Who We Are
We have been blazing trails and paving the way in logistics management for over 42 years. With industry expertise and proprietary technology, we offer solutions from A to Z that gets our customers from point A to point B and beyond. From award winning intermodal drayage, cross dock and trans load service, to dedicated trucking and yard management, supplemented by our Regional and Special services we always deliver!
And we do this through truth, transparency, and reliability. Our customers know they can count on us because we make everything we do count for them. We are known for bending over backwards to support our customers by helping solve their most critical challenges and providing on-demand service.
We always go the extra mile. Then even further with our team, partners, customers and community. We do it all with a big smile and a little spunk.
Like we always say, “Let’s rally, together”.
The Story of RDS Logistics Group
As the story goes, Rail Delivery Services came into existence to save a dear friend’s job. In 1981, Judi Girard Stefflre had recently left Safeway Stores and was looking for something interesting to do, and Greg Stefflre was an experienced transportation lawyer with specific expertise in the recently deregulated interstate trucking market.
Their close friend David Pluimer was working for a small intermodal trucker that was going out of business. It was the kind of disruption that trailblazers live for.
So, they took over a terminal and some customers from David’s former employer and started RDS on December 15, 1981.
Our History
1981
Technological Trailblazers
When we first started with six trucks and a four-door dock located in Alhambra, CA., we wrote a computerized billing and driver payment program for an original wood Stratos computer.
RDS has had a website since the very beginning with a sign on its domain page that read “Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you!” prominently displayed. It took a while, but we eventually got visitors.
In the immediate years that followed, we got an operating permit from the Interstate Commerce Commission and created RDS as a California general partnership.
In 1991, RDS was incorporated as a California “C” corporation with the partners becoming shareholders.
2005
The Growth Hasn’t Stopped
For the next twenty-four years, RDS continued to grow, moving from Alhambra to Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles to La Mirada and finally building our custom-designed terminal in Fontana in 2005.
We expanded our main railroad intermodal business as we started to take on warehousing, cross-docking, transloading, consolidation and dedicated fleet customers.
In 2013, we expanded our cross-dock facility that now offers 100,000 square feet of modern warehouse and logistics space – from the heart of the logistics industry in Southern California.
Our fleet size grew from the initial six contractors to a fleet of more than 200 trucks and 100 trailers in 2020.
2017
Meeting the Demands of Evolving Technology
Our original dBase invoicing system from 1982 has continued to evolve and move to more modern languages and platforms over the years. In 2017, we took another leap forward with a newly designed and developed proprietary system that operates on the most stable and reliable platform available.
For decades we have gathered geo-positional data from our trucks allowing us to anticipate delays and make corrections on the fly. We now leverage artificial intelligence and the geo-positioning data to calculate shipment status and the potential for service interruptions.
2020
Blazing a New Trail as RDS Logistics Group
With great new senior management in place, a modern and efficient facility, a fully up-to-date information management system, and a strong financial base, we needed a brand that would capture our evolution and expanded services.
In our new incarnation as RDS Logistics Group, we continue the same promise we have followed as Rail Delivery Services for nearly four decades. We call it the RDS Rally.
We rally around each other, and we rally around our business partners. With on-demand, custom solutions, we’re always in it with you, we always have your back and we always move your business forward.
Career Opportunities
RDS Logistics Group is looking for corporate professionals and owner-operator drivers to join our fleet! We invite you to rally with us.