Estes Express Lines is a privately owned American freight transportation provider based in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 1931 by W. W. Estes, the company is still owned and operated by the Estes family. Robey W. Estes Jr., became the company's president in 1990, then chairman and CEO in 2001. He was succeeded by his son Webb Estes as COO and President in 2023.[2]
Estes is the largest privately held less-than-truckload (LTL) company in the United States. As of, it had approximately 20,000 employees, more than 6,700 tractors and 30,000 trailers, and a network of over 240 terminals.[3]
History
The company was founded near Chase City, Virginia, by cotton farmer Webb Wallace ("W.W.") Estes (1897–1971). Estes started providing livestock moving services for local farmers in 1931[4] with a used Chevrolet truck. By 1932 the trucking business was also hauling general freight and provided enough revenue for Estes to hire his first driver. The following year, Estes opened a home office for the trucking business in Chase City.