Marten Transport

Marten Transport, Ltd. is an American trucking and logistics company headquartered in Mondovi, Wisconsin. Its principal business is the movement of freight by truck, with a long-standing emphasis on refrigerated, or temperature-controlled, transportation. The company serves shippers across the contiguous United States and also operates routes involving Canada and Mexico. Its service portfolio includes truckload transportation using refrigerated and dry-van equipment, with operations organized around dedicated, regional, and long-haul movements. The company began in 1946 when Roger Marten transported milk and other dairy products in Wisconsin. This origin established the cold-chain orientation that later became central to the business. Marten acquired its first tractor-trailer in 1956 and expanded into petroleum hauling. During the 1960s, the company added dry-van trailers and in 1965 opened its first terminal, in Mondovi. These steps moved the business beyond its initial dairy-hauling base and created a broader platform for commercial trucking. Marten Transport expanded during the 1980s, a period shaped by deregulation in the U.S. trucking industry. It became a publicly traded company in 1986 through a Nasdaq stock offering. In 1989, management reorganized the company around refrigerated transportation, then viewed as its most profitable operating area. Although the company retained dry-van capabilities, temperature-controlled freight became the defining feature of its market position. The company subsequently broadened its logistics capabilities. In 2005, it added an intermodal division, extending its activities beyond purely highway-based freight. By 2008, temperature-controlled shipping accounted for approximately 80 percent of revenue while dry-goods shipping represented roughly 20 percent, according to the supplied reference material. This mix illustrates the importance of refrigerated freight to Marten Transport's operating identity. Leadership has included members of the founding family. Roger Marten died in 1993, after which his son Randolph Marten became chief executive. Timothy Kohl served as CEO from 2021 until his retirement in 2025; Randolph Marten then resumed the chief executive role. In 2025, Hub Group acquired Marten Transport's intermodal division for $51.8 million, leaving the company's core identity centered on truckload and temperature-controlled freight operations. Marten Transport's competitive proposition is based on specialized refrigerated equipment, freight-network coverage, and the operational requirements of shipping perishable or temperature-sensitive goods.

Marten Transport traces its origins to 1946, when Roger Marten began delivering milk and other dairy products in Wisconsin. The company's earliest activities therefore centered on short-haul food distribution and the handling of goods requiring dependable delivery. In 1956, Marten purchased its first tractor-trailer and entered petroleum hauling, broadening its business beyond dairy products. During the 1960s, the company acquired its first dry-van trailers. It also established its first terminal in Mondovi, Wisconsin, in 1965. The terminal provided a permanent operating base as the company developed from a small regional carrier into a more structured trucking enterprise. Dry-van equipment enabled Marten to transport general freight in addition to temperature-sensitive products. The U.S. trucking industry's deregulation in the 1980s created conditions for expansion. Marten Transport went public in 1986 through a Nasdaq offering. In 1989, the company reorganized its business to concentrate on refrigerated transportation, which management considered its most profitable area. This decision gave the company a distinctive specialization in the movement of temperature-sensitive freight, while dry-van service remained part of its capabilities. Roger Marten died in 1993. His son, Randolph Marten, succeeded him as chief executive, continuing the involvement of the founding family in company leadership. Marten later expanded into intermodal transportation in 2005. By 2008, the company's reported revenue mix was approximately 80 percent temperature-controlled shipping and 20 percent dry-goods shipping, demonstrating the continuing importance of refrigerated operations. Marten Transport's network developed across the contiguous United States as well as Canada and Mexico. Its operating model has included dedicated, regional, and long-haul truckload routes using refrigerated and dry-van trailers. These services address the differing requirements of perishable, temperature-sensitive, and general freight shippers. Leadership changed again in 2021, when Timothy Kohl became CEO. Kohl remained in the role until retiring in 2025, when Randolph Marten resumed the position. Also in 2025, Hub Group acquired Marten Transport's intermodal division for $51.8 million. The transaction narrowed Marten's business portfolio by transferring the intermodal operation while reinforcing the company's historical identity as a truckload carrier with particular strength in refrigerated freight.

• 2025

  Intermodal division sold to Hub Group

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  Hub Group acquired Marten Transport's intermodal division for $51.8 million.

• 2005

  Intermodal division added

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  Marten Transport expanded its logistics activities by establishing an intermodal division.

• 1989

  Refrigerated-transport specialization

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  The company restructured to focus primarily on refrigerated transportation.

• 1986

  Public listing

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  The company became publicly traded through a Nasdaq stock offering.

• 1965

  First terminal established

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  Marten Transport opened its first terminal in Mondovi, Wisconsin.

• 1956

  First tractor-trailer acquired

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired its first tractor-trailer and began hauling petroleum products.

• 1946

  Company founded

  [1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  Roger Marten established the business to haul milk and other dairy products in Wisconsin.

A specialized North American freight carrier with a historic and strategic emphasis on temperature-controlled truckload transportation, supported by dry-van and other logistics capabilities.

• Freight transportation

  Refrigerated truckload transportation

  Marten Transport's principal specialization is the movement of temperature-sensitive freight in refrigerated trailers. This service supports shippers whose products require controlled conditions during transit, including the company's historical base in dairy and other food-related freight. Refrigerated operations are offered across domestic U.S. routes and lanes involving Canada and Mexico, using dedicated, regional, and long-haul transportation arrangements.

• Freight transportation · 1960

  Dry-van truckload transportation

  Dry-van service transports general, non-temperature-controlled freight in enclosed trailers. Marten added dry-van equipment during the 1960s, and dry-goods shipping remained part of its service mix after the company concentrated more heavily on refrigerated transportation. The offering supports truckload movements over regional and long-haul routes.

• Multimodal logistics · 2005

  Intermodal transportation

  Marten Transport added an intermodal division in 2005 to complement its highway freight operations. The division extended the company's logistics scope beyond truck-only transportation, but it was acquired by Hub Group in 2025. It is therefore no longer identified as a current core Marten Transport offering in the supplied reference material.

• 2025

  Divestiture of the intermodal divisionM&A

  Background

  Marten Transport had operated an intermodal division since 2005, alongside its refrigerated and dry-van trucking activities.

  Action taken

  Hub Group acquired the intermodal division for $51.8 million.

  Aftermath

  The divestiture reduced Marten Transport's portfolio of logistics services and left refrigerated and dry-van truckload transportation as the central business areas described in the reference material.

  Acquisition price. $51.8 million (2025)

  Source

• 1989

  Recenter the business on refrigerated transportationStrategy

  Background

  After expanding during the trucking industry's deregulation era, the company identified refrigerated transportation as its most profitable sector.

  Action taken

  Marten Transport restructured its operations to focus on refrigerated freight while retaining dry-van capabilities.

  Aftermath

  Temperature-controlled transportation became the defining specialization of the company and represented approximately 80 percent of revenue by 2008.

  Source

• 2025

  Hub Group acquires Marten Transport intermodal division[1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Hub Group acquired Marten Transport's intermodal division for $51.8 million, changing the scope of Marten's logistics operations while leaving its trucking and temperature-controlled freight activities as its core business.

• 2025

  Randolph Marten resumes chief executive role after Timothy Kohl's retirement[1]Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Founder-family member Randolph Marten returned as chief executive after Timothy Kohl retired from the position.

1. 1Marten Transporten.wikipedia.org