Southeastern Freight Lines, the leading provider of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services, is celebrating 45 years of quality without question service from its Charlotte, North Carolina, service center this month. Originally located on Woodward Avenue, the Charlotte service center opened for business in July 1, 1972with five dock doors and 10 associates. Since then, the facility moved to its current location at 4524 Reagan Drive and has grown to 122 dock doors and 218 associates, five of which are celebrating more than 40 years at the Charlotte service center. Linehaul drivers Francis Rawlinson, Joel Stevens, Bernie Burris and Carroll Ricker and Regional Safety Manager Mike Honeycutt were all hired shortly after the opening of the Charlotte service center in 1972 and remain active with Southeastern today. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating 45 years with our associates and customers in Charlotte,” said Taylor Wray, service center manager, Southeastern Freight Lines. “It’s incredibly satisfying to see the company grow and provide opportunities for so many people.” These opportunities continue to grow, including opening Charlotte’s second service center facility in 2011, located on a 30-acre site at 11700 Steele Creek Road. This location has 123 doors, 201 employees and a full maintenance shop, providing additional transportation capacity for the region. The ability to traffic freight through two locations in areas with heavy traffic congestion helps maintain on-time delivery standards and other measures of efficiency that lead the industry. The Charlotte service center was the seventh service center opened by Southeastern Freight Lines since its founding in 1950. The company now operates 89 service centers spanning 14 states, Canada and Puerto Rico and has undergone numerous upgrades in trucks and trucking technologies.