Mission

Cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships by delivering value driven transportation services. We develop long-term partnerships by delivering value driven transportation services to all of our customers. From our driver, through our staff, we look forward to becoming an active partner in your current and future refrigerated transportation needs. As a team, Northern Refrigerated Transport has the ability to ensure efficient services to our clients. You do not have to worry about the security and safety of your product while it is in our care. Your product will always be under a watchful eye while in the care of our company. Values Customer Service We are committed to service our customers to the best of our ability and encourage our customers’ participation for continuous improvement. Ethics & Honesty Relationships with customers, employees, and vendors based on sound, ethical and honest business practices. Personnel The future of our companies is our employees. Their pride and commitment to the companies comes from the companies’ pride and commitment to them! Safety Our unwavering focus on safety protects our employees, their families, the companies, and our communities in which we work. Fiscal Responsibility Paramount to the future successes of the companies is to profitably grow the business, which allows us to reinvest in its infrastructure and personnel. Long Term Business Decisions We methodically plan and adapt for the future good of our companies. Our difference People often ask “what is our claim to fame?” In other words, what has made us the #1 LTL carrier on the West Coast? We did not follow a complicated formula to achieve this level of success. We adopted a “can-do” attitude. We believe it is important to go the extra mile in order to provide you with value-driven transportation services. We are Committed to Providing Value & Satisfaction Our employees possess a strong work ethic and it is demonstrated in a variety of ways. Regardless of the size of your organization, our dedicated employees are committed to providing you with the value and satisfaction you deserve. Whether it is our professionals in Administration, Dispatch, Customer Service, our Drivers, we strive daily to be the best in the industry. One thing that separates our refrigerated transportation service from the competition is our willingness to put our customers’ needs first. This is one reason why we have experienced such a high degree of customer loyalty. Plus, our employees have an outstanding focus on providing quality service to every customer that comes on board. How are we able to accomplish this level of service? We carefully screen and qualify our new hires. It’s that simple. This is why we experience an average length of tenure that far exceeds most companies within the industry. As a result, you receive a higher level of service. Protecting the Integrity of Your Freight is Our #1 Priority Our #1 priority is to protect your freight. For this reason, our facilities in Turlock, CA and Commerce, CA are maintained at 34° throughout and each has a freezer maintained at -10°. These temperature controlled environments allow us to “cross-dock” our customers’ freight while avoiding temperature related miscues. Our cold dock infrastructure allows us to take our time to properly receive, load, and stage both inbound and outbound freight, while maintaining the temperature integrity of our customers product. Our Safety Record is among the top in the industry which benefits our employees, our products and the public at large. Our culture of continuous improvement is fueled by the willingness of our ownership group to invest in the company’s infrastructure, processes and people.

Our CompanyNorthern Refrigerated Transportation is a full service refrigerated LTL carrier. We service truckload customers, full loads, point-to-point and less than truckload. We are known for making multiple drops and pick-ups. We have a rich history that extends over 30 years. From the very beginning, our goal was to provide our valued customers with exceptional service. We are proud to have been able to accomplish that goal. We plan to continue the company’s successful legacy for years to come. Northern Milk Lines (NRT) Northern Milk Lines was established in 1947 by Frank & Adeline Mello. The company started off with hauling milk cans and tankers from small dairies to the creamery. In 1962, Frank Mello passed away, leaving his wife Adeline in control of the company. At that time, Northern Milk Lines had only one customer. The company experienced periods of success and slow periods. The struggle to survive continued for several years, but they never threw in the towel. In 1970, Adeline’s son Rick had a solution. He decided that if the company were to continue, they would need to diversify their business into the refrigerated foods market. Their first haul (with a borrowed refrigerated trailer) was from a frozen food company in Modesto, CA. Eventually, the company expanded to include hauling frozen vegetables, poultry and other chilled and frozen foods. During this time, Rick Mello and our future Vice President John Doidge were taking turns working in the office and driving trucks round the clock. Their hard work certainly paid off in the long-run. In the late 1970’s, the company moved to Ceres, CA and slowly began to expand. A small cooler and cross-dock were added to help with our ability to service the LTL market. The last milk route was eventually sold, and the company re-emerged as Northern Refrigerated Transportation. The company reinvented itself as a refrigerated carrier servicing northern California lanes. By the mid 1970’s Northern expanded its area to service the Southern California market. From the beginning of its transformation, Northern’s ambitions was to handle refrigerated LTL traffic and to surpass their competition. From 1980-1995, Northern Refrigerated Transportation began expanding into new lanes (NV, OR, WA) and acquiring other trucking firms, and adding additional Terminals in Fresno and Los Angeles. In 1995, Northern purchased 18 acres in Turlock CA for the future site of its main terminal headquarters. Our corporate terminal in Turlock was built in 1999, where we are still located today. A terminal in Clackamas OR (outside of Portland) was established in the mid 2000’s.