“LTL probably already picked up. We’re already seeing year-over-year growth,” says Averitt’s Kent Williams. (Averitt Express Inc.)
March 23, 2026 9:20 AM, EDT
Key Takeaways:
- Averitt Express is expanding its LTL and truckload operations as it sees improving rates and tighter capacity across freight markets.
- LTL represents about 70% of Averitt’s business, with dedicated operations the second-largest revenue contributor.
- The carrier is adding facilities, dock space and warehousing across its Southeast-focused network through 2027.
Averitt Express is expanding its core less-than-truckload business to get ahead of what it sees as an emerging upturn in the less-than-truckload market, particularly in areas where capacity constraints are beginning to surface.
Cookeville, Tenn.-based Averitt also is revitalizing its truckload operations after a couple of years in which the carrier did not reinvest in that part of its fleet at previous rates, Kent Williams, executive vice president of sales and marketing, told Transport Topics.
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“LTL probably already picked up. We’re already seeing year-over-year growth. And I think many of our peers are seeing year-over-year growth,” he said. “And it could be the tip of the iceberg if, in fact, this strain on truckload capacity does continue … [which] I kind of think it will.”
Data center construction is boosting flatbed and dry van truckload business and, as is often the case, a tightening of capacity in the truckload sector leads to improved LTL conditions too, Williams said.
After several years of weaker conditions in truckload, improving rates and tightening capacity have prompted Averitt to resume hiring over-the-road drivers. “The rates have gotten significantly better,” Williams said, adding the company expects those conditions to hold.
Company Divisions
Averitt has five divisions — LTL, truckload, dedicated, distribution and fulfillment, and integrated and global solutions.
LTL is about 70% of Averitt’s business. Williams said LTL “will probably always be the mother ship.”
Averitt’s dedicated operations are its second-largest division. The carrier has about 1,400 dedicated fleet drivers, producing 17% of company revenue.
Over-the-road truckload used to be the second-largest division but currently contributes about 8% of revenue. The distribution fulfillment and non-asset verticals produce around 2% of the company’s revenue each.
Averitt ranks No. 29 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 12 in the LTL segment of the freight market.
With increasing optimism about the LTL segment, the company is adding 379 dock doors and 260,733 square feet of dock space through the end of 2027, as well as 1,953 truck parking spaces and 732 associate parking spaces.
The company also is adding 895,530 square feet of warehousing space across its network.
“I think our facilities are in the right place, but we had some where we’ve needed to expand them,” Williams said, rather than perhaps buying ex-Yellow Corp. terminals as many of Averitt’s LTL peers have.
Charlotte, N.C., and Louisville, Ky., were locations Averitt felt could be pinch points, said Williams.
“We aren’t necessarily increasing our geographic footprint. We are adding what we think are solutions for our customers within our geographic footprint, which is primarily the Southeast,” he said, adding that Averitt also has gateway facilities in Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Peoria, Ill.
Williams positioned Averitt’s core focus as Virginia south through Florida and westward into Texas and Oklahoma.
In February, Averitt opened a facility in Ocala, Fla. By the end of 2026, facilities or expansions will have been added in Jackson, Miss.; Columbia, S.C.; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.
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Ocala, Jackson, and Oklahoma City are new, and Tulsa is a renovation of an existing building.
The Ocala area previously was served by Averitt’s Orlando and Jacksonville facilities. With demand continuing to grow in Florida, the company is set to add facilities in Fort Myers and West Palm Beach, Williams said. The company’s Orlando facility also will be expanded, he added.
Among the other facilities replaced were sites in Dothan, Ala.; Tyler, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; San Antonio; and Jackson, Miss.
Averitt had 84 service centers at the beginning of 2025. The total rose to 85 with the Ocala facility. In addition, Averitt operates maintenance facilities, truckload power centers, dedicated sites, distribution and fulfillment centers, and international distribution centers for a total of more than 160 facilities across its network.
“I’m optimistic about 2026,” Williams said. “I was optimistic about 2025 and 2024 … and that optimism proved to be incorrect. But while we went into some of those previous years with optimism, we never saw some of the positive movement that we’ve seen so far in 2026.
“So, I do think this optimism is better than just ‘this year has got to be better than last year,’ which is kind of what I think myself and every other trucking company leader has felt like. We’re seeing real-world key performance indicators. Rates are improving, capacity has tightened, tender rejector rates are going up substantially.”
