Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (referred to as Knight-Swift) is a publicly traded, American motor carrier holding company based in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

. It is the fifth largest trucking company in the United States. The company's primary subsidiaries are truckload carriers Knight Transportation,

Swift Transportation Swift Transportation is a Phoenix, Arizona-based American truckload motor shipping carrier, part of Knight-Swift. With over 23,000 trucks, it is the largest common carrier in the United States. In 2017, Swift merged with Knight Transportation, ...

, Midnite Express and, since July 2021,

less than truckload Less-than-truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) is the transportation of an amount of freight sized between individual parcels and full truckloads. Parcel carriers handle small packages and freight that can be broken down into units less th ...

(LTL) carrier

AAA Cooper AAA Cooper Transportation (ACT) is an American, non-union less than truckload (LTL) freight carrier based in Dothan, Alabama. The company also provides dedicated, port, and international freight transportation. The company was founded in 1955 by ...

. In January 2022, the company expanded its LTL footprint with the acquisition of Midwest Motor Express.

History

Knight Transportation was founded in 1990 by four cousins: brothers, Randy and Gary Knight and brothers Kevin and Keith Knight. The four cousins worked for

, also based in Phoenix, and Randy was even a part-owner in Swift when

Jerry Moyes Jerry Moyes is the Founder, and former Chairman and CEO of Phoenix-based Swift Transportation, one of the largest trucking companies in the United States. Moyes is also owner of charter airline Swift Air and FBO Swift Aviation at Phoenix Sky Har ...

bought out his interest. The Moyes family and the Knight family both were raised in

Plain City, Utah Plain City is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,476 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ogden– Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The current mayor is Jon Beesley. History The Salt Lake Va ...

, before moving to Phoenix in the late 1960s. Knight began transporting general commodities from Phoenix, Arizona, to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

. Starting with just a handful of trucks and one service center in Phoenix, Arizona, the company now runs a fleet of over 4,000 trucks and more than 8,700 trailers (dry, refrigerated, and brokerage). Revenues have grown from over 13 million in 1991 to over $866 million in 2011, with operating ratios at or near 80% year after year. They have grown from a few associates to more than 4,000, and from a family-owned business to a publicly held company trading on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

(KNX) in 1994. Truck 181 (cropped)

In 2017, Knight Transportation merged with

and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. was formed to serve as the parent company for both carriers. In 2019, Knight-Swift settled a $100 million class-action lawsuit alleging the company failed to classify 20,000 owner-operator drivers as employees. Drivers were not paid the minimum hourly wage in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and had their rights violated under the forced labor statute. The lawsuit from March 11, 2009 is entitled ''Van Dusen, et al. v. Swift Transportation Co. of Arizona, LLC, et al.''. The deadline for claimants to file was December 14, 2019. Knight-Swift expanded from its core truckload market into

(LTL) freight in July 2021 when it acquired southeastern regional LTL firm

Transportation for .

Business

Knight engages in the transportation of general commodities in the United States. It provides asset-based dry van truckload and temperature controlled truckload carrier services primarily to short to medium lengths of haul. The company also offers non-asset-based brokerage services. As of September 24, 2007, the company operates 27 regional dry van service centers, 6 regional temperature controlled service centers, 12 brokerage service centers, and 13 truck and trailer sales locations. Knight-Swift is ranked 66th in pay for drivers among major trucking companies.

References

External links

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Knight RefrigeratedKnight BrokerageKnight Truck Sales
{{Authority control Companies based in Phoenix, Arizona Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Trucking companies of the United States Transport companies established in 1990 1990 establishments in Arizona 1994 initial public offerings Transportation companies based in Arizona