From Flatbed to Full Service 3PL – The Evolution of TA Services

To be in business for 35 years is no small feat. It’s something TA Services is very proud of. The journey has been a team effort and culture is something that Scott Schell, TA Services’ CEO, attributes much of TA’s success to. This quarter we have been reflecting on a few of the company’s milestones in honor of the 35th anniversary and today we want to highlight the evolution of TA Services – from a nationally recognized flatbed carrier to a full service premier 3 PL offering – the TA Services story is one of strategy, experience, innovation, and the building of strong relationships.

Founding Moments: 1980s – 1990s

TA Services was founded in 1986 on a handshake between 4 partners: Dale Hughes, Jackie Askelson, and Pat and Joanne Porritt. The company was named ‘Team America.’ Team America’s biggest job was to provide incremental truck capacity at the right economics to a small steel company called Chapparal Steel located in Midlothian, Texas. The primary focus of Team America was the Flatbed market.

In 1995, the difficult decision to rename the company was made due to a trademark issue. The partners landed on ‘TA Services’ – a name that has grown a stellar reputation across North America. In the late 90’s, TA Services reached another milestone: expansion with the steel company. TA Services helped Chapparal Steel (now known as Gerdau) start a sister mill in Petersburg, VA. It was the beginning of a long-lasting partnership that is still in full force today. From the late 1990s to today, TA Services expanded the relationship with Gerdau with a variety of added third party logistics (3PL) services. In addition to in-plant mill services, TA Services added on-site materials management, railcar loading, safety management, internal transfers/shuttles, and provided on-site manpower for special projects as needed.

Over the years, TA Services continued to expand its nationally recognized flatbed fleet, enhance its technology offering, build a range of complete third party logistics solutions including a full service brokerage and on-site materials handling, and grow its footprint from just a couple of locations to more than 20 TA Services facilities nationwide.

The Family Grows: In 2014 TA Services Becomes Part of PS Logistics

In an effort to expand its trucking services in full service brokerage, P&S Transportation acquired TA Services in 2014. The goal: to provide customers of both organizations with access to a diverse brokerage company, a nationally recognized flatbed fleet, unsurpassed technology, and a range of complete 3PL solutions.

In 2015, TA Services, P&S Transportation, and Blair Logistics united under the TA Services brand name, creating one of the largest flatbed brokerages in North America. The combined companies included over 100 employees across 25 offices and facilities in North America. As part of the PS Logistics family, TA Services has completed multiple acquisitions to further expand the company’s geographic footprint as well as diversify service offerings.

Managed Transportation Growth

In 2019, TA Services announced a merger with Birmingham, Alabama-based Sellers Logistics, a provider of managed transportation, technology, and related supply chain solutions for the industrial manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy industries. The formerly known Sellers Logistics company boasted more than 50 shipping locations and over 100,000 truckload shipments annually. That same year, TA Services was selected by Schuff Steel, one of the largest and most experienced structural steel fabricators and erectors in North America, to oversee the transport of structural steel for a large Memphis-based construction project.

When Schuff Steel was chosen by one of the nation’s leading fulfillment centers to provide materials for its new distribution center, the company looked to its core vendors for transportation support. TA Services designed a total logistics solution for the project that not only provided daily regional transportation of materials, but also managed offsite storage, additional equipment and onsite personnel needed to complete the project.

TA has several Managed Transportation customers in various industries ranging from Pipe & Tube, Steel, and Automotive.

Warehousing & Fulfilment Expansion

In 2019, TA Services acquired certain assets of Celadon Logistics. This brought a new range of service offerings including a more robust Warehousing and Fulfillment offering. With 2MM+ Sq Ft of both dedicated and multi-client warehouse sites, TA Services quickly gained scale in the Warehousing & Fulfillment space. The combination expanded TA Services’ overall brokerage and 3PL capabilities.

TA has 2M+ Sq Ft and 12 Geographic locations. Some of these facilities are single-customer dedicated facilities, some are multi-client sites. TA’s warehouse facilities offer more than just pallet in and pallet out. With a team of experts, excellent geographical coverage, advanced warehouse management systems (WMS) and other cutting-edge technology, you can rest assured that TA Services stands ready to serve and grow their future locations with you and your business in mind.

The 3 C’s: Canada, Cross-Border Logistics, Cold Chain

With the 2021 acquisition of Toronto-based Scout Logistics, TA Services entered the Canadian and perishable freight markets, rounding out the full service logistics offering in North America.

In 2020, TA Services invested in its leadership team with the addition of Andrew Welling as Director of Cross-Border Logistics. Welling focuses on building, managing, and supporting the rapid growth of TA Services’ cross-border logistics services between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as its less-than-truckload (LTL) consolidation business segment.

As a full service third party logistics provider now servicing all of North America from Mexico to Canada and everywhere in between, TA Services has moved goods and products all over the country – more than 1.1 billion miles and counting!

Leadership Investment and Industry Recognition Continue as Service & Innovation Strengthen

Over the years TA Services has received numerous industry accolades and invested heavily in leadership. In 2020, TA Services was named to Transport Topics’ Top 50 Freight Brokerage Firms and Inbound Logistics’ Top 100 Third Party Logistics Providers lists. That same year, TA Services also acquired certain assets of Top Gun Freight, a freight brokerage business located in Carmel, Indiana. As part of this acquisition, industry veteran Owner and President of Top Gun Freight, Thomas (Tommy) Hosack, joined TA Services as Vice President of Business Development.

In 2021, TA Services’ David Bowers, VP of Warehouse Operations, was recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s Pros to Know List. The Pros to Know award recognizes outstanding executives whose accomplishments offer a roadmap for other leaders looking to leverage supply chain for competitive advantage.

That same year TA Services named Reo B. Hatfield II, as Vice President of Business Development. Hatfield is a logistics leader known for his role in ending the Hatfield–McCoy feud. He brings over 40 years of experience in executive management, customer service, and transportation, guiding the development and growth of the Company’s less-than-truckload (LTL) brokerage services.

Again in 2021, TA Services was named to Transport Topics’ Top 50 Freight Brokerage Firms of 2021. That same year, the company was also recognized as a BRONZE STEVIE® AWARD WINNER FOR GREAT EMPLOYERS. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognizes the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.

Today TA provides services for more than 3,620 customers in a multitude of industries with the following full service offerings: Freight Brokerage, Managed Transportation, Warehousing & Fulfillment, and Cross-Border Logistics.

Values-Driven Growth

What started out as a strong flatbed operation has grown to a full-scale premiere multi-modal offering. But that was not by luck. Throughout all of the growth and expansion, TA Services has always remained vigilant in their values-driven approach. We look forward to seeing what TA can do in 2022 and beyond!