Landstar System, Inc.
Founders
Jeffrey C. Crowe · Founded 1968 · HQ today: Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Landstar was founded by Jeffrey C. Crowe in 1968. It is now led by Frank A. Lonegro.
Landstar's roots are trucking operations owned by conglomerate IU International. In 1988, a management-led leveraged buyout took several of those carriers private and formed Landstar System. Instead of running a large company-driver fleet, the new company leaned into independent agents and owner-operators, a model that kept fixed costs low. Landstar went public on NASDAQ in 1993.
Crowe was a transportation executive involved in the buyout of trucking operations previously owned by IU International.
Jeffrey C. Crowe was a longtime Landstar chief executive and chairman who helped lead the company after its 1988 formation and through its 1993 NASDAQ listing. He is closely associated with building Landstar's independent agent and owner-operator model. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Bill Clement
Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Leads Landstar's commercial organization as part of a 2026 leadership change aimed at accelerating growth.
Frank A. Lonegro
President and Chief Executive Officer
Lonegro guided Landstar through the tail of a long freight downturn and into the 2026 recovery, when Q2 revenue grew 18% and the BCO truck count posted its strongest quarterly gain since early 2022. His priorities include agent and BCO recruiting, heavy-haul growth, AI tools for agents, and safety.
James B. Gattoni
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
Gattoni led Landstar through the 2021-2022 freight boom, when revenue reached a record $7.44 billion in 2022, and returned cash to shareholders through regular and special dividends and buybacks.
Henry H. Gerkens
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Landstar revenue passed $3 billion under him. Jim Gattoni succeeded him at the end of 2014.
Landstar traces its origins to trucking operations owned by conglomerate IU International, with predecessor operations dating to 1968.
In 1988, a management-led leveraged buyout acquired trucking operations from IU International and formed Landstar System, Inc.
Landstar went public on NASDAQ in 1993 under the ticker LSTR.
Following the 1980 Motor Carrier Act deregulation, the founders recognized that managing thousands of company-owned trucks and unionized terminals created large overhead. They replaced corporate terminals with independent commission sales agents and BCO owner-operators.
Unlike a traditional startup, Landstar was not founded by a romanticized truck driver in a garage. It was birthed by massive corporate restructuring. The most important historical figure is Jeff Crowe (who became CEO in 1989). He led the massive turnaround following the private equity buyout, brilliantly committing the company 100% to the highly unique "asset-light" BCO model that defines Landstar today.
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