Bridge Terminal Transport will employ local trucks to serve Rocky Mount QVC Distribution Center

Gov. Mike Easley announced that Bridge Terminal Transport Inc., a Charlotte-based trucking company and the largest container hauler in the nation, will open an office at the Port of Wilmington. The BTT Wilmington office will hire 30 new local independent truck owner/operators in the next few weeks.

"Our investments in the Port of Wilmington are continuing to pay off for local businesses as we attract companies such as Bridge Terminal Transport that will use their services," Easley said. "The completion of the Wilmington harbor deepening project last year has enabled our port to support additional shipping and more cargo and further enhances our state's ability to compete in the global economy."

Bridge Terminal Transport Inc., which moved its headquarters from Richmond to Charlotte in 2001, employs 325 people at its 37 terminals and 29 container yards in 24 states and Canada. The company uses independent owner/operator truckers to pull freight, with more than 2,400 under lease nationwide.

The company handles containerized cargo for the QVC distribution center in Rocky Mount, which employs more than 1,200 North Carolinians in its 1.2-million-square-foot facility. When the Wilmington terminal is fully operational, QVC projects that 15 to 20 containers will pass over the docks at Wilmington each week bound for Rocky Mount, and the numbers will increase seasonally. BTT also provides service for many national brands and most major shipping lines.

"The service at the Port of Wilmington was among the best we have ever received at any port," said Ron Drogan, BTT's vice president of operations.

"The people of the N.C. State Ports Authority excel in their customer service orientation, and they back up that attitude with performance. In addition to the QVC business, BTT will be working with our other customers in the area to utilize the Wilmington Port facility and grow our business in this new office."