Arctic O&G Directory Fall 2020: Sea urchins to Kombucha, Brown Line carries cool freight

Petroleum News

As reported by Lynden News May 29, Brown Line’s “bread and butter” is the I-5 corridor from Washington to California. Four days a week, drivers make the trip hauling fresh and frozen fish, chicken and other refrigerated products up and down the coast.

“We also haul some lesser-known types of freight, like sea urchin and Kombucha,” explains Riley Rosvold, Brown Lines sales manager. The round, spiky creatures are harvested for the eggs inside, called roe, which is used in sushi. Brown Line is the only carrier in the Pacific Northwest trusted to carry the high-value, temperature-sensitive freight.

Divers bring the urchins to the surface during the winter months and they are delivered to Brown Line for transport to Oxnard and Los Angeles. They are then processed and the roe is flown to Japan.

“We are diversifying our freight hauls,” Riley says. “In the past, Brown Line has been reliant on the seafood industry, but now we are moving into more dairy and vegan products.” Offering both truckload and LTL service throughout the U.S. and Western Canada, Brown Line provides companies with a variety of delivery options.

“Our freight is extremely time-sensitive due to short shelf life and expiration dates, so we have to be vigilant about traffic, deadlines and equipment,” Riley explains. “Many customers shipping fresh and chill products have sell-by dates which are less than a week after production. It is a testament to our driving teams and dispatchers that our customers trust us to deliver their products at the peak of freshness and quality - especially in the congested Los Angeles area. Routing our trucks efficiently and effectively is imperative.”