C LINE EXPRESS

What C LINE EXPRESS does

C-Line Express is a family-owned freight trucking and distribution company headquartered at 75 Mezzetta Court in American Canyon, California, founded in 1947. The company specializes in serving the Northern California wine industry, providing truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, flatbed, bobtail/straight truck, tanker (limited to waste water), grape hauling, and distribution services. Its fleet ranges from 16 ft. bobtails to 53 ft. semis and is 95% company-owned (5% operated by independent contractors), giving the company operational control atypical for asset-light carriers. Service coverage spans the Bay Area, Napa Valley, North Coast, San Francisco Airport, Port of Oakland, Sierra Foothills, and Central Valley wine regions.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting wineries and wine industry suppliers. C-Line's customer base of 650+ clients relies on the company for specialized hauling of wine-production materials including empty glass, cork, capsules, cased goods, oak barrels, barrel alternatives, labels, packaging materials, winery equipment, grapes, and waste water. An online customer portal supports order entry and shipment management, supplementing traditional phone-based booking. The company holds CARB, EPA, and DOT compliance credentials, with 15 documented awards of excellence including safety recognition from the California Trucking Association and California Highway Patrol, and recognition for superior Workman's Compensation results from the California Trucking Association and California Casualty Company.

Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis (quote-based, not publicly disclosed), and the company operates as a private, family-owned entity with no institutional investors, public listing, or parent company. The only identified executive is Vice President Todd Walker. C-Line maintains no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, partnerships, or subsidiaries, and operates exclusively within a single vertical — the Northern California wine industry — making vertical concentration its defining structural characteristic.

Name

C LINE EXPRESS

Legal name

C-Line Express

Website

https://c-linexp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

C-Line Express is a family-owned, American Canyon, California-based freight trucking and distribution company founded in 1947 that specializes in TL, LTL, intermodal, flatbed, grape hauling, and tanker services for the Northern California wine industry across 650+ winery and supplier clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight and Logistics Services

NAICS

General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), General Freight Trucking (4841)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Premium B2B Express & Scheduled Time-Window Delivery (TLAAABAE)

Keywords

• Wine freight transportation
• Less than truckload
• Intermodal container drayage
• Flatbed trucking services
• Grape hauling logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

American Canyon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: Revenue generated from trucking and freight services including truckload (TL), less than truckload (LTL), intermodal, tankers, flatbed, and bobtail services. The company serves the wine industry with specialized hauling of wine industry products and materials.
2. Distribution Services: Distribution services provided to wineries and wine industry clients across California wine regions including Bay Area, Napa Valley, North Coast, and Central Valley.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

C-Line Express is a Northern California trucking and distribution company that hauls wine industry materials including empty glass, cork, capsules, cased goods, oak barrels, packaging materials, grapes, and waste water. The company provides truckload, less than truckload (LTL), intermodal, flatbed, bobtail/straight truck, tanker, and dedicated grape hauling services, with a fleet spanning 16 ft. bobtails to 53 ft. semis operating across the Bay Area, Napa Valley, North Coast, Sierra Foothills, and Central Valley.

Product overview

C-Line Express is a freight trucking and logistics company serving the Northern California wine industry since 1947. The company offers a portfolio of transportation services including Truckload, Less Than Truckload (LTL), Intermodal, Flatbed, Bobtail/Straight Truck, Grape Hauling, Distribution, and Tanker services. The fleet ranges from 16 ft. bobtails to 53 ft. semi-trucks, with 95% company-owned vehicles. An online customer portal enables order entry and shipment management. The company operates throughout the Bay Area, Napa Valley, North Coast, San Francisco Airport, Port of Oakland, Sierra Foothills, and Central Valley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truckload Services Full truckload freight transportation services for cargo shipping within California, serving wineries and wine industry clients with company-owned fleet capacity up to 53 ft. semi-trucks.
• Less Than Truckload (LTL) Cost-effective less-than-truckload shipping for smaller freight shipments originating from or destined to Northern California wine industry customers.
• Intermodal Services Containerized freight transportation combining rail and truck transport, including intermodal container drayage through Port of Oakland, for efficient long-distance shipping.
• Flatbed Services Flatbed trucking services for oversized or uniquely shaped cargo requiring open-deck transport, serving wine industry equipment and supply movements.
• Bobtail / Straight Truck Services Short-distance trucking using bobtail or straight trucks ranging from 16 ft. for local deliveries and shorter hauls within Northern California wine regions.
• Grape Hauling Specialized transportation services for grape harvesting and transport to wineries during harvest season across Northern California wine regions.
• Distribution Services Distribution and delivery services for wine industry products throughout service areas including Bay Area, Napa Valley, North Coast, and Central Valley.
• Tanker Services Tanker transportation services limited to waste water transport for the wine industry.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Estes Express Lines: Privately held LTL carrier with broad U.S. coverage. Comparable to C-Line as a family/private-style regional LTL operator offering scheduled, time-definite B2B freight services.
• ArcBest (ABF Freight): Public parent of ABF Freight, one of the largest LTL networks in North America. Comparable to C-Line on multi-mode freight offering (LTL, truckload, intermodal, logistics) and direct enterprise sales approach.
• XPO Inc. Pure-play LTL carrier (post-RXO and GXO spin-offs) with strong California and Western U.S. density. Directly comparable to C-Line on LTL service model and B2B regional freight coverage.
• Saia Inc. Public LTL carrier with significant West Coast terminal density. Closely comparable to C-Line's LTL/truckload mix and direct sales motion to B2B customers in regional U.S. markets.
• Southeastern Freight Lines: Privately held regional LTL carrier in the U.S. Southeast. Comparable to C-Line as a family/private-style LTL operator with deep regional roots and direct customer relationships.
• Old Dominion Freight Line: The largest U.S. LTL carrier with broad California coverage. Comparable to C-Line on LTL service model, multi-regional U.S. footprint, and a sales-led direct customer book, though operating at vastly greater scale.
• Oak Harbor Freight Lines: Regional LTL carrier serving the Pacific Northwest with company-owned equipment. Closely comparable to C-Line's Pacific-coast regional LTL focus and family/private operating style.
• Hub Group: Intermodal and trucking provider with significant West Coast drayage at the Port of Oakland. Directly comparable to C-Line's intermodal container drayage and freight services into and out of California wine regions.

Broad incumbents

• Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest U.S. truckload carrier with growing LTL and logistics capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent in TL/LTL freight that competes for the same wine-industry B2B freight dollars with a much larger asset base.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Largest North American 3PL/freight broker. Comparable to C-Line as a sales-led B2B freight provider, but operates asset-light across many verticals while C-Line is asset-heavy and vertically specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-line-express

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 C LINE EXPRESS