RoadOne Acquires Higgins Transport to Expand Port of Charleston Operations
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics acquired Higgins Transport Service, a Charleston, South Carolina-based drayage provider, adding 15 drivers and expanding its intermodal capacity in the Southeastern U.S. The deal follows RoadOne’s recent opening of a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville, SC, with plans for a 279,700-square-foot warehouse in 2027. Financial terms were undisclosed. The acquisition reflects ongoing consolidation and infrastructure investment in critical port markets, particularly the Southeast global trade corridor.
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Cross-source coverage
Common ground
- Both sides agree that the workforce impact on the 15 Higgins drivers is ignored in press releases and a real concern.
- Both agree that data control and transparency are becoming critical competitive advantages in drayage logistics.
- Both agree that the Port of Charleston's infrastructure and capital access for small operators are broken, driving consolidation.
- Both agree that port competition between Charleston, Savannah, and Norfolk is a genuine check on monopoly power.
Points of contention
- Neutral Agent sees consolidation as a rational, inevitable response to market failures, while Western Agent sees it as a policy choice that concentrates power unfairly.
- Western Agent argues private equity roll-ups lead to cost-cutting and rate hikes after exit, while Neutral Agent says drayage's low switching costs and mobile assets prevent monopoly abuse.
- Neutral Agent believes data transparency mandates are a practical fix, while Western Agent calls that naive given regulatory capture and weak enforcement.
- Western Agent insists public subsidies for port expansion should come with democratic conditions on labor and ownership, while Neutral Agent says that's special-interest pleading, not practical policy.
Blind spots
- Neither side offered a credible, real-world path to implement data transparency or worker-owned co-ops in drayage.
- The debate overlooked the role of technology and data pipelines as the true competitive moat, beyond just trucks and terminals.
- No one discussed how big shippers like Walmart or Home Depot could use port competition to keep rates in check, which is a key market check.
- The timeline of private equity exit pressure and its impact on rates and service was raised but not fully explored with concrete examples.
WorldAttention’s read
This debate showed that RoadOne's acquisition of Higgins Transport is a symptom of deeper problems: broken capital markets for small operators, strained port infrastructure, and a regulatory vacuum on data and consolidation. Both sides agree the workforce is left out of the story, and data control is the real prize. They disagree on whether consolidation is inevitable or a choice, and whether data mandates or acquisition bans are the fix. The blind spots are big—no one offered a workable solution for worker co-ops or data transparency, and the role of big shippers and port competition was underplayed. The uncomfortable truth is that the current system is efficient for capital but fragile for workers and small operators, and the choices made now will shape whether the benefits of public port investments flow to a few or to many.
Wire timeline
RoadOne expands Port of Charleston operations with acquisition of Higgins Transport
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics has acquired Higgins Transport Service, a drayage provider based in Charleston, South Carolina, to expand its intermodal footprint in the Southeastern U.S. The deal adds 15 drivers and additional drayage and intermodal capacity to RoadOne's Charleston operations. Financial terms were not disclosed. RoadOne recently opened a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville, SC, serving the Port of Charleston, with plans to add a 279,700-square-foot warehouse next year. The company directly operates nearly 5 million square feet of warehouse and transloading space, with access to another 85 million square feet through partnerships. Randolph, Massachusetts-based RoadOne has over 2,500 drivers at more than 100 terminals nationwide and is backed by Ridgemont Equity Partners and Nonantum Capital Partners. The acquisition reflects ongoing consolidation and infrastructure build-out in critical port markets.
RoadOne Intermodal Logistics acquires Higgins Transport Service to expand Port of Charleston operations
RoadOne Intermodal Logistics has acquired Higgins Transport Service, a drayage provider based in Charleston, South Carolina. The deal adds 15 drivers and additional intermodal capacity to RoadOne's operations in the Southeastern US market. Financial terms were not disclosed. This acquisition follows RoadOne's recent opening of a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville, South Carolina, to serve the Port of Charleston, with plans for a second warehouse. RoadOne, headquartered in Randolph, Massachusetts, operates nearly 5 million square feet of warehouse space and has over 2,500 drivers across more than 100 terminals nationwide. The company is backed by Ridgemont Equity Partners and Nonantum Capital Partners. The acquisition highlights ongoing consolidation and infrastructure investment in critical port markets, particularly the Southeast global trade corridor.
RoadOne expands Port of Charleston operations with acquisition
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics has acquired Higgins Transport Service, a Charleston, South Carolina-based provider of port drayage and intermodal transportation services. The acquisition adds 15 drivers to RoadOne's Charleston operations and increases drayage and intermodal capacity to serve the Southeastern market. Financial terms were not disclosed. This follows RoadOne's recent opening of a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville, South Carolina, on a 100-acre property offering transloading, storage, and distribution services. The company plans to add a 279,700-square-foot warehouse next year. RoadOne, headquartered in Randolph, Massachusetts, operates nearly 5 million square feet of warehouse space directly and has access to another 85 million square feet through partnerships. The deal highlights ongoing consolidation and infrastructure build-out in critical port markets, expanding RoadOne's supply chain services across the Southeast global trade corridor.
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RoadOne Intermodal Logistics Acquires Higgins Transport Service to Expand Port of Charleston Operations
RoadOne Intermodal Logistics has acquired Higgins Transport Service, a drayage provider based in Charleston, South Carolina, to expand its intermodal footprint in the Southeastern U.S. The deal adds 15 drivers and additional drayage and intermodal capacity to RoadOne's Charleston operations. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition follows RoadOne's recent opening of a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville, South Carolina, on a 100-acre property that provides transloading, storage, and distribution services. The company plans to add a 279,700-square-foot warehouse next year. RoadOne, headquartered in Randolph, Massachusetts, operates nearly 5 million square feet of warehouse and transloading space directly and has access to another 85 million square feet through partnerships. The company has over 2,500 drivers at more than 100 terminals nationwide and is backed by Ridgemont Equity Partners and Nonantum Capital Partners. The acquisition reflects ongoing consolidation and infrastructure build-out in critical port markets.
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics Acquires Higgins Transport Service
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics has acquired Higgins Transport Service, a Charleston, South Carolina-based agent of Wall Street Intermodal, as announced on August 18, 2026. The acquisition adds 15 drivers to RoadOne's Charleston operations and expands its drayage and intermodal capacity in the region. This move is part of RoadOne's strategic focus on the Southeastern U.S., where it already operates a 384,000-square-foot facility in Summerville and plans a nearly 280,000-square-foot warehouse nearby for 2027. RoadOne sees significant long-term growth potential in Charleston due to its deep-water port and growing population. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Justin Higgins, owner of Higgins Transport Service, and his team will join RoadOne. The privately owned company, based in Randolph, Massachusetts, employs over 2,500 drivers across more than 100 terminals nationwide and has pursued rapid expansion through several recent acquisitions.