Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (referred to as Knight-Swift) is a publicly traded,
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
motor carrier holding company based in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. It is the fifth largest trucking company in the United States. The company's primary subsidiaries are
truckload
Truckload shipping is the movement of large amounts of homogeneous cargo, generally the amount necessary to fill an entire semi-trailer or intermodal container. A truckload carrier is a trucking company that generally contracts an entire trailer-l ...
carriers Knight Transportation,
Swift 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 t ...
(LTL) carrier
AAA Cooper. 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
Swift Transportation, 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 Harb ...
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 world' ...
. 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 c ...
(KNX) in 1994.
![Truck 181 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Truck_181_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2017, Knight Transportation merged with
Swift Transportation 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
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and "time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppres ...
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
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 t ...
(LTL) freight in July 2021 when it acquired southeastern regional LTL firm
AAA Cooper 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
*
Knight RefrigeratedKnight BrokerageKnight Truck Sales
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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