Brown Trucking brings Schrader on board

Metro Atlanta-based dedicated short-haul truckload carrier James Brown Contracting Inc. announced it as acquired Schrader Trucking Co, a Jefferson City, Tennessee-based dry van truckload carrier.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Schrader is comprised of 95 trucks and 201 trailers and operates in the Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as Texas and Canada, mainly transporting plastics, vinyl films, retail, building materials and industrial machinery parts, according to Brown officials. Schrader President Phil Schrader will step down from his position and Co-owner and Vice President will stay on board and serve as director of business development for Brown Trucking, according to Brown.

Brown Trucking CEO Brian Kinsey told LM there were various reasons behind this acquisition.

We had been in discussions with the sellers for over a year, looking for a cultural fit, customer relationships and a plan that would assure a smooth, successful transition,” said Kinsey. “Schrader provides Brown with an experienced, high quality driver force, a great customer base, and a high quality, dedicated group of employees to operate what will be our largest terminal outside the Atlanta area.”

Kinsey noted that when combined with Brown Trucking, Schrader increases its service flexibility with additional capacity when needed, and the Brown service network will help Schrader load its trucks back to northeastern Tennessee. Brown also adds a high-service dedicated and short haul capability to Schrader’s markets, he said.

While the carriers have similar service footprints, acquiring Schrader adds Canadian service and regular routes into Brown’s network into Texas and the Midwest. In terms of personnel, Schrader adds more than 100 employees—including drivers—into the fold at Brown.

“The acquisition of Schrader adds nearly a hundred late-model trucks to our network, but more importantly, a like number of really good, quality drivers and a service network that is very complimentary with Brown Trucking,” said Kinsey. “Schrader’s location in the heart of our footprint increases our service density in eastern Tennessee and the surrounding area.”