We were but young boys when the trucking stories of our fathers, and their fathers, dazzled our imaginations. Our beginnings weren’t glamorous; sweeping floors, taking out trash, eavesdropping tales of the open road.
But this is what we mean when we say trucking runs in the family – Classic Carriers was built upon the generational knowledge of the Subler men who came before us, and will continue to thrive and evolve as we share that expertise with the next generation.
Our history is our values, our fortitude, our reminder that no enterprise is ever built alone.
This is our story.
Our history begins in the Depression era with three boys from Versailles, OH: Kenneth, Carl and Basil Subler. At a time when high unemployment and poverty were the norm and banks and businesses failed left and right, the Subler boys were looking for any work they could do to make a living.
In 1933, Carl bought his first truck and began hauling coal from the barges in Cincinnati, OH to homes and businesses around Darke County. Ken and Basil soon followed suit and purchased their own trucks to drive for Carl.
It was hard work and a tough life. Back then, trucks had to be loaded and unloaded by hand, one shovel of coal at a time. Similarly, when Ken and Basil started hauling tobacco for J.K. Long from Owensboro, KY, the ferry that carried trucks across the Ohio River was powered by men pulling ropes, often with help from the truck driver.
Most trips were made by two-man teams that took at least two days to get east. Breakdowns were common, so drivers needed to know how to do their own repairs on the side of the road, or worst case, in the middle of it.
As the poultry and egg industries took off in Versailles, the Sublers created their first reefer trailers with wool insulation covered with plywood to deliver for area businesses. Soon they were hauling 200 cases of eggs per load and fresh poultry packed in wooden barrels full of ice to Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey.
Transporting food commodities proved to be ideal for the Sublers, especially after the trucking industry became regulated under the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, which required carriers to have a “Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” (later called “Authorities”) to haul freight. Most foods were exempt from this regulation.
As Ken’s fleet grew, Basil decided to sell his truck to him in 1939 and began working as Ken’s mechanic and fleet manager.
Basil’s position at the company was interrupted in 1943 when he was drafted and sent to Europe during WWII. At this time, trucking – and most industries – were largely controlled by the government to support the war effort.
Basil returned home in 1946 and resumed his position. After the war, the U.S. economy picked up steam, and opportunities in trucking were abundant. Ken and Basil concentrated on serving the eastern seaboard to the Midwest and Chicago areas. Meanwhile, Carl was making progress bringing southern citrus back to the midwest and running a produce market from his home with the help of his wife and children.
In the 1950s, the Sublers incorporated their businesses as Subler Transfer Inc. and Carl Subler Trucking Inc. Both companies were growing with their reputations as honest, dependable motor carriers.
As the companies expanded, so did their freight. Carl opened a terminal in Portland, ME in the 1960s to meet demand for potatoes, paper and blueberries. Subler Transfer began hauling fresh and frozen meats.
Around this time, the next generation of Subler family members started joining the businesses, including Basil’s son and future Classic Carriers founder Jim Subler.
“My brother John and I were little shop gophers, emptying trash cans, sweeping floors and listening to truck driver stories – I was hooked!” Jim said.
In 1971 at the age of 17, he purchased his first truck with Subler Transfer and became an owner-operator. This was how many got their start in trucking, as being an owner-operator was a good opportunity to make a living and build equity. Within five years, Jim acquired 15 more trucks.
As both Subler Transfer and Carl Subler Trucking Inc. grew to major carriers serving 48 states, signs of prosperity in trucking were everywhere in Versailles. But Jim knew his future at Subler Transfer was limited. Finding a small piece of authority to operate under was cost prohibitive, so he went to work for competitor Midwest Emery Freight, where he’d have more control over where his trucks went and what they hauled.
“Life was good,” Jim said. “I was thinking of retiring at 35!”
Trucking’s period of growth began to slow with the economy in the late 1970s. The oil embargo of 1976 sent fuel prices and interest rates through the roof.
Ken and Basil retired and sold Subler Transfer to Bray in April of 1980 while the business was profitable, nearly debt-free and had a solid book of business. At the time, their authority was worth millions of dollars.
Just three months later, on July 1, President Carter signed the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 into law, which essentially deregulated the trucking industry. Ken and Basil sold just in time – the authorities that trucking companies worked so hard to establish were now worthless!
It was a death blow to many trucking companies.
Jim’s operation was one of the first casualties, as his lanes came under rate pressure and Midwest Emery ran into its own financial problems. A couple years later, Subler/Bray was forced to close from extreme debt. Carl sold what was left of Carl Subler Transfer Inc. to Munson Truck Line, which was then sold to Heartland Express.
The loss of both Versailles-based trucking companies was a hit to the local economy.
Jim saw an opportunity in the midst of this change to start fresh. Suddenly, new entrants to the market could get a 48-state general commodity authority for less than $1,000 and set whatever rates they wanted.
With his dad’s help, Jim purchased a new truck and trailer and went to work with two guys he’d met at Midwest Emery who had a quickly growing operation called Interstate Express.
By 1984, Jim was running five trucks, but with a wife and young son, he realized he needed to stay closer to home to manage the business and be with his family. A year later, Classic Carriers was born.
His friends in the industry through the years were instrumental in getting contacts in the meat industry and growing his business. Over the next 10 years, Classic Carriers was hauling for companies like Gilardi’s Pizza, Clopay Doors, Dannon, Wilson Foods, Thorn Apple Valley, Sara Lee and Midmark.
Throughout the 1990s, Classic Carries grew so rapidly that it outgrew two different warehouse spaces before purchasing its present warehouse and office space in Versailles in 1999. Business with Midmark was going so well that in 2001, construction began on an additional 50,000 sq. ft. building close to Midmark to support that relationship.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Classic Carriers acquired multiple trucking companies and assets across the country, including Shenandoah Motor Express, B&L Truck Line and T&L Miller.
Today, we have more than 2.3 million cu. ft. of food-grade frozen storage in Greenville, Ohio, 12,000 sq. ft. of dry storage warehousing, a thriving carrier business serving 48 states, and third-party logistics capabilities.
Jim has (mostly) retired from Classic Carriers, but the business is still in Subler hands. His son, Lucas, took over as president in 2023.
We don’t know what’s around the bend for the trucking industry in the years to come, but so long as there are Sublers in Versailles, we’ll weather the changes together and share in the successes with our community, just as we’ve done for generations.