Jacksonville company offers truck, rail expertise

Jacksonville company offers truck, rail expertise Eleets Transportation Inc. has been formed to provide pre-print transportation and warehousing logistics for the newspaper insert advertising industry.
   The new company, created by Allen Steele and David Ware, will also provide general commodities transport for shippers needing truckload and less-than-truckload transportation, and intermodal transportation services for shippers who want to take advantage of an environmentally conscious mode of transport that uses rail for the long-haul portion of cross-country shipments.
   Eleets is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., but also maintains offices and operations in Columbus, Ohio; Columbia, S.C.; and Jackson, Tenn.
   Steele brings more than 35 years of trucking expertise to the venture, while Ware has more than 20 years of railroad experience.
   Steele is president and chief executive officer of Eleets. After 10 years as an over-the-road owner-operator, Steele joined Stonier Transportation Group in 1982 as a freight coordinator. His responsibilities grew as the company grew and he was appointed president in 1994. Stonier became VEXURE in 2002 and spawned specialized divisions for intermodal and expedited transportation services. VEXURE caught the attention of NYK the following year when it then acquired the company from Steele and VEXURE’s other principals. Steele remained there for the next four years, including a senior management role in the office of the president.
   Dave Ware, chief operating officer, spent more than 20 years with CSX Intermodal. Ware started his career as maintenance manager and ascended several levels of management to eventually hold the position of assistant vice president of quality service. In that role, he was responsible for fleet management, maintenance, equipment acquisition, customer service, inside sales and asset-based sales support.
   “Each of our services, and especially those in the intermodal area, are focused on providing ‘green’ alternatives to our customers. Our strategy for growth is built around providing solutions that involve utilizing truck and rail assets that are running below capacity. By increasing the use of this capacity, the number of fuel-consuming empty assets will be reduced,” Ware said.
   Since its launch, Eleets’ has created nearly 60 jobs, with most of those positions in its Jacksonville headquarters and operating center.