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Cowan Systems acquires Pennsylvania-based Carlisle Carrier

Cowan Systems has acquired family-owned regional carrier Carlisle Carrier. (Photo: Carlisle)

Cowan Systems has confirmed on its Facebook and Twitter accounts that it has acquired Carlisle Carrier LLC, a family-owned regional carrier in the Northeast.

Cowan president Dennis Morgan told CCJ that when one company acquires another, it is often a way to acquire drivers. Cowan has over 2,500 trucks.

A FreightWaves inquiry to Cowan for more information had not been returned as of publishing time.

Carlisle is a diversified Northeast carrier. Based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, the carrier specializes in grocery warehouse services and store deliveries from Virginia to Maine, and west to Ohio. The company has approximately 240 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and 299 power units.


Its sister company, Carlisle Logistics Services, offers a range of services including truckload, less-than-truckload, dedicated, direct-to-store, traffic management, short-term warehousing, cross-docking, claims and freight bill procession and drop lot rental.

Cowan offers dedicated, brokerage, truckload, LTL, warehousing and intermodal. It is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Morgan told CCJ Carlisle will continue to operate as a separate division with the merging of some functions “where it makes sense.”


Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.