Saia
Saia is a publicly traded LTL freight carrier operating 218 terminals across the 48 contiguous United States, serving commercial shippers with linehaul, truckload, expedited, and final-mile logistics services through a direct field sales model.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1924
- HeadquartersSilver Creek, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Saia does
Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAIA) is a less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation and logistics company founded in 1924 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company operates a national terminal network of 213-218 facilities across all 48 contiguous United States, with service extended to Canada and Mexico through third-party interline partnerships. Saia serves commercial shippers across industries including manufacturers, retailers, and distributors with a multi-service portfolio that includes LTL linehaul as the core offering, supplemented by truckload, expedited transportation, Saia Logistics final-mile services (residential, white glove, and room-of-choice delivery), guaranteed 10 a.m. morning delivery, and real-time track-and-trace visibility. The company has invested over $1 billion in real estate for network expansion and employed more than 15,000 people as of Q4 2024.
The company's June 2026 launch of Saia REV (Rapid, Expanded and Visible) implemented over 2,000 transit time improvements across the network, reducing certain lanes from five days to three days and standardizing automated guaranteed morning delivery. Revenue is generated via a transaction-fee model with quote-based pricing determined by shipment weight, distance, freight class, and service level, augmented by fuel surcharges. The go-to-market relies on direct field sales teams operating across the terminal footprint, supplemented by investor and industry conference presence. Q2 2026 results showed revenue of $956.5M (+17.1% YoY), operating income of $125.2M (+26.0% YoY), operating ratio of 86.9%, and free cash flow of $54.26M, with total debt reduced to $100.1M from $309.1M year-over-year. Management cites 20-25% excess network capacity as positioning for further market share gains.
Saia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Saia
- Legal name
- Saia, Inc.
- Website
- https://saia.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1924
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Saia is a publicly traded LTL freight carrier operating 218 terminals across the 48 contiguous United States, serving commercial shippers with linehaul, truckload, expedited, and final-mile logistics services through a direct field sales model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Saia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Transportation
- NAICS
- General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National/Regional LTL General Freight Carriers (TLADAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Expedited LTL (Guaranteed/Time-Definite LTL) (TLADANAC), Final-Mile LTL (Residential & B2B Delivery) (TLADAEAG), White-Glove LTL (Inside Delivery, Assembly, Install) (TLADAEAH)
Keywords
Where Saia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Silver Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Saia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Services: Core LTL freight transportation services with pricing based on weight and distance. Revenue per hundredweight model with fuel surcharges. Q2 2026 LTL shipments per workday increased 4.4%, with 8.4% increase in LTL tonnage per workday.
- Truckload Services: Full truckload transportation services for larger shipments requiring dedicated capacity.
- Expedited Transportation: Time-sensitive freight delivery services with guaranteed delivery windows including 10 a.m. morning delivery option.
- Logistics Services: Broader logistics and final-mile services including residential delivery, white glove service, and room-of-choice delivery through Saia Logistics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based pricing for LTL and truckload freight services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Saia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Saia provides less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation as its core service, operating a national network of 218 terminals providing direct coverage across the 48 contiguous states with service to Canada and Mexico via interline partnerships. The company supplements its LTL offering with truckload, expedited, and Saia Logistics final-mile services (including residential, white glove, and room-of-choice delivery), supported by the Saia REV initiative with 2,000+ transit time improvements and a real-time track-and-trace platform.
Product overview
Saia is a less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation and logistics company operating a multi-service portfolio. The core offerings include LTL services (the primary business), truckload services, and expedited transportation, all supported by Saia Logistics for broader logistics and final-mile capabilities. The company also offers value-added services including Guaranteed 10 a.m. Delivery and real-time Track-and-Trace visibility. The recent REV initiative unified these services with over 2,000 network-wide transit improvements, with 218 terminals providing coverage across the 48 contiguous states plus international service to Canada and Mexico.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Services Core LTL freight transportation service for shipments that do not fill a full truckload, serving commercial shippers (manufacturers, retailers, distributors) across 48 contiguous states and into Canada and Mexico through interline partnerships.
- Truckload Services Full truckload transportation services for larger shipments requiring dedicated capacity, complementing Saia's LTL network.
- Expedited Transportation Time-sensitive freight delivery service with guaranteed delivery windows, including the automated guaranteed 10 a.m. morning delivery option.
- Saia Logistics Logistics services subsidiary offering broader logistics and final-mile services including residential delivery, white glove service, and room-of-choice delivery options.
Companies that use Saia
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Saia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Saia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TeslaminorSaia partnered with Tesla to add two Tesla Semi trucks to its fleet, positioning the company as an early adopter of electric semi-trucks as it celebrated its 100th anniversary. Earlier testing showed positive results with 1.73 kWh per mile during demonstrations, smooth acceleration, and strong performance on steep inclines with heavy loads.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Saia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TForce Freight: LTL unit of TFI International operating across the U.S., directly competing with Saia in national LTL general freight and time-definite services.
- R+L Carriers: Privately held national LTL carrier with comparable terminal-based model and service offerings, including expedited and logistics capabilities that overlap with Saia's portfolio.
- Old Dominion Freight Line: Largest U.S. less-than-truckload carrier and the public-market benchmark for LTL economics; competes head-to-head with Saia in national LTL general freight with a similar terminal-based operating model.
- XPO: Pure-play LTL carrier following the spin-off of its brokerage business, directly competing with Saia in national LTL freight with comparable service standards and terminal coverage.
- FedEx Freight: LTL subsidiary of FedEx and one of the largest U.S. LTL networks, competing with Saia across national LTL general freight and time-sensitive shipments.
- Estes Express Lines: Large privately held LTL carrier with national terminal coverage that competes directly with Saia in regional and interregional LTL freight.
- ArcBest: Parent of ABF Freight, an LTL general freight carrier with national network coverage that directly competes with Saia in standard LTL and expedited services.
Broad incumbents
- United Parcel Service (UPS): Global logistics incumbent with parcel, LTL, and supply chain services; while its LTL footprint is smaller post-divestiture, it competes with Saia for time-sensitive freight and final-mile shipments.
- Knight-Swift Transportation: Largest U.S. truckload carrier that has expanded into LTL through acquisitions, offering broader freight services that increasingly overlap with Saia's network and customer base.
Others
- Saia LTL Freight (historical peer: Yellow Corporation): Former large LTL competitor whose 2023 exit reshaped U.S. LTL capacity dynamics; included as a reference point for the LTL competitive set Saia now operates in.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Saia social profiles
Digital presenceSaia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Saia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Saia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Saia 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 Saia
What does Saia do?
Saia provides less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation as its core service, operating a national network of 218 terminals providing direct coverage across the 48 contiguous states with service to Canada and Mexico via interline partnerships. The company supplements its LTL offering with truckload, expedited, and Saia Logistics final-mile services (including residential, white glove, and room-of-choice delivery), supported by the Saia REV initiative with 2,000+ transit time improvements and a real-time track-and-trace platform.
Is Saia a public or private company?
Saia is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Saia founded?
Saia was founded in 1924. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Saia based?
Saia is headquartered in Silver Creek, United States, in the North America region.
How does Saia make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Services are the primary driver. The others are truckload Services, expedited Transportation and logistics Services.
Who are Saia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TForce Freight, R+L Carriers, Old Dominion Freight Line, XPO, FedEx Freight, Estes Express Lines and ArcBest. Broad incumbents are United Parcel Service (UPS) and Knight-Swift Transportation. Saia LTL Freight (historical peer: Yellow Corporation) is listed as an others.
Does Saia have an API?
No public API is recorded for Saia.
What industry is Saia in?
Saia's product category is Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Transportation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAEAA, National/Regional LTL General Freight Carriers, with a secondary code of TLADANAC, Expedited LTL (Guaranteed/Time-Definite LTL). Its NAICS code is 48412 and its SIC code is 4213.