The economy may be slowing down but someone forget to tell Estes Express Line. The Richmond trucking company, which boasts a fleet of 30,000 tractors and trailers and 200 terminals, continues to expand.

In March the company filled in the last piece of its national footprint with the addition of 13 terminals in the Upper Midwest. Now it is opening an Estes Air Forwarding “Global Solutions” office in Charleston, S.C. The new facility will be the focal point in the company’s initiative to capture ocean-borne container traffic.

“Research shows a continued growth in ocean traffic, and more so, the use of U.S. trucking to move this cargo inland from the ports,” says Gary Weekley, managing director of international. “Estes Air Forwarding is positioning itself to support this continued trend.” More.

In a related move, Estate has hired Ed Alderman, former head of FedEx Freight International Development as managing director of its international development initiative. He will oversee direct service to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Canada and Mexico. Operating out of Estes’ Richmond headquarters, he also will create a business plan for international strategies in conjunction with Estes Air Forwarding.

Said CEO Rob Estes in a prepared statement: “Ed’s worldwide transportation experience with both product development and partnership management is a strong asset for us. We are very excited about having him on board."