Friday, November 6, 2026 · Trucking & Freight
PS Logistics Adds 189 Power Units With Roane Transportation Deal
Noted by Todd Maiden · 361 reads
Loudon County Trucking adds Roane’s 189 power units, logistics and leasing operations, expanding PS Logistics’ East Tennessee flatbed network.
PS Logistics is adding 189 power units and a regional freight operation to its flatbed network through Loudon County Trucking’s purchase of Roane Transportation Services and its affiliates. The Rockwood, Tennessee, carrier will keep its name and local operating leadership as part of Loudon County Trucking.
The transaction also brings Roane’s logistics and leasing businesses into the group. Its financial terms weren’t disclosed. For shippers, the arrangement combines Roane’s existing service across the Southeast and Midwest with the wider transportation and logistics resources of PS Logistics.
Roane keeps its local operating structure
Roane hauls building materials and electrical products. Its network includes more than 170 company and third-party drivers, with a headquarters in Rockwood and terminals in Memphis, Tennessee, and El Paso, Texas. The 189 power units added to PS Logistics’ network are a separate fleet figure reported for the deal.
Roane Logistics provides warehousing and freight brokerage. Bringing those services alongside the trucking and leasing operations gives PS Logistics additional ways to handle freight needs connected to Roane’s regional customer base.
Roane will operate under its current banner as a division of Loudon County Trucking. Co-founder Steve Kennedy will continue to lead day-to-day operations, preserving a familiar point of contact for employees and customers while the business joins a larger carrier.
“The acquisition of Roane Transportation strengthens PS Logistics’ presence in East Tennessee, expanding our footprint in a region that is critical to the aluminum manufacturing sector and enhancing our ability to support both existing and new customers,” said Houston Vaughn, president of PS Logistics’ trucking division.
Kennedy said Roane’s team and customers would retain local leadership, culture and service while gaining resources and scale for further investment in people and operations. The deal’s practical test will be how the added capacity and services support customers across Roane’s current lanes and facilities.
Flatbed demand provides market context
The deal lands as some specialized flatbed segments have posted stronger activity. Data center construction is one area showing strength. Freight broker Landstar System reported elevated heavy-haul demand alongside a year-over-year increase in its flatbed business during the third quarter. Flatbed loads rose 4%, while revenue per load increased 29%, bringing flatbed business growth to 34% for the period.
Those figures describe Landstar’s business and don’t establish demand levels across the entire flatbed market. They do, however, show why carriers may be looking to add equipment and regional reach in segments where customers need specialized hauling capacity.
A continued buildout through acquisitions
Birmingham, Alabama-based PS Logistics provides asset-based transportation alongside brokerage, third-party logistics and managed transportation. It operates more than 5,000 trucks and 9,800 trailers from 65 locations across the Eastern U.S.
The company has expanded by purchasing family-owned flatbed trucking and logistics businesses since 2016. Its prior deals include 32 trucking companies and five non-asset logistics businesses, giving the Roane transaction a place in a longer-running expansion strategy.
Two earlier fleet additions illustrate the range of that growth. PS Logistics bought Birmingham-based Buddy Moore Trucking, which had more than 500 power units, two years ago. It later acquired the flatbed fleet of Kenly, North Carolina-based ELS: 90 tractors and more than 240 over-length trailers.
Roane adds a different kind of reach: a Tennessee-based carrier with facilities in Memphis and Texas, a mix of company and third-party drivers, and brokerage and warehousing operations. For customers, the key details to watch are how those services fit into Loudon County Trucking’s network and whether local management can maintain the operating relationships Roane has built.
