| R+L Carriers, Inc. | |
| Type: | Private |
| Foundation: | 1965 |
| Founder: | Ralph L. "Larry" Roberts (1945-2023) |
| Location: | Wilmington, Ohio, USA |
| Area Served: | 50 States U.S. Virgin Islands Canada Puerto Rico Dominican Republic |
| Key People: | Ralph L. "Larry" Roberts I (Founder) Roby Roberts (CEO) Robert G. Zimmerman (President) |
| Num Employees: | Under 10,000 (2015) |
| Homepage: | rlcarriers.com |
| Industry: | Less than truckload (LTL) Shipping |
R+L Carriers is a privately owned American freightshipping company based in Wilmington, Ohio, which grew over the course of 50 years from one truck to a fleet of 21,000 tractors and trailers.[1] The company serves all 48 contiguous American states plus Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic.
In 1965, Ralph L. "Larry" Roberts I and Ronald Campbell Jr. (1942-2020) purchased a single truck they used to haul furniture. This is when it was called R+L trucking, but Ronald Campbell Jr. left due to a worry that he wouldn’t be able to see his family. The business grew with the purchase of intrastate and interstate authority from Mayflower Moving and Storage, becoming R+L Carriers, Inc.[2] When the early 1980s brought deregulation to the trucking industry with the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, the company became incorporated in conjunction with the design of a new system that resulted in the birth of R+L Transfer, Inc.
The initial operation was contained within Ohio, but soon expanded to five other Midwestern and Southern states. The May 1989 acquisition of Gator Freightways, Inc. further developed the company in the South. Growth continued with the purchase of Greenwood Motor Lines, Inc. in April 1992.[3] In March 1996, the company purchased Herder Truck Lines, Inc.,[4] a Texas-based carrier, and expansion escalated. During the next five years, terminals and service were added to New York City and to 23 more states. Soon after, total coverage to New York State was achieved and partnerships to provide service to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Puerto Rico were developed. Expanded coverage in Western states laid the groundwork for continued growth as 2003 brought about the opening of six additional Western states and yet another in 2005. Expansion continued in 2006 as operations began in Oregon and Washington. The final phase of expansion came in the spring of 2007 with expansion to northern California. This included service centers in three major markets of Fresno, Sacramento, and Oakland. Expansion would quickly continue into Southern California with facilities in Fontana and Los Angeles which completed the west coast expansion providing full state coverage. R+L Carriers ships an average of 45,000 shipments to these areas per day.[5]