Company History - Crete Carrier Corporation - Nationwide Trucking (2024)

1927 - Humble Beginnings

Hunt Transportation got our start in 1927, primarily hauling livestock from our headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.

Our location in the Midwest put us in a strategic position to offer our transport services to multiple clients in the livestock and agricultural equipment industry.

1937 - Shaffer Gets Its Start

Shaffer Trucking began in New Kingstown, Pennsylvania delivering chocolate for nearby Hershey, which remains an important customer. Shaffer started out as one of the first domestic shippers of confectionery products and has grown to be one of the nation’s largest food and temperature-sensitive carriers.

1966 - The Beginning of a Business

The Crete Carrier Corporation story starts in Crete, Nebraska, in 1966. We began with six leased trailers and our very first customer, ALPO dog food. Our operation was small, but big things were just around the bend.

1971 - A Legacy in the Making

Duane and Phyllis Acklie purchased Crete Carrier Corporation. Duane was an attorney and Nebraska native who served nearly 10 years in the United States Army. Midwestern values and a commitment to service provided the foundation for the Acklies as they built Crete Carrier into one of the nation’s top trucking companies.

1973 - Putting Down Our Roots

In 1973, the Acklies relocated Crete Carrier Corporation to our current corporate headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Acklie family purchased a 5-acre plot of hard-surface parking for a West Lincoln terminal. According to Duane, "It was almost unheard of to spend that much money for just a place to park trucks. Our whole family pitched in, and we received no salary in 1973."

With a headquarters now located in Nebraska's capital city, the foundation for Crete Carrier's coming growth was established.

1974 - Crete Carrier Goes Cool

In 1974, Crete Carrier Corporation acquired Shaffer Trucking, a temperature-sensitive carrier based in New Kingstown, Pennsylvania.

Since joining Crete Carrier Corporation in 1974, Shaffer Trucking has continued to build on its reputation as one of the nation’s premier providers of temp controlled services. The merger with Sunflower Carriers, another Crete Carrier Corporation company, created one of the largest refrigerated transportation fleets in the country.

1979 - Our Expansion Continues

In 1979, Crete Carrier Corporation continued our expansion into refrigerated trucking with the purchase of Sunflower Carriers, a refrigerated trucking company out of York, Nebraska. The Sunflower line was then eventually merged with Shaffer Trucking to create a single refrigerated trucking division.

1987 - Acquisition Fuels Steady Growth

Crete Carrier Corporation expanded the dry van fleet by acquiring Hilt Truck Lines based in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The move boosted Crete Carrier into a position among the leaders of the American trucking industry.

1999 - Branching Into a New Market

With a new millennium on the horizon Crete Carrier Corporation added a new line of service with the purchase of Omaha-based Hunt Transportation.

Hunt Transportation has provided open deck and specialized transportation services throughout the nation since their founding in 1927, when they primarily hauled livestock to the Omaha Stockyards.

Today Hunt Transportation continues the connection with agriculture, hauling machinery for some of the biggest names in the business.

2012 - A Major Milestone

Shaffer Trucking celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2012, with 38 of those years as part of Crete Carrier Corporation. The company that began in rural Pennsylvania hauling chocolate was now among the nation's leaders in temperature-controlled trucking.

2012 - A Fleet of Honor

In 2012, Crete Carrier Corporation introduced their Patriot Fleet, which awards 5 military veteran drivers annually with a custom-wrapped truck commemorating their military service as well as their driving career. Crete, Shaffer, and Hunt continue to be strong supporters of all military servicemen and women.

2016 - 50 Years of Excellence

Crete Carrier Corporation celebrated 50 years in the trucking and transportation business in 2016. What began as a local Nebraska company with a single client grew into a coast to coast player and a leader in over the road transport only a half-century later.

Present Day - A Nationwide Leader in Transport

Today, Crete Carrier Corporation has grown into a transporter of virtually any product and operates more than 5,000 tractors and over 13,000 trailers throughout the continental United States.

On the flatbed side, Hunt Transportation operates more than 150 tractors and 330 flatbed, drop-deck, and RGN trailers across the United States.

While this makes us one of the largest trucking companies in the world, Crete, Shaffer, and Hunt will always deliver on the little things that matter most to our customers.