National less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) recently announced it opened five United States-based service centers in the second quarter, which it said is part of its growth strategy in an effort to stay up with shipper demand.
The new service centers are located in:
- Bowling Green, Ky. – OD’s new terminal is its fourth in Kentucky. The 9.9-acre facility is comprised of 43 doors, and is located near I-65 to access a service area that includes Campbellsville, Fort Campbell, Glasgow, Hopkinsville, Russellville and Scottsville in Kentucky and Portland in Tennessee;
- Casper, Wyo. – Located near the intersection of I-25 and Bypass 26, ODFL said this new facility provides greater access to central and northern Wyoming and increases shipping efficiency for its customers. The 22-door, 10-acre terminal will service Douglas, Dubois, Gillette, Glenrock, Lander, Lusk and Thermopolis. Including Casper, OD has four service centers in Wyoming;
- Lakeland, Fla. – Central Florida remains a strong area for job growth according to OD’s research. This new terminal is in close proximity to I-4, to augment a major transportation corridor between Tampa and Orlando. In addition to Lakeland, the 52-door, 16.6-acre facility will service Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Mulberry, Polk City and Winter Haven. OD has 11 service centers across the state of Florida;
- Ogden, Utah –OD has established seven service centers in Utah going back to 1995. Anticipating future growth, the company relocated from Ogden to nearby Farr West to build its latest facility in the state. Located adjacent to I-15, the 42-door, 8.1-acre terminal allows for timely access to a major north/south artery supplying the western U.S. The facility will service locations in three states: Utah - Brigham City, Clearfield, Farmington, Logan, Layton, Morgan, Snowville and Tremonton; Idaho – Malad City, Montpelier and Preston; Wyoming - Evanston and Kemmerer; and
- Parkersburg, W.Va. – OD’s second service center in West Virginia, within range of southeast Ohio, occupies 9 acres and features 32 doors. Positioned near I-77, a vital north-south route through the state, the terminal will service Buckhannon, Clarksburg, Elkins, Fairmont, Parkersburg and Ripley as well as Athens, Caldwell, Cambridge and Marietta in Ohio
ODFL said that with these new additions the company now has 320 locations in its U.S. carrier network. And it said that these terminals include best-in-class logistics technology and are strategically located to reduce shipping times, increase delivery flexibility and maximize daily volume.
“We’re always looking forward in order to maintain our commitment to deliver premium service for our customers,” said Terry Hutchins, vice president of field services and real estate, in a statement. “By continually investing in our service center network, we’re able to exceed customer expectations every day and drive efficiency, especially as capacity tightens throughout the supply chain. Old Dominion builds with an eye on future growth. Many locations have contingencies in place for additional expansion and hiring based on customer need and positive economic trends.”
ODFL President and CEO Greg Gantt recently told LM that the company is busy across the entire market, whether it is the industrial economy, the retail economy, and everything else it is in, like its medical business, for example.
“It really applies to all aspects of our industry relating to our customers’ business lines,” he said. “There is some impact on the last-mile side, too, and there are some different ways to ‘skin that cat’ by hauling product out from the Amazon’s of the world and deliver it to somebody’s home. That is one aspect. A company like Amazon not only has last-mile, they also have middle mile, with somebody bringing freight into a DC that does not always come in as a truckload. A lot of it arrives via LTL, and we think that is where we fit maybe in many cases better than in the last-mile piece of that business. But we have outlets for that, too.”