12 Trucking Company Name Ideas: Transportation Marketing

They say a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet and while that might be true for roses, it doesn’t necessarily follow when it comes to naming a business. Here’s a look at four strategies to help those exploring trucking company name ideas.

4 Examples Demonstrate the Strategy Behind 12 Trucking Company Name Ideas

If you are preparing to launch a new trucking company or taking your business from solo-preneur owner-operator to trucking LLC or corporation, one of the major decisions you will make is what to name your business. When you consider that your trucking company name might hold the power of first impressions with hundreds – if not thousands – of potential customers over the life of your trucking business it’s easy to see that it’s not a decision to be made lightly.

When evaluating trucking company name ideas, you will likely be thinking about what you want the name of your business to “tell” customers, vendors and employees. Do you want it to speak to company founding and history? Should it speak to capabilities? Should it be aspirational or represent the size of your trucking business right now? The question that you’re really asking is this: What name would help my trucking business grow now and over time?

With that in mind, our team set out to look for some trucking business names that indicate strategy. We found four major strategies at play in this list of a dozen trucking company name ideas that you might want to consider.

4 Marketing Strategies Behind 12 Trucking Company Name Ideas

1. History, Heritage and Trading on the Family Name

Many trucking companies are named for their founders or are named with establishing a trucking industry heritage for the family name. Trucking companies named after founding families or with an “& Sons” in mind dream of making their family name synonymous with success in the transportation industry.

Founders that decide to use the family name instead of other trucking company name ideas are often dedicated not only to building a legacy, but to the idea of operating a business whose organizational culture will always feel like “a family-run company.” Their marketing messages often mirror this focus with an appeal to customers who might appreciate working with a family-owned business. For example:

Gordon Trucking

Based in Pacific, Washington, Gordon Trucking was initially founded by Jay Gordon as ‘Gordon Fast Freight’ serving Western Washington in 1946. Its first customer was Lucky Lager Beer as was its first product shipped. Now Gordon Trucking has eleven terminals throughout the U.S. and ships goods throughout North America, Canada and Mexico. In 2013, Gordon Trucking was acquired by Heartland Express of North Liberty Iowa in a deal referred to “as one of the best strategic trucking deals ever.”

Hutt Trucking Company

Founded in 1985 and based in Western Michigan, the Hutt Trucking Company is truly a family affair, represented with its founder and president, James J. Hutt, Vice President Ellen Hutt and Director of Transportation Operations, James Hutt. Originally specializing in hauling refrigerated and frozen foods to the East Coast, they can now leverage their deep frozen warehouse network, dedicated shuttle operations, an extensive contract carrier network, and an in-house fleet of long-haul trucks to handle every aspect of their customer’s supply chain.

Henderson Trucking

Henderson Trucking (shortened from Earl L. Henderson Trucking) was founded in 1978 and purchased in 1990 by John Kaburick. They still market their business on the idea of family, as evidenced in verbiage from their website’s home page that says, “To us, there’s nothing more important than family, after all we’re a family owned and operated company.” Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Henderson Trucking operates throughout the lower continental 48 U.S. states, but is focused in Eastern and Midwest Regions. Their fleet now boasts more than 6000 units but remains committed to operating like the family run corporation they have been since the beginning.

2. Geographical References

Trucking companies whose names reference national or regional geographical areas could do so for more than one reason. They may wish to denote an extensive area (such as the entire U.S.) or they may wish to denote a regional area in which their trucking business is focused. Depending on why they chose to use a geographical reference, their marketing approach may be an appeal to those who want to work with local companies or to send the message that they can handle freight anywhere their customers might need logistics and transportation services.

Heartland Express

Heartland Express is based in the U.S. heartland, headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa. They market themselves for their award winning on-time pickup and delivery, fleet capacity, leadership in providing information about their shipments, and performance in strategic problem solving.

Holland Special Delivery

Based in Hudsonville, MI and named for nearby Holland, MI (a city founded by Dutch Americans, known for the many Dutch Americans and immigrants who settled nearby), Holland Special Delivery provides local truck driving and over-the-road freight services throughout the states that comprise the Great Lakes region.

Panhandle Trucking & Logistics

Based in Crestview, Florida, the Panhandle Trucking and Logistics company is another family-owned and family-run trucking business. Originally specializing in “hotshot” freight, the company has grown and expanded from to include both trucking and transportation broker services, providing transportation throughout the 48 contiguous United States.

3. Segment or Specialty

When considering trucking company name ideas, names that speak to a segment where you may specialize or specialty type of trucking you plan to provide can set your trucking business name apart from the rest for customers who are searching for particular services.

Xtreme Trucking LLC

Based in De Pere, Wisconsin, Xtreme Trucking was founded in 2007 by Travis Nelson, a 22-year old with one refrigerated truck and a vision for providing services to fulfill “the most demanding logistics needs.” Last year Xtreme Trucking acquired Zernicke Trucking when their owner decided to retire. The move not only expanded the Xtreme Trucking fleet size but allowed them to add new capabilities as well.

Agricultural Express, Inc.

“Keepin’ it fresh!” is the tagline of Billings, Montana-based Agricultural Express. The company was founded in 1978 with one truck for the purpose of hauling cattle. This family-owned company has grown and expanded, adding new services so that it now not only hauls perishable goods but also has a gravel division that serves the nearby Bakken region as well.

A Guiding Light Pilot Car LLC

This pilot car service denotes its specialty and its dedication with its choice of A Guiding Light Pilot Car Service as a business name. Family-owned and operated, this Shafter, California based company is staffed by retired truck drivers and equipment operators who understand the importance of the work they do as well as what truck drivers need from them.

4. Wild Card Trucking Company Name Ideas

We have titled this segment as our “wild card trucking company name ideas” because you never know what you’re going to find here. While many trucking business names can refer to its founder, region served or specialty services provided, others speak to the industry itself or the type of organizational culture you might find within the business.

No Bull Trucking Company

No Bull Trucking Company is a division of Grimes Trucking in Florida. True to its name, it markets its services with a “no runaround, no bull” offer to provide trucking services in Florida and the U.S. Southeast.

LittleBit Truckin Express LLC

LittleBit Truckin Express was founded in 2011 in Murfressboro, Tennessee. It’s a family-owned business that contracts independent team drivers to pilot their tractors, transporting both truckloads and LTL (less-than truckload) freight in a six-state area (Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas).

Right Turn

Right Turn is not a trucking company, but it is a business that serves the trucking industry and its name was just too good to exclude from this list. This Sandy, Utah based recruiting company provides services to both truck drivers and carriers with the tagline “Steering drivers in the right direction.” The mission of Right Turn is to place professional truck drivers with “a carrier that makes sense.” By improving placements, Right Turn may also help the industry reduce its high turnover rate.

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