Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. brings together two long-running U.S. truckload carriers—Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation—under a single holding company formed by their merger. The combination preserved the distinct Knight and Swift brands while aligning network practices and shared services, creating one of the largest truckload platforms in North America. The company’s story traces back to regional trucking roots that scaled through terminal additions, fleet growth, and the decision to join forces to operate as a multi-brand enterprise.
At its core, Knight-Swift operates a broad truckload business that spans irregular route, dedicated, refrigerated, expedited, flatbed, and cross-border service, supplemented by intermodal and a sizable non-asset logistics arm. Beyond truckload, the company added a nationwide less-than-truckload operation through the acquisition of AAA Cooper Transportation, giving customers pallet-level service alongside full-truck offerings. Together, these segments let shippers match service to freight characteristics—from single-temperature food loads to scheduled LTL linehaul—within one provider.
The operating footprint covers the contiguous United States with reach into Canada and Mexico via cross-border capabilities, supported by a dense terminal and yard network across major freight corridors. Knight-Swift’s LTL platform has been built around established regional carriers such as AAA Cooper (and later integrations), allowing direct coverage in key lanes and interline connections where needed to extend service. The scale of its over-the-road fleet and the breadth of terminal locations underpin predictable pickup, linehaul, and delivery cycles across North American manufacturing and retail hubs.
The company is known for a multi-brand, multi-segment model: long-haul and dedicated truckload fleets, an integrated LTL network, intermodal containers tied to rail partners, and a brokerage that orchestrates third-party capacity. Industry profiles and company materials consistently describe Knight-Swift as one of the largest truckload carriers in the U.S., reflecting its combined scale and the decision to keep legacy brands active inside the holding company. That structure—truckload at the center, with LTL, logistics, and intermodal alongside—explains how the enterprise serves a broad mix of shippers across varied freight types without relying on a single service line.