RICHMOND, Va. — Less-than-load carrier Estes Express Lines is one of several carriers to acquire terminals that once belonged to Yellow after that company declared bankruptcy and shuttered in 2023.
Estes officials immediately began renovating the properties to suit their own company standards.
Last week, Estes held a grand opening event for its terminal in Florence, South Carolina, and announced the opening of two additional terminals in Reno, Nevada, and Cinnaminson, New Jersey.
The Reno and Cinnaminson terminals are among the 24 terminals Estes acquired from Yellow in a court-supervised bankruptcy auction, a news release states.
Estes also has added more than 130 tractors and 6,000 trailers, along with thousands of other pieces of equipment, such as load bars, air bags and freight tables to its fleet as part of the Yellow acquisitions.
It will add a total of 985 doors to Estes’ network.
“These acquisitions represent the single biggest influx of terminals and equipment in Estes’ recent history,” said Webb Estes, president and COO. “I applaud our team for their speed and agility, which allowed us to integrate these assets into our operations quickly and seamlessly. It exemplifies the grit, resiliency, and can-do spirit of Team Estes and how we work together to provide exceptional service to our customers.”
Highlights of some of the newest terminals include:
- The Florence terminal has 58 doors, 20,500 square feet of dock area and 7,200 square feet of office space on a 13-acre site that parallels Interstate 95 near Interstate 20
- The Reno terminal has 54 doors, 18,000 square feet of dock area and 2,340 square feet of office space on a 10-acre lot off Interstate 80
- Cinnaminson terminal has 92 doors, 32,000 square feet of dock area, 6,900 square feet of office space and a seven-bay-door maintenance shop located on a 13-acre site near I-95, Interstate 295 and U.S. 130
Some of the additional locations for terminals coming online as part of the Yellow acquisition include Tacoma, Washington, San Fernando Valley, California, Boynton Beach, Florida, Detroit, Michigan, and Austin, Texas.
Estes plans to open an additional six terminals across the U.S. by the end of June, with the remaining of the Yellow-acquired properties following soon after, the news release notes.
“New terminal capacity doesn’t just ease congestion; it unlocks efficiency, reliability, and value for our customers, paving the way for smoother operations and an enhanced experience,” said Carrie Johnstone, vice president of customer experience and innovation at Estes. “Acquiring these terminals was just step one – we’re now focused on putting them to work as quickly as possible to better serve our customers, which is exactly what we’re doing with these first ones.”
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
