US Xpress Expands Expedited Refrigerated Service

U.S. Xpress Enterprises is expanding its expedited refrigerated trucking service, bringing its total number of reefer teams to 100, the company said Wednesday.

The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company plans to expand its expedited refrigerated service, which it launched six months ago, to 250 trucks by the end of 2012. The service’s primary lanes run between California and the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast and California and the Upper Midwest.

Using teams, U.S. Xpress says it can haul perishables coast-to-coast in three days. U.S. Xpress, the fourth-largest U.S. truckload carrier, is one of several full truckload haulers expanding into the premium-priced expedited refrigerated market.

“Shippers are looking for financially-stable, technology-driven reefer carriers who can meet stringent CSA standards and are positioned for growth,” said John White, president of U.S. Xpress, the truckload arm of U.S. Xpress Enterprises.

CRST, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based truckload carrier, launched an expedited team refrigerated service from Southern California to the Northeast last week.

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc