North American Bulk Transport was formed in 1953 as a joint venture between a cement manufacturer, the Louisville Cement Company, and a bulk carrier, C.T. Hertzsch, Inc. Owners of the Louisville Cement Company and C.T. Hertzsch envisioned creating a company that would offer its customers the quickest and most efficient service available. Beginning its operations with one terminal in Speed, Indiana, North American Bulk Transport’s customer focused business model allowed them to be successful in the local market.
North American Bulk Transport was formed during very exciting times in the cement and dry bulk trucking NABT Packageindustries. When the company began its operations, cement was being delivered in the traditional fashion of packaged cement. Shortly thereafter, the first enclosed bulk Screw trailer was designed and built. The screw trailer quickly became very popular for its ability to significantly reduce loading and unloading times. Quicker loading and unloading times fit perfectly into the North American Bulk Transport business model, and, accordingly, the company began to purchase and place screw trailers into service.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed The Highway Act which called for the construction of interstate highways across the United States. The demand for cement exploded. Being both a cement manufacturer and a common carrier, North American Bulk Transport was in the perfect position quickly take advantage of the new demand. Two years after President Eisenhower signed The Highway Act, improvements were made to the relatively new screw trailer design to develop the first pneumatic trailer. The improvements proved to be worthwhile as the pneumatic trailer is still the type of equipment carriers use today.
During this time North American Bulk Transport was operating its main terminal in Speed, IN. The Speed Terminal would not be complete without mentioning their sub-terminal in Nitro, WV. Together these terminals serviced most of the cement and lime shippers in the Charleston, WV area.
Essroc Materials, a large cement manufacturer, became interested in North American Bulk Transport’s cement operations and purchased the cement manufacturing assets in 1987. The purchase by Essroc Materials turned North American Bulk Transport into strictly a common carrier. At the same time, North American Bulk Transport joined the Tankstar USA, Inc. family. North American Bulk Transport was able to expand into the northeast United States and open new terminals in Nazareth, Pennsylvania and Norfolk, Virginia.
Growth opportunities on the East coast opened up in the 1990s for North American Bulk Transport. Although the first few years of its expansion involved a lot of hard work with little reward, in 1992 the company had established itself in the markets enough to take advantage of several opportunities. Within a few years the Northampton, PA terminal grew from operating only six tractors to sixty-five tractors.
North American Bulk Transport was built on the principle of putting the customer first. Throughout its sixty year history, North American Bulk Transport has experienced many changes both in the equipment used and the markets served. While there have been many changes, the foundation of North American Bulk Transport has stayed the same: deliver value to the customer with quick and efficient operations. North American Bulk Transport’s primary business remains cement, but over the years has expanded to hauling various products such as lime, sand, plastics, and even some liquid bulk commodities. We look forward to the continued growth of North American Bulk Transport due to all of our hard working and dedicated employees.