In 1966, Carl Moyes and Jerry Godell started Common Market with one truck. Jerry and Vickie Moyes along with Jerry Godell, started Common Market Distributing Company. Common Market had four customers: American Fence Company, Marathon Steel, Swift Fresh Meat Company and Common Market Trading which was Godell’s own company.
1968
Carl Moyes purchases the Swift Fresh Meat company’s stock and starts operating under the name, Swift Transportation. Jerry continued to run Common Market while Carl operated Swift.
In 1972, Common Market and Swift Transportation merged, keeping the Swift Transportation name. Jerry’s brother, Ronald and family friend Randy Knight join the family business and decide to work as partners. Swift primarily hauled Arizona-grown cotton from the West Coast for shipment overseas using flatbeds and vans.
1978
Swift’s fleet grows to 25 trucks-flatbed, van and refrigerated- traveling from Phoenix to Los Angeles and up to San Francisco Bay and back. About half of the trucks are driven by Owner Operators, and the fleet includes stretch trailers, drop decks, 40-foot flatbeds, and 15 45-foot vans.
By 1983, Swift expands to 10 terminals and offered: Intermodal, Refrigerated, Dry Van, and Flatbed solutions. IN 1984, Swift’s revenue reached $25 million. Swift quickly saw the need to help drivers enter the Truck Driving career and in 1987, Swift establishes the first driver training school in Phoenix, known as Swift Academy. The school is certified by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Continuing the successful acquisition strategy, Swift purchases flatbed company Kaibab in 1990 with a 26% fleet increase to over 1300 trucks, and $156 million. Swift files an Initial Public Offering and goes public for the first time in the company’s history. In 1991, Swift acquired Arthur H. Fulton, a beverage carrier with several large beer company contracts, expanding its services into the Southeast. The acquisition costs $8.4 million. Revenues grows 21.8 percent, despite a deepening recession in the US. The Interstate Truckload Carrier Conference names Swift one of the top three carriers in the US, with the best safety record of companies operating in excess of 100 million miles. By 1993, two-thirds of Swift’s business was in the West, bringing attention to increase a presence in the East with further acquisitions. Swift further expands and acquires West’s Best Freight Systems of Lewiston, Idaho. The acquisitions continue in 1994, Swift acquires East-West Transportation and Missouri-Nebraska Express (MNX) for $40 million, further expanding the company’s nationwide reach. Within the first 90 days after Swift begins managing MNX, they reverses their previous monthly losses of $1 million a month and generates $1 million of net income. 1996, Swift buys the dry freight operations of Navajo Shippers for more than $7 million, bringing with it trucking equipment and 30 Owner Operators. By 1999, Swift exceeds $1 billion in revenues for the first time in company history as revenues rise 21.5 percent. Swift becomes one of the founders of Transplace.com, “the Supermarket for Transportation Solutions.” Transplace is supported by a fleet of more than 40,000 trucks from the partner carriers, making it a leading force in the logistics field.
Swift starts the year 2000 with buying an initial 49 percent of Mexican transportation firm Trans-Mex, beginning a distinctive relationship with the carrier. In 2001, Swift buys MS Carriers, making Swift the largest publicly held truckload motor carrier in the United States. Despite a tough start to the year, Swift’s revenues rise 7 percent, crossing the $2 billion mark for the first time. Swift acquires Cardinal Freight Carriers’ van division and hires 350 of the company’s Drivers and 200 Owner Operators. Swift partners with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company for temperature-controlled intermodal shipping of its perishable food. 2003 is no different, Swift continues to grow with purchasing assets of Merit Distribution Services, Inc. Swift decides to buy the remaining 51 percent of Trans-Mex in 2004, making it the only United States trucking company with a 100 percent ownership interest in a Mexican carrier. Swift creates a heavy haul business that evolves into a helpful option for many weight –sensitive shippers. Swift reduces its minimum age requirement for new drivers from 22 to 21. Swift Charities debuts with a commitment to helping kids live better lives. In 2005, Trans-Mex opens a new facility in Nuevo Laredo worth $8 million. Swift launches its intermodal container-on-flat-car business and considers it a major growth opportunity. Swift drivers boast a 98.9 percent on-time rate. Trans-Mex begins using a trade processing system in 2007, designed to expedite cross-border commerce. The Automated Commercial Environment known as “ACE” offers customers faster customs clearances. Swift’s Intermodal business receives $70 million worth of new contracts, building momentum in the sector. The company orders 750 additional 53-foot steel intermodal containers, bringing its container fleet to 5,750. Swift has 17,900 drivers out of 21,900 total full-time employees with the company. Swift drivers cover 35 million miles per week across 26 states with an industry-leading on-time delivery rate. The Environmental Protection Agency awards Swift its SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award in 2009.
Swift made capital markets history in 2010, with the largest trucking IPO ever and the second-largest US IPO of 2010 after General Motors. In 2011, Swift launches a container-on-flat-car freight service that covers all major centers in North America as well as Northeastern Mexico, Central Mexico, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. The service uses Kansas City Southern Railroad and its partner, Kansas City Southern de Mexico Railroad for the service. September 10, 2017 Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. announced the completion of the merger of Knight Transportation, Inc. and Swift Transportation Company. Swift and Knight continues to maintain the distinct Knight and Swift brands and operations while implementing best practices across the enterprise. Kevin Knight is named President of Swift Transportation.
November 13, 2020, Adam Miller takes over as President of Swift Transportation. Kevin Knight continues as Knight-Swift’s Executive Chairman of the Board with the primary focus of strategic growth. In 2021, Knight-Swift Transportation continues to acquire more companies under the KNX umbrella with acquiring a majority ownership position in Eleos, a Greenville, SC based software provider. Eleos has created an independent and programmable mobile driver workflow platform for trucking fleets and truck operators and will help KNX continue to become the leader in technology within the industry. June 1, 2021, Knight-Swift acquired Missouri-based UTXL, Inc., a premier third-party logistics company, specializing in over-the-road full truckload and multi-stop loads in any length of haul throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In July of 2021, Knight-Swift added LTL to the family of companies with the acquisition of AAA Cooper Transportation and an affiliated entity ("AAA Cooper"). AAA Cooper is a leading less-than-truckload ("LTL") carrier that also offers dedicated contract carriage and ancillary services. September of 2021, Knight-Swift announces the creation of bundled affordable services for truckload carriers called Iron Truck Services. Iron Truck services offer Insurance, Fuel programs, Maintenance, Truck sales, and rentals. In December of 2021, Knight-Swift continues to expand the LTL footprint with the acquisition of Midwest Motor Express and Midnight Motor Express, expanding LTL in 15 states.
