ABOUT US | HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF POLARIS AND HOW WE GOT HERE

Polaris was started back in 1994 by two powerful transportation experts who each had over 20 years of experience in the industry. Together, Larry and Geri Cox knew they could achieve something great by beginning their own trailblazing operation. They combined their mix of skills and started Polaris Transportation, which began as a regional freight brokerage servicing the Greater Toronto Area.

Family-owned and operated

As the industry advanced, Geri and Larry adapted with it and continued to grow Polaris Transportation. In 1997, Polaris completed its first cross border LTL run from Toronto to Chicago. A year later, their son, Dave Cox, joined the Polaris team as Operations Manager, contributing his expertise from working with another asset-based carrier. He soon initiated Polaris’ claim-to-fame: overnight scheduled runs between Toronto and the USA, with more service routes between Toronto and Ohio, Boston, New York and New Jersey.

Fast-forward to acquisitions and advancements

To keep up with our growth, Polaris expanded its facilities and service areas to enter new markets. In 2006, we created a USA division, Polaris Motor Freight and soon established Polaris Global Logistics as our international freight brokerage division. We purchased reputable companies, JG Drapeau & Commercial Warehousing, Mainliners’ LTL and warehousing divisions and PRI Logistics to continue building our assets and infrastructure. With these acquisitions, Polaris Commercial Warehousing and Polaris Global Logistics were born.

The dawn of a new age

Since the beginning, Polaris has always understood the impact of technology in enhancing our services to improve customer experiences. In 2019, we dove in and Polaris founded NorthStar Digital Solutions. Our head office became a state-of-the-art digital lab where we’ve been working with artificial intelligence and machine learning to find more efficiencies in our processes. For our efforts in implementing technology, we were named CCJ Innovator of the Year.

Celebrating 30 years of a legacy created by Larry, Geri and Dave Cox

Polaris has come a long way from our humble beginnings 3 decades ago with only 2 employees and nothing more than a drive to succeed. We are proud to now stand as one of Canada’s largest privately held LTL carriers with 4 operating divisions covering all facets of the supply chain: Polaris Transportation, Polaris Global Logistics, Polaris Commercial Warehousing and NorthStar Digital Solutions.

As we continue to be awarded for our service excellence, cutting-edge tech innovations and above and beyond HR initiatives, we are staying true to our roots planted by Larry and Geri Cox 30 years ago. Today, the Cox family remains a guiding force for our operations with Geri as Chairwoman and Dave as our CEO.

Moving forward, we remain dedicated to improving the transportation industry and the customer experiences within it. It's been a wonderful journey so far and we can't wait for what the future holds for all of us at Polaris.