Logistics companies specialize in shipping goods or merchandise from one destination to another. They include trucking companies as well as such services as delivery of packages, freight brokerage, warehousing, customs brokerage, and railroads.

US logistics sector is among the largest in the world. US companies range from those owning significant assets like trucks and warehouses to the ones providing shipping management services only.

In this article, we’ll discuss the 10 largest logistics companies in the US, including the main types of services they provide, ranging from delivery services to freight brokerage, warehousing, railroads, and trucking companies.

Quick Comparison

Rank	Company		Founded	Owner / Founders	Headquarters	Core Focus
1	UPS		1907	Founded by Jim Casey & Claude Ryan; publicly listed (NYSE: UPS); led by CEO Carol Tomé	Atlanta, Georgia	Package Delivery & Logistics
2	FedEx		1971	Founded by Fred Smith; publicly listed (NYSE: FDX); led by CEO Raj Subramaniam	Memphis, Tennessee	Express Delivery & Air Freight
3	C.H. Robinson		1905	Founded by Charles Henry Robinson; publicly listed (Nasdaq: CHRW); led by CEO David Bozeman	Eden Prairie, Minnesota	Freight Brokerage & 3PL Services
4	GXO Logistics		2021	Spun off from XPO; publicly listed (NYSE: GXO); led by CEO Patrick Kelleher	Greenwich, Connecticut	Warehousing & Contract Logistics
5	Expeditors International		1979	Founded by John Kaiser & partners; publicly listed (Nasdaq: EXPD); led by CEO Daniel Wall	Bellevue, Washington	Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage
6	Ryder System		1933	Founded by James Ryder; publicly listed (NYSE: R); led by CEO John Diez	Coral Gables, Florida	Fleet Management & Supply Chain
7	Union Pacific Railroad		1862	Chartered by the US government; publicly listed (NYSE: UNP); led by CEO Jim Vena	Omaha, Nebraska	Rail Freight Transport
8	XPO		2011	Founded by Brad Jacobs; publicly listed (NYSE: XPO); led by CEO Mario Harik	Greenwich, Connecticut	Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight
9	J.B. Hunt		1961	Founded by Johnnie & Johnelle Hunt; publicly listed (Nasdaq: JBHT); led by CEO Shelley Simpson	Lowell, Arkansas	Trucking & Intermodal Freight
10	Kenco Group		1950	Founded by Jim Kennedy Jr. & Sam Smartt Sr.; privately held, family-owned	Chattanooga, Tennessee	Warehousing & Third-Party Logistics

UPS – The World’s Largest Package Delivery Company

Image Courtesy: Adobe (Official Website)

• Founded: 1907 
• Owner: Founded by Jim Casey & Claude Ryan; publicly listed, led by CEO Carol Tomé 
• Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

UPS picks up and delivers packages for people and businesses around the world. It started in 1907 as a small delivery service in Seattle. Over the years, it grew into one of the world’s biggest delivery companies. Today, UPS serves customers in more than 200 countries.

UPS handles both packages and freight for businesses and individuals. It also helps companies manage their supply chains and shipping needs. Its main services include package delivery, freight shipping, and logistics support. The company is known for its large delivery network.

What UPS does: Picks up and delivers packages for people and businesses everywhere.

Services: Package delivery, freight shipping, and supply chain support for businesses.

FedEx – The Pioneer of Overnight Delivery

Image Courtesy: FedEx (Official Website)

• Founded: 1971 
• Owner: Founded by Fred Smith; publicly listed, led by CEO Raj Subramaniam 
• Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee

FedEx helps people and businesses send packages and freight quickly. It started in 1971 with a focus on fast air delivery. The company became well known for its overnight delivery service. Today, FedEx handles millions of shipments around the world.

FedEx uses both planes and trucks to move packages and freight. It offers different shipping options based on speed and delivery needs. Its services include express delivery, ground shipping, air freight, and supply chain support. Businesses use FedEx for both domestic and international shipping.

What FedEx does: Delivers packages and freight quickly using planes and trucks.

Services: Fast delivery, ground shipping, air freight, and supply chain help for businesses.

C.H. Robinson – America’s Oldest Freight Broker

Image Courtesy: C.H. Robinson (Official Website)

• Founded: 1905 
• Owner: Founded by Charles Henry Robinson; publicly listed, led by CEO David Bozeman 
• Headquarters: Eden Prairie, Minnesota

C.H. Robinson does not own a large fleet of trucks. Instead, it connects businesses that need to ship goods with transportation companies. The company started in 1905 and later moved into the freight business. Today, it is one of the world’s largest freight brokers.

C.H. Robinson helps businesses find carriers to move their goods. It also helps plan shipments and manage transportation. Its services include freight brokerage, shipping planning, warehousing, and global freight support. This makes shipping easier for businesses that need transportation services.

What C.H. Robinson does: Matches businesses that need to ship goods with carriers that can move them.

Services: Freight matching, shipping planning, warehousing, and worldwide freight support.

GXO Logistics – A Global Leader in Warehousing

Image Courtesy: GXO Logistics (Official Website)

• Founded: 2021 
• Owner: Spun off from XPO as an independent company; publicly listed, led by CEO Patrick Kelleher 
• Headquarters: Greenwich, Connecticut

GXO Logistics mainly manages warehouses for other companies. It became an independent company in 2021 after separating from XPO. The company helps businesses store and manage their products. It also uses technology to make warehouse work faster and more efficient.

GXO handles tasks such as storing products, packing orders, and preparing shipments. It also helps businesses manage online orders and product returns. Its services include warehousing, order fulfillment, packing, and returns management. It works with businesses across many industries.

What GXO Logistics does: Runs warehouses and handles storage and shipping for other companies.

Services: Warehousing, order packing, online order fulfillment, and returns handling.

Expeditors International – A Freight Forwarder Without Its Own Trucks

Image Courtesy:Expeditors International (Official Website)

• Founded: 1979 
• Owner: Founded by John Kaiser and a group of partners; publicly listed, led by CEO Daniel Wall 
• Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington

Expeditors helps businesses move goods around the world without owning their own trucks, planes, or ships. The company started in 1979 as a small office handling ocean shipments. Today, it manages shipments for businesses across many countries. It works with different transportation providers to move goods.

The company handles many parts of the shipping process for its customers. This includes arranging transportation and helping with customs paperwork. Its services include air and ocean freight, customs clearance, warehousing, and delivery planning. This allows businesses to manage international shipping more easily.

What Expeditors International does: Plans and manages shipments for companies without owning any transportation itself.

Services: Air and ocean shipping, customs paperwork, warehousing, and delivery planning.

Ryder System – A Leader in Fleet Rental and Management

Image Courtesy: Ryder System (Official Website)

• Founded: 1933 
• Owner: Founded by James Ryder; publicly listed, led by CEO John Diez 
• Headquarters: Coral Gables, Florida

Ryder started in 1933 with just one truck. The company later began renting trucks to other businesses instead of only moving freight itself. This rental business became an important part of Ryder’s growth. Today, Ryder helps companies manage their transportation needs.

Ryder provides trucks and other fleet services to businesses. It can help companies rent, lease, maintain, and manage their vehicles. Its services include truck rental, leasing, supply chain support, dedicated transportation, and vehicle maintenance. This helps businesses manage their fleets without handling everything themselves.

What Ryder System does: Rents and manages trucks and supply chains for other businesses.

Services: Truck rental and leasing, supply chain help, dedicated trucking, and truck repairs.

Union Pacific Railroad – Moving Freight by Train Across the West

Image Courtesy: Union Pacific Railroad (Official Website)

• Founded: 1862 
• Owner: Originally chartered by the US government; now publicly listed, led by CEO Jim Vena 
• Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska

Union Pacific moves goods mainly by train instead of trucks. It was founded in 1862 and became an important part of America’s railroad system. Today, it operates one of the largest freight railroad networks in the country. Its trains move goods across the western United States.

Union Pacific transports many different types of products by rail. These include grain, coal, chemicals, and shipping containers. Moving large amounts of goods by train can help businesses transport freight over long distances. The company plays an important role in the U.S. supply chain.

What Union Pacific Railroad does: Moves large amounts of freight by train across the western United States.

Services: Rail transport for goods like coal, grain, chemicals, and shipping containers.

XPO – A Fast-Growing Freight Company Built Through Deals

Image Courtesy: XPO (Official Website)

• Founded: 2011 
• Owner: Founded by Brad Jacobs; publicly listed, led by CEO Mario Harik 
• Headquarters: Greenwich, Connecticut

XPO focuses mainly on moving smaller freight shipments by truck. The company started in 2011 and grew quickly by buying other transportation and logistics businesses. It later separated its warehousing business into GXO Logistics. Today, XPO mainly focuses on LTL freight.

LTL means less-than-truckload, where several customers share space on the same truck. XPO moves these smaller shipments across different parts of the country. Its services include LTL freight shipping, freight brokerage, and logistics technology. This helps businesses ship goods without needing a full truck.

What XPO does: Moves smaller freight shipments across the country using its own trucks.

Services: Freight shipping, freight matching, and logistics technology tools.

J.B. Hunt – A Pioneer of Combining Trucks and Trains

Image Courtesy: J.B. Hunt (Official Website)

• Founded: 1961 
• Owner: Founded by Johnnie & Johnelle Hunt; publicly listed, led by CEO Shelley Simpson 
• Headquarters: Lowell, Arkansas

J.B. Hunt moves freight using both trucks and trains. The company started in 1961 with a small number of trucks. In the 1980s, it began combining truck and rail transportation through intermodal shipping. This helped the company grow into a major transportation provider.

J.B. Hunt helps businesses move goods across long distances using different types of transportation. Its services include intermodal shipping, trucking, freight brokerage, and last-mile delivery. By combining trucks and trains, it can offer different options for moving freight. The company serves businesses across North America.

What J.B. Hunt does: Moves freight using trucks, trains, and dedicated delivery fleets.

Services: Truck and train shipping, dedicated fleets, freight matching, and last-mile delivery.

Kenco Group – A Family-Owned Warehousing Specialist

Image Courtesy: Kenco Group (Official Website)

• Founded: 1950 
• Owner: Founded by Jim Kennedy Jr. & Sam Smartt Sr.; privately held, family-owned 
• Headquarters: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Kenco Group focuses mainly on warehousing and supply chain services. It started in 1950 with a small warehouse in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The company has remained family-owned since it was founded. Today, Kenco manages warehouse operations for businesses in different industries.

Kenco helps businesses store, organize, and prepare products for shipment. Its work includes managing warehouse space, packing products, and supporting deliveries. Its services include warehousing, product storage, order packing, and shipping support. This helps businesses manage their products more efficiently.

What Kenco Group does: Manages warehouses and storage space for other companies’ products.

Services: Warehousing, product storage, packing, and shipping support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which is the oldest logistics company on this list? 

Union Pacific Railroad is the oldest, chartered all the way back in 1862 to help build America’s first cross-country railroad.

Which company is the largest package delivery service? 

UPS is the largest package delivery company in the world, delivering billions of packages every year to over 200 countries.

Do all logistics companies own trucks? 

No. Companies like C.H. Robinson and Expeditors International arrange shipping through other companies instead of owning trucks, ships, or planes themselves.

Which company focuses mainly on warehousing instead of moving freight? 

GXO Logistics and Kenco Group both focus mainly on running warehouses instead of moving freight themselves.

Which company moves freight by train instead of by road? 

Union Pacific Railroad moves freight mainly by train across the western United States, instead of using trucks.

What is the difference between a trucking company and a freight broker? 

A trucking company owns its own trucks and drivers. A freight broker like C.H. Robinson just connects shippers with other companies’ trucks instead of owning a fleet.

Are logistics companies in the USA regulated? 

Yes, trucking, rail, and freight companies must follow federal rules about safety, driver hours, and fair business practices.

Which company on this list is owned by one family? 

Kenco Group has stayed owned by the founding Kennedy and Smartt families since it started in 1950.

What does it mean when a company is “asset-light”? 

It means the company, like Expeditors International, manages shipping for customers without owning the trucks, ships, or planes used to move the goods.

Why do these ten companies matter to everyday people? 

These companies move the goods that fill store shelves and online orders, so their trucks, trains, and warehouses quietly keep daily life running.

Conclusion

America’s logistics industry is more diverse than one may think. From delivery companies like UPS and FedEx, to freight brokerages like C.H. Robinson, to warehousing companies like GXO and Kenco, and even a railroad company like Union Pacific, there are plenty of companies in the industry that specialize in different areas of transporting goods.

The ten companies featured in this list are great examples of the various ways that goods are delivered across the country on a daily basis and will continue to be as e-commerce continues to grow.