In the
1930’s, John
H. "Red"
Dove began
his
association
with the
transportation
industry by
working with
his father
hauling logs
from the
Alabama
woods to
sawmills. In
1951, Mr.
Dove bought
an interest
in P.C.
White Truck
Lines. In
1955, he
purchased
the
remaining
ownership
interest in
P.C. White
and changed
the name to
AAA Motor
Lines. His
sons, Earl
and Mack,
received
their
degrees in
Transportation
from the
University
of Tennessee
and joined
the family
firm between
1959 and
1962
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The decades
of the
fifties,
sixties, and
the early
seventies
were a time
of very
tight
regulation
by the
Interstate
Commerce
Commission (ICC),
a former
independent
agency of
the U.S.
government.
It was
obvious that
the only
method by
which the
Company
could grow
would be to
purchase
other
operating
routes, or
companies
who
possessed
routes that
were not
being
operated to
their
greatest
potential.
Thus, in
1969, AAA
Motor Lines
Inc., bought
Cooper
Transfer
Company Inc.
In 1973 Mack
and Earl
bought their
father’s
interest in
the Company
and merged
AAA Motor
Lines and
Cooper
Transfer
Company,
Inc. The
resulting
company was
called AAA
Cooper
Transportation
(ACT).
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In 1973 Mack
and Earl
recognized
the
inevitability
of industry
deregulation
and began to
position the
Company for
that
occurrence
through
improved
cost
measurement
systems and
management
training. In
1976, the
Company
obtained
approval
from the ICC
to serve all
of Florida.
Complete
deregulation
of the
industry
began in
July 1980
with the
passage of
The Motor
Carrier
Improvement
Act of 1980.
Meanwhile,
ACT
completed
its opening
of Florida
and in 1978
bought
expansive
authority to
operate in
Georgia,
North and
South
Carolina. As
a result the
Company
entered the
decade of
the 70’s
with $3
million in
annual sales
and ended
the decade
with $43
million in
sales.
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ACT
continued
its rapid
expansion
during the
1980’s by
purchasing
Haynes Motor
Lines in
1986 which
added nine
new
terminals.
In January,
1989, Earl
sold his 50%
ownership in
the company
to Mack. In
early 1990,
ACT
purchased
nine
terminals
from the
former
Bowman
Transportation
Company.
These
facilities
were used
for new
terminal
openings and
relocating
certain
existing
terminals
for expanded
and improved
service. By
1989, annual
sales had
increased to
$136
million.
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During the
nineties,
ACT's
terminal
network in
the South
continued to
expand. In
1994, ACT
opened its
first
terminal
outside of
the
Southeast in
Chicago.
Later that
year, ACT
opened a
terminal in
Minneapolis.
These
locations
were
selected due
to numerous
customer
requests for
quick and
efficient
service to
the upper
mid-west
from the
Southeast.
Also, in
1995,
service
areas were
expanded to
include much
of Texas.
The latter
part of the
nineties
produced new
terminals in
Oswego, IL;
Midway, IL;
Louisville,
KY; Oklahoma
City, OK;
Tulsa, OK;
and Waco,
TX.
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In 1997, our
"Truck-to-Ship-to-Truck"
service was
added for
the island
of Puerto
Rico. Since
then, we
have grown
to be one of
the leading
LTL service
providers on
the island.
Through
successful
partnerships,
ACT's
international
service also
extends to
Canada,
Mexico, the
Caribbean,
Latin
America,
Europe,
Asia, Africa
and
Australia.
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The new
millennium
has seen the
continuation
of growth
and
progression.
A Dedicated
Services
business was
established
in 2002. We
expanded our
LTL service
to all of
Texas and
Cincinnati
in 2005. In
2006 annual
revenue of
the Company
surpassed
$500 million
for the
first time.
Mack's son,
Reid, joined
the Company
full-time
after his
graduation
from Auburn
University
in 1994.
Reid has
held many
positions in
the Company
from Truck
Washer to
Driver to
Terminal
Manager, was
named
President of
the Company
in 2001 and
has stepped
in to
continue the
quality
leadership
and guidance
to start
another
generation
of success
at AAA
Cooper
Transportation.
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We would
like to
invite all
of you to
view the
biographical
tapestry now
hanging in
the
stairwell
area of the
General
Office |
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