Radar · Freight Forwarders in California
Best Freight Forwarders Companies in California, United States
The 243 best Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Total Transportation Services.
By Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
243companies tracked
$1.7Bdisclosed funding
0unicorns
16have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · FREIGHT FORWARDERS × CALIFORNIA
Our analysis of 50 Freight Forwarders companies
$8.3b in tracked funding; 88% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
50companies analysed
88%cloud-native stacks
2021funding peak (by rounds)
2001median founding year
45median Fliar Index™
172kcombined LinkedIn audience
59%of audience held by top 3
3companies hiring publicly (12 mo)
Ranked: Best Freight Forwarders companies in California
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total Transportation Services Offers warehousing and logistics services 79Innovation top 20%Product top 26%Funding top 31%Market top 41% All 7 signals ▾Innovationtop 20% Producttop 26% Fundingtop 31% Markettop 41% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 36% Newsbottom 27% Innovation: 7 product lines Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Acquired rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 79/100 | $1.2B | 89 mo ago | Acquired | Vic LaRosa CEO | 1997 | — | — | — |
| 2 | CloudTrucks Provider of web-based payment management solutions for the transportation industry 60Tech top 26%Customers top 28%Funding top 31%Moat top 31% All 10 signals ▾Techtop 26% Customerstop 28% Fundingtop 31% Moattop 31% Talenttop 38% Growthtop 45% Producttop 49% Marketbottom 46% Globalbottom 37% Newsbottom 32% Tech: 41 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Google Cloud Customers: Play-Store rating 4.60★ across 210 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +142% in 6 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 60/100 | $142M | 54 mo ago | Series B | Jin Shieh Co-Founder & CTO | 2019 | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+25 | — | 1 launch · 3 awards |
| 3 | CAI International Provider of container leasing and selling services 55Patents top 22%Innovation top 26%Funding top 38%Fin. health top 40% All 8 signals ▾Patentstop 22% Innovationtop 26% Fundingtop 38% Fin. healthtop 40% Globaltop 50% Moatbottom 49% Marketbottom 45% Growthbottom 25% Patents: 35 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 1 in 2017-21 Innovation: 35 patents (top 38% of patent-holders) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 1 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $140M | 94 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1989 | — | 35 patents Battery cathode materials and optical communication signal processing/testing technologies | — |
| 4 | Apex Logistics Provider of multi model freight forwarding services 50Innovation top 20%Growth top 23%Product top 26%Funding top 38% All 11 signals ▾Innovationtop 20% Growthtop 23% Producttop 26% Fundingtop 38% Newstop 44% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 46% Fin. healthbottom 38% Techbottom 33% Marketbottom 27% Moatbottom 24% Innovation: 12 product lines Growth: Headcount 202 → 306 (+51%) across vintages · Revenue +91% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $85M | 59 mo ago | Acquired | Luke Saari CEO & President | 2003 | UbuntuBootstrapGSAP+6 | — | 1 launch |
| 5 | Ensenda 3PL provider for last mile logistics 10Funding top 33%Global bottom 33%Market bottom 17% All 3 signals ▾Fundingtop 33% Globalbottom 33% Marketbottom 17% Funding: Raised $50.3M across 20 rounds · 20 rounds over 24 yrs (0.8/yr) Global: Single-market focus (United States) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 10/100 | $50M | 162 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2001 | — | — | — |
| 6 | SILQ Company provides SCM platform to manage sourcing to shipping process 16Funding top 41%Tech top 49%Global bottom 37%Growth bottom 35% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 41% Techtop 49% Globalbottom 37% Growthbottom 35% Marketbottom 26% Funding: Raised $17.6M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 4 yrs (0.2/yr) Tech: 24 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 16/100 | $18M | 51 mo ago | Series A | — | 2020 | Webflowcore-jsjQuery+17 | — | — |
| 7 | CALSTART Provider of road transportation services 37Funding top 40%Tech top 48%Market bottom 38%Global bottom 29% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 40% Techtop 48% Marketbottom 38% Globalbottom 29% Funding: Raised $16.4M across 10 rounds · 10 rounds over 3 yrs (3.3/yr) Tech: 31 technologies across 3/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Alb, Amazon Web Services rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $16M | 32 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | 1992 | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+27 | — | — |
| 8 | Terraline Provider of road freight transportation services 14Funding top 41%Patents bottom 49%Talent bottom 49%Innovation bottom 42% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 41% Patentsbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Innovationbottom 42% Moatbottom 42% Globalbottom 36% Newsbottom 21% Marketbottom 19% Funding: Raised $10.0M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr) Patents: 3 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 14/100 | $10M | 24 mo ago | Seed | Graham Doorley Founder & CEO | 2021 | — | 3 patents Vehicle control interfaces for driver assistance and vehicle automation systems | — |
| 9 | Upstrēm Provider of technology and processes for maximizing value of challenged inventory 19Funding top 47%Talent bottom 49%Global bottom 29%Market bottom 26% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 47% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 29% Marketbottom 26% Funding: Raised $8.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 6 yrs (0.2/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 19/100 | $8M | 66 mo ago | Acquired | Steven Maman Co-Founder | 2018 | — | — | — |
| 10 | GlobalMotion Provider of freight forwarding and logistics for events and entertainment 45Innovation top 20%Product top 26%Funding bottom 49%Tech bottom 49% All 6 signals ▾Innovationtop 20% Producttop 26% Fundingbottom 49% Techbottom 49% Globalbottom 48% Marketbottom 31% Innovation: 7 product lines Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Acquired rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $4M | 58 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2006 | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+15 | — | — |
Top 12 Freight Forwarders companies in California
#1
Seed · Fremont, California · founded 2021 · 19 employees$10Mraised▾
Seed · Fremont, California · founded 2021 · 19 employees
Provider of road freight transportation services
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 14how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 41%Patents
bottom 49%Talent
bottom 49%Innovation
bottom 42%Moat
bottom 42%Global
bottom 36%Funding: Raised $10.0M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Seed (Jun 2024)
Patents: 3 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2025
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
Funding rounds
- Jun 2024Seed$3M
- Dec 2022Seed$2M
- Mar 2022Seed$7M
- Nov 2021Seed$2M
Founders & team
Investors
Trucks Venture Capital, Maniv Mobility, Wireframe Ventures, Climate Capital
#2
Funding Raised · Pasadena, California · founded 1992 · 231 employees$16.4Mraised▾
Funding Raised · Pasadena, California · founded 1992 · 231 employees
Provider of road transportation services
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 37how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 40%Tech
top 48%Market
bottom 38%Global
bottom 29%Funding: Raised $16.4M across 10 rounds · 10 rounds over 3 yrs (3.3/yr) · Last round Grant (prize money) (Oct 2023)
Tech: 31 technologies across 3/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Alb, Amazon Web Services · Security: Cloudflare Bot Management, Hsts
Market: 231 employees · Top-5,000,000 web property
Audience (LinkedIn): 18k LinkedIn followers — 10.7% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Oct 2023Grant (prize money)$1.2M
- Aug 2011Grant (prize money)$300.3K
- Jun 2011Grant (prize money)$7.2M
- Feb 2011Grant (prize money)—
Investors
DOE, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OSTI, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Tech stack
Amazon AlbAmazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailBootstrapCloudflareCloudflare Bot Management
#3
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2019 · 112 employees$141.6Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2019 · 112 employees
Provider of web-based payment management solutions for the transportation industry. The company offers cloud-based revenue & administrative service management solutions for the trucking business. It includes instant payments, schedule optimizer, rate management, app-based load booking, dispatch & truck assistance, etc. The app is available on the Android & iOS platforms.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 60how this company ranks against its industry peers
Tech
top 26%Customers
top 28%Funding
top 31%Moat
top 31%Talent
top 38%Growth
top 45%Tech: 41 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Google Cloud · Devops: Envoy, Nginx
Customers: Play-Store rating 4.60★ across 210 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +142% in 6 mo
Funding: Raised $142M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 6 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Series B (Nov 2021)
Audience (LinkedIn): 6k LinkedIn followers — 3.5% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches · 3 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Nov 2021Series B$115M
- Oct 2020Series A$20.5M
- Jan 2020Series A$6.1M
Founders & team
Investors
Tiger Global Management, Menlo Ventures, Flexport, Caffeinated Capital, Craft Ventures, Abstract Ventures
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailClickceaseCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsGoogle Analytics
#4
Acquired · Compton, California · founded 1997 · 700 employees$1.2Braised▾
Acquired · Compton, California · founded 1997 · 700 employees
Offers warehousing and logistics services
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 79how this company ranks against its industry peers
Innovation
top 20%Product
top 26%Funding
top 31%Market
top 41%Talent
bottom 49%Global
bottom 36%Innovation: 7 product lines
Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Acquired
Funding: Raised $1.2B across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 8 yrs (0.2/yr) · Last round Conventional Debt (Jan 2019)
Funding rounds
- Jan 2019Conventional Debt$9M
- Oct 2018PE$1.2B
Founders & team
Investors
KKR, Vulcan Capital, AXiomatic, MB Financial Bank, Saybrook, Sun European Partners
#5
Acquired · Compton, California · founded 2003 · 306 employees$85Mraised▾
Acquired · Compton, California · founded 2003 · 306 employees
Provider of multi model freight forwarding services
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 50how this company ranks against its industry peers
Innovation
top 20%Growth
top 23%Product
top 26%Funding
top 38%News
top 44%Talent
bottom 49%Innovation: 12 product lines
Growth: Headcount 202 → 306 (+51%) across vintages · Revenue +91% YoY
Product: 12 distinct product lines · Company stage: Acquired
Audience (LinkedIn): 31k LinkedIn followers — 18.2% of this cohort's audience · 59 engagements/post (3.4× cohort median)
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jul 2021PE—
- May 2015PE$85M
Founders & team
Investors
Partners Group, MBK Partners
Tech stack
Apache Http ServerBootstrapCart FunctionalityFacebook PixelGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager
#6
Series A · San Jose, California · founded 2020 · 15 employees$17.6Mraised▾
Series A · San Jose, California · founded 2020 · 15 employees
SILQ provides services for apparel manufacturers to grow their business as they help them from the process of sourcing to shipping of the merchandise. SILQ platform is a suite to monitor all processes from the sourcing stage to the shipping stage, monitor SKU, determine shipping rates, and keep a digital database of all products.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 16how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 41%Tech
top 49%Global
bottom 37%Growth
bottom 35%Market
bottom 26%Funding: Raised $17.6M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 4 yrs (0.2/yr) · Last round Series A (Mar 2022)
Tech: 24 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare · Security: Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Turnstile
Global: Investors from 1 country beyond United States
Audience (LinkedIn): 37k LinkedIn followers — 21.5% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Mar 2022Series A$17.6M
Investors
F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, Forum Ventures, RTP Seed, Flexport, Surface Ventures
Tech stack
CloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCloudflare TurnstileCore-JsGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager
#7
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 1989 · 47 employees$140Mraised▾
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 1989 · 47 employees
Provider of container leasing and selling services
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 55how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 22%Innovation
top 26%Funding
top 38%Fin. health
top 40%Global
top 50%Moat
bottom 49%Patents: 35 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 1 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2023
Innovation: 35 patents (top 38% of patent-holders) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 1 in 2017-21
Funding: Raised $140M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 10 yrs (0.2/yr) · Last round Conventional Debt (Aug 2018)
Funding rounds
- Aug 2018Conventional Debt—
- Mar 2018Conventional Debt—
- Mar 2018Post IPO$40M
- Jun 2016Conventional Debt$100M
#8
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2001 · 29 employees$50.3Mraised▾
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2001 · 29 employees
Ensenda is the leading third party logistics provider (3PL) for the local delivery industry. Ensenda’s network of local carriers provides a wide range of local delivery programs in every market in the US and Canada. Ensenda offers single platform for connecting all local logistics carriers. Customers can compare tariffs and select the one best suited for its job. It provide services for same day delivery, next day delivery and delivery at a specific time of the day.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 10how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 33%Global
bottom 33%Market
bottom 17%Funding: Raised $50.3M across 20 rounds · 20 rounds over 24 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Series C (Dec 2012)
Global: Single-market focus (United States)
Market: 29 employees · Top-50,000,000 web property
Funding rounds
- Dec 2012Series C$3M
- Jan 2012Series C$6.1M
- Jan 2008Series C$10.3M
- Nov 2005Series B$10.7M
Investors
QuestMark Partners, Alloy Ventures, Bay Partners
#9
Acquired · Palo Alto, California · founded 2006$3.7Mraised▾
Acquired · Palo Alto, California · founded 2006
Provider of freight forwarding and logistics for events and entertainment. The company delivers time-critical transport solutions for the music and entertainment industries. Services include air, sea, and road freight, plus hand-carry courier options. Additional offerings encompass storage, packing, in-house ATA carnets, and customs assistance.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 45how this company ranks against its industry peers
Innovation
top 20%Product
top 26%Funding
bottom 49%Tech
bottom 49%Global
bottom 48%Market
bottom 31%Innovation: 7 product lines
Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Acquired
Funding: Raised $3.7M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 17 yrs (0.1/yr) · Last round Series A (Jul 2021)
Funding rounds
- Jul 2021Series A$2.7M
- Dec 2009Series A$1M
Investors
Band of Angels, ThinCats
Tech stack
BootstrapCdnjsCloudflareCloudwaysCore-JsGoogle Analytics
#10
Acquired · San Diego, California · founded 2018 · 37 employees$8Mraised▾
Acquired · San Diego, California · founded 2018 · 37 employees
Provider of technology and processes for maximizing value of challenged inventory. The company offers solutions for customer returns, RTV, overstock, damages, display models, samples, and end-of-season inventory. It focuses on reducing manual touchpoints and unnecessary movements of inventory. The company utilizes conditioning, packing, and shipping materials that are eco-friendly.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 19how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 47%Talent
bottom 49%Global
bottom 29%Market
bottom 26%Funding: Raised $8.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 6 yrs (0.2/yr) · Last round Conventional Debt (Dec 2020)
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
Global: Single-market focus (United States)
Funding rounds
- Dec 2020Conventional Debt$8M
Founders & team
Investors
Pacific Mercantile Bank, Corbel Capital Partners
#11
Funding Raised · San Diego, California · founded 1991$48.1Kraised▾
Funding Raised · San Diego, California · founded 1991
An Experienced Team Supporting Your Shipping Needs ACS is a founding member since 1998 of the world’s largest and most powerful network of independent freight forwarders, World Cargo Alliance WCA now has 6025 member offices in 187 countries around the world. Our membership in WCA enables us to be flexible, working with independent companies to ensure that every client gets our full attention and personal approach.
Funding rounds
- Apr 2009Grant (prize money)$48.1K
Investors
United States Department of Agriculture
Tech stack
WordpressMysqlPhpZurb FoundationYoast SeoJquery
#12
Funding Raised · Carson, California · founded 1966 · 9 employees—raised▾
Funding Raised · Carson, California · founded 1966 · 9 employees
Provider of logistics and warehousing services
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 6k LinkedIn followers — 3.8% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Dec 2022Unattributed—
Investors
QuickBox
Tech stack
Cloudflare
Funding & investor landscape
$1.7Btotal disclosed funding
11companies funded
47disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Notable founders
Graham Doorley
Founder & CEO · Terraline
Jin Shieh
Co-Founder & CTO · CloudTrucks
Tobenna Arodiogbu
Co-Founder & CEO · CloudTrucks
Vic LaRosa
CEO · Total Transportation Services
Luke Saari
CEO & President · Apex Logistics
Steven Maman
Co-Founder · Upstrēm
Hal Altman
Co-Founder · MFALS
Orlando Wong
CEO · Able Freight
Todd Kleperis
Founder & CEO · HARDCAR
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 641,863 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Freight Forwarders coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
RESEARCH IN CALIFORNIA · Mobility
How research on Logistics Supply Chain in California is moving
A read on the academic research around Logistics Supply Chain in California — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 43 papers.
UC Berkeley and UC Davis lead California's optimistic logistics research, dominated by electric vehicles, battery technologies, and transportation optimization, with recent momentum outpacing early work despite some supply-chain concerns.
43 papers · stance +0.41 · 18% breakthrough · 22% concern
top institutions
- University of California, Berkeley14
- University of California, Davis7
- California Maritime Academy5
- University of California, Riverside4
- University of Southern California3
leading researchers
Colin Sheppard · Gordon Bauer · Hongcai Zhang · Scott Moura · Akram Elentably · Brian F. Gerke
prism intelligence · tone & topics
91% positive · 5% critical tone
TransportationBusinessEnergySustainabilityEnvironmentAutomotive
▲
Breakthroughs7 · 16%
▼ 18%→17% share
▼0.9× share momentum13 median citations57% since 2021mostly methods-led
Fleet management breakthroughs are rising — appearing across all three segments, with 3 breakthrough papers emerging.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Fleet management3
- Block (permutation group theory)2
- Service (business)2
- Sustainability2
- Production (economics)2
Landmark Next-Generation Automated Vehicle Location Systems: Positioning at the Lane Level · 135 cites
◆
Advancements24 · 56%
▼ 55%→48% share
▼0.9× share momentum6 median citations50% since 2021mostly methods-led
Greenhouse gas, Truck, and Transport engineering advancements newly emerged, each contributing 3 papers in California logistics.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Fleet management2→6
- Supply chain optimization1→3
Newly emergingGreenhouse gas 0→3 · Truck 0→3 · Transport engineering 0→3
Landmark Service Region Design for Urban Electric Vehicle Sharing Systems · 248 cites
▼
Concerns9 · 21%
▼ 27%→22% share
▼0.8× share momentum0 median citations56% since 2021mostly empirical
Electrification concerns are intensifying — 3 papers flagging challenges as California logistics fleets face mandated transitions.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Fleet management5
- Government (linguistics)3
- Electrification3
- Marketing2
- Value (mathematics)2
Landmark Joint Optimization Scheme for the Planning and Operations of Shared Autonomous Electric Vehicle Fleets Serving Mobility · 33 cites
Common questions
How many Freight Forwarders companies are there in California, United States?
Radar tracks 243 indexable Freight Forwarders companies headquartered in California, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States?
The Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States on this list have raised a combined $1.7B in disclosed equity funding across 11 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Freight Forwarders company in California, United States?
Total Transportation Services is the highest-funded Freight Forwarders company in California, United States, with $1.2B in disclosed equity funding.
How many Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States are funded?
11 of the 243 Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Freight Forwarders unicorns are there in California, United States?
None of the Freight Forwarders companies in California, United States on this list currently has a disclosed valuation of $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in California, United States Freight Forwarders companies?
The most active investors in California, United States Freight Forwarders companies on this list include Flexport, AXiomatic, Abstract Ventures, Alloy Ventures, Band of Angels.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.