Crete Carrier on Wednesday, Feb. 14, announced plans to invest $5.4 million and bring a total of 50 jobs to a new trucking facility next to Interstate 40 in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley of Tennessee. Karel Znamenacek, Crete executive vice president, estimated that an average of 75 trucks a day will use the Roane County facility.
Znamenacek called the site west of Knoxville “the perfect location for us — next to Interstates 40 and 75, where a lot of our trucks operate.” The 16-county Innovation Valley has received high marks for its logistics capabilities. The nearby University of Tennessee-Knoxville campus is home to a nationally recognized logistics and supply chain curriculum.
Znamenacek said the new site will include a maintenance operation, office and numerous amenities for drivers. “There’ll be an eight-bay drive-through maintenance facility for servicing trucks and trailers,” Znamenacek said. “The office staff will work with drivers and recruit new employees. And there’ll be numerous services for truckers, including a lounge, lunch room and even a bunk room.” Truckload carrier Crete, based in Lincoln, Neb., has 5,700 trucks and 13,000 trailers nationwide.
The Roane County Commission approved rezoning the land from commercial to industrial, which was necessary since Crete’s new facility will include refueling. The 26-acre site next to the Roane Regional Business and Technology Park was sold in a private land deal that took place without any publicly-funded incentive package. Tax collections from Crete are expected to add some $42,000 per year to Roane County’s tax rolls.
