flatbed, dry van, and dedicated services. Comparable to Berner as a privately-held multi-modal truckload operator with regional Midwest roots and similar customer mix in industrial and general freight shippers.
• Kenan Advantage Group: Kenan Advantage Group is one of the largest tank truck carriers in North America, specializing in bulk commodities including chemicals, petroleum, and food-grade liquids. Comparable to Berner as a privately-held mid-sized specialized bulk carrier operating across the Eastern US and Midwest, with similar regional density and industrial customer relationships.
• Carter Logistics: Carter Logistics is a privately-held asset-based third-party logistics provider operating dedicated trucking, warehousing, and expedited services primarily in the Midwest. Comparable to Berner as a privately-held, Midwest-anchored mid-sized carrier serving industrial and manufacturing customers with similar operational footprints and customer profiles.
• Werner Enterprises: Werner Enterprises is a publicly-traded truckload carrier operating dedicated, one-way truckload, and logistics services across the US. Comparable to Berner in offering general freight (dry van) transportation as a core line, while operating at significantly larger scale with similar regional and national lane footprints.
• Heartland Express: Heartland Express operates irregular route truckload services with a fleet of primarily company tractors and trailers. Directly comparable to Berner's dry van service line and overall truckload motor carrier model, though Heartland is a much larger public TL carrier serving national freight lanes.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Xpress Enterprises: U.S. Xpress is a large technology-enabled truckload carrier operating over-the-road and dedicated truckload services nationally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the truckload space with overlapping dry van capacity and similar enterprise shipper relationships, though operating at much larger scale and with proprietary technology investments.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Knight-Swift is the largest truckload carrier in the US, operating truckload, LTL, intermodal, and logistics services across multiple brands. A broad incumbent in the same truck transportation space as Berner, with overlapping dry van and specialized freight capabilities but a vastly larger asset base and national footprint.
• Hub Group: Hub Group is a large publicly-traded asset-light freight transportation provider offering intermodal, truck brokerage, dedicated, and logistics services. A broad incumbent comparable to Berner's Knisely, Inc. brokerage line and to Berner's general freight operations, but operating at substantially larger scale with sophisticated technology platforms.
• Schneider National: Schneider National is a major multimodal carrier operating truckload, intermodal, and logistics services. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing dry van truckload and freight brokerage to similar enterprise shippers, with a substantially larger fleet and national footprint than Berner.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: J.B. Hunt operates one of the largest truckload, intermodal, and dedicated contract services fleets in North America. A broad incumbent serving similar shipper customers as Berner (industrial, energy, consumer goods) with overlapping dry van capacity and a brokerage arm analogous to Berner's Knisely, Inc. subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bernertrucking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berner-trucking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Berner Trucking