FreightWaves Classics: Evans Delivery has grown from its first two trucks

Overview 

Evans Delivery Co. was founded by Albert L. Evans, Sr. in 1939. His company began with two trucks handling less-than-truckload (LTL) freight in and around Pottsville, Pennsylvania, which is now about two hours northwest of Philadelphia. 

The company continued to grow in the regional LTL market and gradually expanded its operational area throughout Pennsylvania, as well as into New Jersey, New York and Maryland. In 1973, Evans Delivery began intermodal services to serve the steamship lines that called on the Port of Philadelphia. 

In 1989, Evans Delivery sold its LTL operations while continuing to expand its intermodal and truckload markets. 

Since then, the company’s intermodal drayage service has expanded to serve most of the major ports and railroads in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. 

The company now has more than 700 service center locations throughout the nation, “with access to over 8,000 owner-operators, providing transportation services in the port drayage/intermodal, flatbed, van truckload and freight brokerage markets.”

Services

With locations in all of the key East Coast port marine terminals, rail facilities and major inland ports and rail ramps, Evans Delivery Company has interchange agreements with all the major steamship lines and railroads. It also has direct contact with importers, exporters, freight forwarders, non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs, which perform all the services of an ocean carrier although they do not operate the vessels) and customs brokers. These working relationships mean that customers’ international transportation needs are taken care of. 

The company is the largest provider of intermodal drayage services in the United States. Those services include:

• Ocean container drayage – local/regional/long distance
• Temperature-controlled equipment handling
• Rail trailer drayage – local/regional/long distance
• Flatbed transportation
• Intermodal transportation
• Container yard operations
• Container freight station operations
• HazMat-certified

As impressive as the above information may be, Evans Delivery, Inc. is just part of The Evans Network of Companies. The Network is headquartered in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. Some of the companies affiliated with the Network are shown below.

Beginning with the two trucks of the Evans Delivery Company, The Evans Network of Companies has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, evolving from an asset-heavy LTL trucking operation into the largest asset light, independent intermodal drayage provider in North America. Among the services the Network provides are truckload, flatbed LTL/final mile, logistics and transportation solutions.

The Evans Network’s truckload services include regional and national truckload service using both 48-foot and 53-foot vans. The company also has a nationwide network of qualified owner-operators with flatbed, drop deck, step deck and specialized equipment. They can deliver regularly scheduled shipments and/or one-time loads. The Evans Network also offers heavy-haul and specialized capabilities.

In regard to The Evans Network’s LTL and final-mile solutions, it manages inbound, outbound and drop shipments for its customers. These services vary from a few shipments weekly to hundreds per day, and from one location to multiple locations across the United States. As part of these services, the network offers: logistics management; drop shipment management; inbound logistics management; project logistics management; white glove delivery and installations; and reverse logistics that returns unwanted merchandise to the original sender.

Summary

The Network’s companies have a track record of more than 80 years. In total, the Network manages over $2 billion annually in transportation spend. With over 750 agent locations nationwide, the Network has relationships with over 8,000 independent contractor owner-operators.

Many trucking companies begun prior to World War II have gone out of business, and for many reasons (Interstate Commerce Commission regulations, deregulation, a flawed business model, competition, and hundreds of other reasons). However, some have survived and thrived. 

What began as Evans Delivery Company, a two-truck operation in 1939, has become a much bigger, much more sophisticated operation that offers its customers a wide range of services across the nation.

Source: freightwaves - FreightWaves Classics: Evans Delivery has grown from its first two trucks
Editor: Scott Mall