Atlas Van Lines is a moving van company formed in 1948 by a group of local transfer and storage firms. As an agent-owned company it is similar in form to a cooperative. It presently has about 500 agents worldwide (in over 140 countries), of which 75 own shares in Atlas World Group, which controls Atlas Van Lines and other related companies. Based in Evansville, Indiana, it is the second-largest interstate motor carrier in the U.S.

History

Atlas Van Lines traces its roots back to 1948 when a group of 33 entrepreneurs formed a cooperative for the interstate transportation of household goods from coast to coast. The group took the name "Atlas Van Lines" and opened a new headquarters building in Evansville, Indiana.

The company changed ownership structure in the 1980s, when stock was offered to the public. After a hostile takeover attempt, in 1988 the company returned to ownership by its agents. Atlas expanded rapidly in the 1990s and established Atlas World Group as the holding company for Atlas Van Lines, Inc. and seven subsidiaries.

On April 18, 1996 Atlas announced the purchase of Red Ball Corporation, which at the time was the 13th largest household mover in the United States. This included two subsidiaries: American Red Ball International, an international freight forwarder based in Seattle, Washington and American Red Ball Transit Co. based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Red Ball specialized in the moves of military personnel. In 2001, Atlas sold American Red Ball Transit, the domestic subsidiary to its management.

In 1997 the company announced the two largest conversions in the history of the van line industry with the joining of Atlantic Relocation Systems (more than 600) and Bekins Northwest (more than 250 vehicles).

See also

• Atlas

References

External links

• Atlas Van Lines web site