Encore Express

What Encore Express does

Encore Express, LTD is a privately held, family-owned trucking services company founded in 2000 by Bob Garwood and operated with his sons Justin and Brandon Garwood. Headquartered at 11818 Mahoning Avenue in North Jackson, Ohio, with two additional operating yards in Willington, CT and Middletletown, CT, the company operates as a dedicated contractor providing 100% no-touch freight and 100% paid drop-and-hook trucking services exclusively for FedEx Ground's parcel delivery network. The fleet consists of late-model Freightliner and Volvo trucks running terminal-to-terminal, team-based dedicated routes averaging 5,000-6,000 miles per week.

The business model is a single-customer managed services contract with FedEx Ground, with revenue derived from contractual compensation for freight transportation along dedicated routes. The company's primary GTM focus is driver recruitment rather than customer acquisition: it markets directly to CDL Class A drivers (both team drivers and solo operators) via its company website, an online pre-qualification form, and a driver referral bonus program. Drivers receive an average of $1,000-$1,200 in weekly pay, comprehensive benefits (medical/dental/vision/life after 60 days, 401k after 6 months, paid vacation after one year), and consistent year-round work.

Technology adoption is minimal: no proprietary software platform, AI/ML capabilities, or app-based services are disclosed. The company is purely an operational logistics services provider whose value proposition rests on operational reliability, driver retention, and a 25-year incumbent relationship with FedEx Ground. The firm is privately held with no external funding, no subsidiaries, no M&A history, and no patents or trademarks of record.

Name

Encore Express

Legal name

Encore Express, LTD

Website

https://encoreexpressltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Encore Express is a family-owned trucking services company operating as a dedicated FedEx Ground contractor since 2000, running terminal-to-terminal no-touch freight routes from three yards in Ohio and Connecticut using a fleet of late-model Freightliner and Volvo trucks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Freight Trucking Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Hotshot / Sprinter Van / Straight Truck Expediting (TLADANAE)

Keywords

• Dedicated freight trucking
• FedEx Ground contractor
• No-touch freight transportation
• Drop and hook trucking
• CDL team driver services

Headquarters

HQ city

North Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. FedEx Ground Contractor Services: Encore Express operates as a contractor providing dedicated trucking services to FedEx Ground. Revenue is generated through contractual compensation for freight transportation services along dedicated routes. The company pays drivers weekly from these contractor payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Encore Express operates as a dedicated trucking contractor for FedEx Ground, providing terminal-to-terminal freight transportation services with 100% no-touch freight and 100% paid drop-and-hook operations. The company runs late-model Freightliner and Volvo trucks out of three operating yards in North Jackson, Ohio, Willington, Connecticut, and Middletown, Connecticut, primarily using team-based CDL Class A drivers for dedicated FedEx Ground parcel delivery routes.

Product overview

Encore Express is a trucking services company and FedEx Ground contractor offering a single unified service: dedicated contract carriage trucking operations. The company operates a fleet of late-model Freightliner and Volvo trucks for team-based driving routes out of three operational hubs (North Jackson, OH; Willington, CT; Middletown, CT). Services feature 100% no-touch freight, 100% paid drop-and-hook operations, and terminal-to-terminal runs with an average of 5,000-6,000 weekly miles per truck.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Encore Express Trucking Services Dedicated contract trucking carriage for FedEx Ground, featuring team-based CDL Class A driver operations out of North Jackson, OH, Willington, CT, and Middletown, CT. Service includes 100% no-touch freight and 100% paid drop-and-hook terminal-to-terminal runs for FedEx Ground's parcel delivery network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average weekly pay approximately $1,000 - $1,200 for all run types
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FedEx GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Encore Express Ltd is a contractor that provides services to FedEx Ground. The company operates dedicated routes for FedEx Ground's parcel delivery network since 2000, starting with two trucks and growing to become one of the largest contractors in the United States.
• Garwood CattleminorOthersGarwood Cattle (garwoodcattle.com) is referenced in company branding and appears to be a related family business. The Garwood family (Bob, Justin, and Brandon Garwood) owns both Encore Express and Garwood Cattle.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Carter Express: Mid-sized dedicated trucking carrier providing no-touch, drop-and-hook services to large shippers. Operates in a similar dedicated contract carriage niche with comparable equipment and operating practices to Encore.
• Heartland Express: Asset-based irregular route and dedicated truckload carrier. Comparable as an asset-based trucking operator running dedicated freight services for large customers, including drop-and-hook operations similar to Encore's FedEx Ground work.
• Roehl Transport: Employee-owned dedicated and irregular route truckload carrier. Comparable as a driver-focused trucking operation with a significant dedicated fleet component and similar no-touch freight positioning.
• Cargo Transporters: Privately held dedicated trucking carrier focused on no-touch, drop-and-hook freight for large customers. Closest mid-sized private peer to Encore given similar operating philosophy and dedicated-fleet customer model.
• Western Flyer Xpress: Asset-based dedicated truckload carrier with multi-state operations. Comparable to Encore as a mid-sized carrier focused on dedicated lanes for large customers.
• D.M. Bowman: Family-owned regional dedicated and logistics carrier. Comparable as a privately held, multi-generational trucking operator with dedicated contract carriage similar to Encore's FedEx Ground line-haul service.

Broad incumbents

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: One of the largest dedicated contract carriage and intermodal carriers in North America. Comparable because its Dedicated Contract Services segment operates the same type of long-term, dedicated-fleet arrangements for large shippers that Encore Express provides to FedEx Ground, though at vastly greater scale.
• Werner Enterprises: Public trucking company with a sizable Dedicated Transportation Solutions segment. Comparable because Werner runs dedicated fleets with similar no-touch freight characteristics for large shippers, much like Encore does for FedEx Ground.
• Schneider National: Major asset-based trucking and logistics company with a large Dedicated Truckload segment serving enterprise customers. Directly comparable operating model to Encore (dedicated lanes, drop-and-hook, no-touch freight) but at public-company scale.
• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest truckload carrier in the US, with a dedicated truckload business and recent acquisition of U.S. Xpress. Operates dedicated fleets for large customers in a model closely aligned with Encore's FedEx Ground contract carriage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drive-express-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Encore Express