USA Truck
Encyclopedia
OTR
Otr or OTR may refer to:* Ótr, a dwarf in Norse mythology* Otr, the abbreviation for the orchid genus Otaara* Coto 47 Airport , an airport that serves Coto 47, Costa RicaOTR may refer to:...
trucking company.
History
Founded in 1989, USA Truck was the corporation left in the wake of a hostile takeover. As it was common in 1980s, its parent firm, Arkansas Best Corporation, was forced to abandon the recently formed new subdivision. Its new partner and white knightWhite knight (business)
In business, a white knight, or "friendly investor," may be a corporation or a person that intends to help another firm. There are many types of white knights...
, Kelso & Co, and an investment firm came together to respond to the green mailing firm from New York Razorback Acquisitions (the name a play on the carrier's home state's college team).
With the help of Kelso, the newly privatized Arkansas Best divested itself of USA Truck to help pay down the leveraged buy out
LBO
LBO may refer to:* large bowel obstruction* Leveraged buyout, a method of acquiring a company* Lithium triborate , substance* Left Business Observer, an economics newsletter published by Doug Henwood...
. Thus, in early 1989, USA Truck Inc. of Van Buren found itself, along with a sister company, Trans-States Lines Inc, out on their own. Three years later USA-Truck went public.
Market and Business Segments
USA-Truck is referred to as an irregular route or an over-the-road (OTR) trucking company. It is based out of Van Buren, ArkansasVan Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
. In addition to its company headquarters in Van Buren, USA Truck also operates maintenance facilities in West Memphis, AR;Vandalia, OH; Indianapolis,In; Atlanta,GA; Spartanburg, SC; Laredo, TX; and Roanoke, VA.
Most of USA Truck’s business is considered time sensitive medium-haul, with freight shipments covering between 700 to 1000 miles (1,609.3 km). USA Truck's freight consists of general commodities merchandise, such as auto parts, tires, and retail store items, and its clientele includes several Fortune
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
500 companies .It also has agreements to provide services for other trucking companies who may have entered into dedicated contracts but for some reason cannot provide service.
It also has begun to interface more heavily with the several rail carriers. 236
Awards
USA Truck has also achieved IS 9001:2000 certification.USA Truck’s logo is also the roundel of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, and drivers are affectionately nicknamed the company's "Top Guns".
USA's Trucking Fleet
Navistar International
Navistar International Corporation is a United States-based holding company that owns the manufacturer of International brand commercial trucks, MaxxForce brand diesel engines, IC Bus school and commercial buses, Workhorse brand chassis for motor homes and step vans, and is a private label...
, Kenworth
Kenworth
Kenworth is an American manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks based in Kirkland, Washington, United States, a suburb of Seattle. It is a subsidiary of PACCAR, and is also a former manufacturer of transit buses and school buses.-History:...
, Peterbilt
Peterbilt
Peterbilt Motors Company is an American manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty Class 5 through Class 8 trucks headquartered in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1939 Peterbilt operates manufacturing facilities in Denton, Texas , and Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec...
, and Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG...
tractors with an average age of 18 months. All of the company’s trucks are equipped with state-of-the-art industry features, including power steering, air-ride suspensions, and Qualcomm satellite communication with in-cab email.
All of USA’s trailers are 53 ft (16.2 m) dry-vans; the company does not operate any flatbed, refrigerated, or tanker trailer fleets.