Freight service opens terminal in Cape

A freight service that formerly operated through another local carrier in the area has begun doing its own trucking in Cape Girardeau.

Vitran Express is a less-than-truckload service, meaning its shipments average 1,600 pounds. The company made its first deliveries Monday from the new trucking terminal at 4178 Highway K.

Vitran offers LTT service throughout Canada and the United States, using its own infrastructure and exclusive partners.

The company assists people who have distribution warehouses in the area, picking up and delivering raw material or finished products weighing 100 to 22,000 pounds. It specializes in next-day delivery within a primary service area of 20 states in the Midwest, and two- and three-day delivery throughout the rest of the country.

Vitran has just begun the initial hiring process and has five local drivers, said Doug Scheper, the company's local account manager, adding that it anticipates hiring five to 10 more employees as the company continues to grow.

Vitran is headquartered in Toronto and is the largest LTT carrier in Canada.

"We do a lot of residential deliveries, too," said Scheper. He said the company works with eBay shippers. "We've transported everything from a kayak to a jukebox."

Local commercial real estate broker Tom Kelsey of Lorimont Place Ltd. handled the lease transaction of the 3.5-acre property. It is a 6,500-square-foot facility with an 18-door cross dock.

Originally built and used by Elfrink Truck Lines in the early 1970s and most recently used by TNT Holland Trucking, the Cape Girardeau property has a freight warehouse, offices and truck shop area.

"It makes a good location to be able to provide the services," Scheper said. The company will serve Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Tennessee and Western Kentucky. "We're providing what I would consider an above-average wage for this area and good benefits."

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137