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Three trucks in 1994. Sixty-two today.
Switchback Freight is a family-owned carrier on the west side of Indianapolis. Ray Kessler started it with three used tractors. His daughter and son run it now, from the same side of town.
The road so far
Thirty-two years, one yard at a time.
- 1994
Three used tractors
Ray Kessler buys three tractors and parks them on a gravel lot off Kentucky Avenue. He drives one himself.
- 1999
The first dedicated lane
A plastics plant in Lebanon, Indiana asks for the same two trucks every day. They're still a customer.
- 2004
First reefers
Twelve refrigerated trailers for a food distributor's runs to Columbus and Louisville.
- 2009
Our own yard and shop
The move to Ridgeline Parkway: room for 150 trailers and a three-bay shop.
- 2015
The next Kesslers
Megan Kessler Ortiz becomes president. Dale Kessler takes over the shop and safety.
- 2019
Home weekly, for everyone
Lanes are rebuilt to come back loaded, and every driver gets home Friday night.
- 2022
Six bays
The shop doubles. By 2025 every tractor in the fleet is a 2022 or newer.
- 2026
Today
62 tractors, 148 trailers, 58 drivers and twelve regular lanes out of Indianapolis.
The shop
Six bays behind the dispatch office.
Every tractor and trailer is serviced by our own techs, in our own yard. A truck that's down gets looked at the same night, not when a dealer has an opening.
- 7full-time technicians
- 15,000miles between preventive maintenance
- 6 AM to 12 AMshop hours, Monday to Friday
- 24/7road service within 150 miles
Safety
Boring on purpose.
We'd rather be the carrier nobody has a story about. That comes from newer trucks, the same drivers on the same roads, and a shop that doesn't put things off.
- SatisfactoryDOT safety rating
- Every truckforward-facing camera and electronic logs
- Monthlypaid safety meeting for every driver
- $1M / $250kauto liability and cargo coverage
They've hauled out of our plant for over twenty years. Same family on the phone the whole time.
The family
Who you'll hear from.
Call the main line and there's a decent chance one of them picks up.
Megan Kessler Ortiz
Runs sales and dispatch. Started in the office answering phones in high school. Shippers, this is who calls you back.
Dale Kessler
Runs the six-bay shop and driver safety. Holds a CDL and still covers a run when it's short.
Ray Kessler
Started it in 1994 with three used tractors and drove one himself. Retired in 2015. Still shows up for the Friday cookout in the yard.
1994