Trucking freight carrier Estes Express Lines last week announced plans to open a wave of new cargo terminals including property acquired from its bankrupt rival Yellow Corp., marking “the single biggest influx of terminals and equipment” in the Virginia-based company’s recent history.
Estes was one of several fleets—including XPO and Roadrunner—that lined up to buy the assets of Yellow Corp. after the debt-ridden freight trucking line filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and began selling off assets to pay its debts.
Through that deal, Estes acquired 24 terminals—adding a total of 985 doors to its network—as well as over 130 tractors and 6,000 trailers, along with thousands of other pieces of equipment like load bars, air bags, and freight tables.
“These acquisitions represent the single biggest influx of terminals and equipment in Estes’ recent history,” Webb Estes, the family-owned company’s president and COO, said in a release. “I applaud our team for their speed and agility, which allowed us to integrate these assets into our operations quickly and seamlessly. It exemplifies the grit, resiliency, and can-do spirit of Team Estes and how we work together to provide exceptional service to our customers.”
Some of the additional locations for terminals coming online as part of the Yellow acquisition include sites in: Reno, NV, Cinnaminson, NJ, Tacoma, WA, San Fernando Valley, CA, Boynton Beach, FL, Detroit, MI, and Austin, TX. Estes plans to open an additional six terminals across the U.S. by the end of June, with the remaining of the Yellow-acquired properties following soon after.
“New terminal capacity doesn't just ease congestion; it unlocks efficiency, reliability, and value for our customers, paving the way for smoother operations and an enhanced experience,” Carrie Johnstone, Estes’ vice president of customer experience and innovation, said in a release. “Acquiring these terminals was just step one – we’re now focused on putting them to work as quickly as possible to better serve our customers, which is exactly what we’re doing with these first ones.”
In previous announcements, XPO last week said it had opened three new service centers (in Goodlettsville (greater Nashville), Tennessee; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Nogales, Arizona) that marked the first sites to begin operations among the 28 locations that XPO acquired from Yellow in December 2023. And Roadrunner said it had opened a new Less-than-Truckload (LTL) service center in Atlanta, Georgia, after renovating the former Yellow property. That site is a two-building, cross-docking facility with 75 doors, an on-site mechanical shop with three full bays and an inspection lane, parking for more than 300 trailers, electric security fencing and gate access, and a driver lounge area complete with showers.
