Three decades of freight transportation, specialized expertise, strong relationships, and the people who helped us get here.
Thirty years is a milestone we are proud to celebrate.
In June 1996, Geary Buchanan started Buchanan Hauling & Rigging, Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with one truck, two trailers, and more than 24 years of experience as an owner-operator already behind him.
A lot has changed since then.
We have grown our fleet, expanded our services, added locations, taken on increasingly complex freight, and built relationships with customers across the country. But many of the things that mattered when Geary started the company still matter to us today.
Know the freight. Use the right equipment. Communicate clearly. Plan carefully. Treat people with respect. And do the job the right way.
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary in 2026, we are looking back at where we started, what we have accomplished together, and what three decades of experience means for the customers who trust us with their freight.
From One Truck and Two Trailers
Every company has a starting point. Ours was one truck and two trailers.
Geary did not start Buchanan Hauling from behind a desk. Before founding the company, he had already spent more than two decades in the trucking industry as an owner-operator. He understood the realities of the road, the importance of dependable equipment, and how much good communication matters when someone is trusting you with their freight.
That experience helped shape the company from the beginning.
We were built around a straightforward idea: provide quality transportation at a fair market rate and work hard to take care of the people who depend on us.
Thirty years later, we are much larger than we were in 1996, but we have never wanted to lose that practical approach.
What 30 Years Looks Like Today
Today, Buchanan Hauling & Rigging is an asset-based transportation company with the equipment, people, and experience to support a wide range of freight.
Our current operation includes more than 200 power units and more than 900 trailers, along with transportation services designed to meet very different shipping requirements.
Those services include:
- Dry van transportation for enclosed truckload freight
- Flatbed transportation for machinery, steel, building materials, equipment, and other open-deck freight
- Expedited transportation for time-sensitive shipments and demanding delivery schedules
- Specialized transportation for freight requiring unique equipment, planning, or handling
- Heavy haul transportation for oversized, overweight, and complex loads
We have also expanded our operating footprint over the years. Our location network now includes Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana; Phoenix, Arizona; the Pittsburgh-area community of Trafford, Pennsylvania; and Houston, Texas.
Growth has allowed us to serve more customers and move more types of freight, but we still look at transportation one shipment at a time.
Every load has its own requirements. Our job is to understand those requirements and build the right plan around them.
Experience That Comes From Doing the Work
Thirty years in transportation gives you perspective.
You learn that no two customers operate exactly the same way. You learn that a shipment that appears straightforward can sometimes require more planning than expected. And you learn that when freight becomes more complicated, experience matters even more.
That is especially true with specialized and heavy haul transportation.
Moving oversized or overweight freight may involve far more than selecting a trailer. Depending on the shipment, the work can include equipment selection, securement planning, permits, route evaluation, escorts, site coordination, scheduling, and communication between several parties before the truck ever moves.
We have spent years building that knowledge through actual projects.
It is one reason we are especially proud of the recognition our heavy haul team received during our 30th anniversary year.
Our 2026 SC&RA Heavy Haul Award
In April 2026, the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association named Buchanan Hauling & Rigging the winner of its Hauling Job of the Year Award in the Loads Under 260,000 lbs. gross category.
That award means a great deal to us.
SC&RA's Job of the Year competition recognizes outstanding work in the specialized transportation and rigging industry. Projects are evaluated on the planning, safety, problem-solving, innovation, and execution required to complete challenging work successfully.
For our team, receiving that recognition during our 30th year made the achievement even more meaningful.
It reflects the type of planning and teamwork that goes into heavy haul transportation every day. These projects require experienced people who understand the freight, the equipment, the route, the regulations, and the details that can affect a move from beginning to end.
We are proud of the team behind that project, and we are proud to see their work recognized by our industry.
Businesses planning oversized or overweight freight can learn more about our heavy haul transportation and specialized freight services.
Recognition We Have Earned Along the Way
One award does not tell the full story of 30 years.
Over time, Buchanan has received recognition across several areas of our business, including safety, carrier performance, flatbed transportation, workforce development, specialized freight, and customer service.
Some of the honors we are especially proud of include:
- 2019: National Interstate Insurance One Million Safe Miles Award
- 2019, 2020, and 2021: Top 50 Dedicated Contract Carriers recognition from Transport Topics
- 2020 and 2021: Penske Logistics Flatbed Service Provider Award
- 2020, 2022, and 2023: Schneider Flatbed Carrier of the Year Award
- 2022 and 2023: FreightWaves Top 500 For-Hire Carriers
- 2023: ABC Supply Southwest Region Carrier of the Year
- 2023: Isometric Technologies retailer service recognition
- 2023: SC&RA 20 Year Longevity Award
- 2025: CarrierSource Top Carriers for 2025
- 2025: SC&RF Workforce Ambassador Award, Industry Large Company category
- 2026: SC&RA Hauling Job of the Year, Loads Under 260,000 lbs. gross
- 2026: project44 Preferred Carrier Program Gold Member recognition
We appreciate each of these honors, but we also know awards are the result of work performed by people.
Behind every recognition are drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, project managers, operations teams, safety professionals, sales representatives, and support staff doing their jobs every day.
The People Who Made 30 Years Possible
When we look back at the last three decades, the story is really about people.
It starts with Geary and the experience he brought into the company in 1996, but it certainly does not end there.
Our growth would not have been possible without the drivers who have represented Buchanan on the road, the employees who have supported our customers, the people who have maintained our equipment, and the teams who have planned and coordinated thousands of shipments.
We are also grateful for the customers who have trusted us with their freight.
Some customers need a standard truckload moved from one facility to another. Others come to us with machinery, oversized equipment, construction materials, industrial freight, or projects that require careful planning long before pickup day.
No matter the freight, that trust matters to us.
A customer is handing us responsibility for something important to their business. We never want to forget that.
Why Our History Matters
We are proud of reaching 30 years, but we also understand that longevity alone is not a reason for someone to choose a transportation provider.
What matters is what those years have taught us.
Experience helps us ask better questions before a shipment moves. It helps us recognize when a load may require different equipment, additional planning, permitting, or closer coordination. It gives our team exposure to many types of freight, industries, routes, and transportation challenges.
For our customers, that can mean working with a transportation company that understands both everyday truckload freight and shipments that are anything but everyday.
Depending on the project, we can support customers with:
- Dry van freight
- Flatbed and open-deck transportation
- Expedited shipments
- Specialized freight
- Oversized and overweight loads
- Heavy haul transportation
- Managed logistics and 3PL services
That range is especially valuable for businesses whose transportation needs can change from shipment to shipment.
A manufacturer may need routine flatbed service one week and help planning an oversized equipment move the next. A construction company may have standard materials moving alongside larger components requiring specialized equipment. An industrial customer may need transportation support that changes as a project moves through different phases.
Our goal is to have the people, equipment, and experience to help when those needs change.
We Still Believe in Doing Things the Right Way
Companies naturally evolve over 30 years.
Technology changes. Equipment changes. Regulations change. Customer expectations change. The freight itself can become more complicated.
But some things should remain consistent.
Our mission and values continue to emphasize safety, integrity, respect, collaboration, and quality work.
Those values are not separate from transportation. They affect how we communicate with customers, how we work with drivers, how we plan difficult shipments, and how we respond when something unexpected happens.
We want customers to know who they are working with.
We want our employees and drivers to know what we expect from one another.
And we want the Buchanan name to continue representing a company that takes its responsibilities seriously.
Still Focused on the Freight
Thirty years after Geary started Buchanan with one truck and two trailers, we now move freight with equipment and capabilities that would have been difficult to imagine in 1996.
But the basic question we ask is still the same:
What does this shipment need?
Sometimes the answer is a 53-foot dry van.
Sometimes it is a flatbed, step deck, or other open-deck equipment.
Sometimes a customer needs expedited transportation because production cannot wait.
And sometimes the freight is oversized, overweight, or complex enough to require specialized equipment, permits, routing, escorts, and detailed project planning.
That is where experience becomes practical.
We are not interested in making freight more complicated than it needs to be. We want to understand what is moving, where it needs to go, what challenges need to be addressed, and what equipment and planning will give the shipment the best path forward.
Businesses can explore our full range of transportation services or learn more about our locations across the United States.
Thank You for 30 Years
Reaching our 30th anniversary gives us plenty to celebrate, but more than anything, it gives us a reason to say thank you.
Thank you to the customers who have trusted us with their freight.
Thank you to the drivers who have carried the Buchanan name across the country.
Thank you to the employees who have helped build this company, solve problems, serve customers, maintain equipment, plan difficult moves, and keep our operation moving.
And thank you to Geary Buchanan for turning one truck and two trailers into a company that is still growing and moving freight 30 years later.
We are proud of where we started.
We are proud of what our team has built.
And as we enter our fourth decade, we are still focused on what has mattered from the beginning: taking care of our customers and doing the work the right way.
If your business has an upcoming shipment, whether it is routine freight or something that requires more planning, you can tell us about it through our freight rate quote page.
Here is to 30 years of Buchanan Hauling & Rigging, and to the work still ahead.
Learn More About Buchanan Hauling
For additional information about our company, services, safety practices, and capabilities, visit our frequently asked questions, including:
- What types of freight does Buchanan Hauling & Rigging transport?
- Is Buchanan Hauling an asset-based specialized carrier?
- How does Buchanan Hauling & Rigging support trucking safety?
- What makes Buchanan Hauling different from other trucking companies?
- Is Buchanan Hauling a family-owned company?
Visit our Gallery section and check out some more pictures from over the years and the teams that made it happen.
