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January 27, 2000 9:35 AM, EST

For years, Arnold Industries, which operates one of the nation’s most profitable regional less-than-truckload freight carriers — New Penn Motor Express — has looked for opportunities to expand beyond the Northeast.

In 1992, the parent company purchased the first of four short-haul truckload carriers and later combined them with an existing division to create Arnold Transportation Services. Truckload now accounts for nearly half of Arnold’s revenue, but only 13% of its operating profits.

Arnold also flirted with the idea of creating a New Penn look-alike in the West, but retreated from that plan after a bid to acquire Motor Cargo Industries of Salt Lake City was rejected in 1997.

Now, it appears that Arnold has found the solution to enlarging its business and expanding its profits much closer to home.

For the full story, see the Jan. 17 print edition of Transport Topics. .