Flexible and adaptive operations ensure shipments arrive on schedule with Cargo Solution Express
Founded in 2002, Cargo Solution Express (CSE) started its journey as a small truck company based in Huntington Park, California. Today, the company manages and operates over 1500 vehicles across the US, with strategic positioning along the East and West Coasts.
The company was established by three brothers. Bobby Kang, the CEO, is the eldest brother and ‘the visionary one’: aggressive in nature, fearless, and ingenious with ideas to the point of a supernatural apparition. His intuitive, innovative, and insightful vision is the reason for the rapid and successful growth of CSE. Baldev Kang, CFO, is the one with the most discipline and brings calmness and tranquility in the highly charged trucking environment. Always composed, organized, and focused, he is tactical in decision making, logical, and analytical in finding solutions. Sammy King, COO, is the youngest brother. He is the engine that runs the company and heads the operations department. He is compulsive, relentless, tenacious, and has amazing memory in dealing with the intangibles to fulfill the commitment that CSE makes to its customers. Leading from the front, Sammy is straightforward, pragmatic in nature, and omnipresent at work. He ensures that everyone stays agile with extreme discipline to adapt to tumultuous challenges; to adjust, and remain flexible to create efficiencies that impact the customers’ bottom line.
Supporting people and profitability
Offering bicoastal solutions to its clients has ensured the longevity of CSE. The company operates out of five terminals, located in Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, and California, with each unit acting as its own logistics hub, offering coordinated services and reduced lead times. Inderpreet Singh, Executive Vice President, shares more details of the operation. “Every location includes a trucking yard and cross-dock station. We also have engineers and mechanics available to undertake regular maintenance and ensure the fleet is in top condition. There’s an office team based in each unit, and they manage a lot of the admin and logistics that happens throughout the day,” he explains.
The company’s operational footprint is designed to support both people and profitability, as Inderpreet continues: “When we first began expanding the business, we planned our locations very carefully. We wanted our terminals to be strategically positioned for maximum efficiency, but we also placed great emphasis on the wellbeing of our drivers.
“From any one of our terminals, a driver can reach another CSE location without overextending themselves or becoming fatigued. Each route can be completed within a defined timeframe – a model that not only sustains our operational efficiency but also makes us a highly attractive workplace for experienced drivers.
“Our tactical network planning has also given us a competitive edge, as drivers can refuel and reset their ELD at each terminal they pass. That means while we’re managing logistics, packaging, and freight loads, they can prepare for the journey ahead. This minimizes the amount of time shipments spend waiting around at gas stations while drivers recuperate.”
Diverse service delivery
To provide reliable freight and logistics solutions to clients across the US, CSE offers a wide range of services. From truck-and-trailer deliveries to custom carrier solutions for specialist shipments, the company can handle it all. As Inderpreet reveals: “We specialize in dry palletized products, and within that we offer a variety of solutions. Our fleet is expansive, and we have vehicles ready-to-go at all our terminals. We adapt our model to suit the client – some jobs are very standard; others require a more custom approach. Either way, we can deliver.
“On top of our freight service offering, we provide tech-enabled updates, with parcel tracking and real-time data. Our app is called Samsara, and it uses AI to provide end-to-end tracking and management for any shipment we’re working on.”
Delivering this diverse range of services has allowed CSE to grow exponentially throughout its 20-year tenure. To meet increasing demand, the company expanded its operations to include its very own brokerage. Inderpreet shares the benefits of this approach: “Sometimes we’ll see the demand for our services outweigh the company’s current operational capacity. In that instance, we call our brokerage team, who manage the excess loads and generate a profit from them. We don’t want to lose any opportunities, and the brokerage team makes sure we don’t have to. It helps us avoid bottlenecks and delays while supporting our clients with reliable service.”
Every branch of the business has access to a best-in-class vehicle fleet. With a range of sizes and models, CSE provides specialist services to clients regardless of shipment size, distance, or destination. Each vehicle is carefully selected for maximum efficiency and reliable transport, as Inderpreet explains: “We use some of the smaller vehicles for local deliveries, and for longer distances we rely on our semi-trucks.
“The semis are particularly useful because of their increased capacity, allowing us to move goods more efficiently and reduce the number of journeys required. This not only lowers our carbon footprint but also guarantees we don’t put too much strain on the drivers.
“Additionally, we operate around 2300 trailers. These can be used for transporting pallets and provide flexibility when it comes to capacity and load size. Operationally, this allows us to be more adaptable and ensures jobs are completed on time, regardless of demand.”
Adaptability and agility have been central to the success of CSE. The company drew heavily on these attributes during the Covid-19 pandemic. As Inderpreet expresses: “It was a very unpredictable time. We saw huge fluctuations in the market, and our services very quickly became of national importance. We had to implement new safety measures and rethink our entire way of working to ensure shipments continued to reach their destinations.
“After that, the market really boomed. We’re seeing another period of uncertainty now, with political policies impacting tariffs and changing the way we work with international partners. It’s about remaining steadfast and anticipating shifts in the market – we’ve proven ourselves more than capable of overcoming challenges before, and we’ll do it again.”
Looking to the future, Inderpreet reflects on what’s next for CSE. “I’d like to see the business double in size over the next five years. We’ve always been ambitious, and that’s one of the reasons we’ve remained successful for so long.
“Our focus will be on organic growth, bringing in more people, and expanding our network. We’ve already shortlisted potential new locations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arizona – and as long as we stay true to our values, I can see the business taking its next step into one of these regions very soon,” he concludes.