About Us

Sourdough Transfer, with operating facilities in Anchorage and Fairbanks, is a fourth generation family organization.

Established in 1898, Sourdough Transfer is one of the oldest and most distinguished transportation companies in Alaska. With the assistance of our capable employees, we are committed to exploring new opportunities for this proud institution.

Sourdough Transfer is a full service moving and storage company, providing residential moving, packing and storage services, office moving service, and employee relocation services to government and corporate clients locally, throughout the state or worldwide.

As a PRIME agent of Arpin Van Lines, enable us to seamlessly extend our service reach to all 50 states and around the world.

Sourdough Transfer also has a dependable freight division, Sourdough Express, which has serviced many sectors of the Alaska economy since the early 1900's, hauling various construction, mining and oilfield related commodities including equipment, steel products, building supplies, groceries, dry bulk goods, and LTL.

"Big Enough to do the Job, Small Enough to Care"

Sourdough Transfer has never had the intent of being the largest trucking company in the state. We have always been under the perception that if we take care of our greatest assets, our customers; the rest of our business plans would fall in to place.

Our job is simple; we are here to provide reliable, safe service.

It's a century-old philosophy that will enable us to serve our customers for another 100 years.

History

1898 Started by an old Sourdough Transfer named Bob Ellis in Dawson City, Sourdough Transfer hauled many prospector's gear through the legendary terrain by dog sled in winter and horse drawn wagons in summer.
1902 Sourdough Bob follows the Gold Rush to Fairbanks and continues hauling freight.
1923 Ed Hering purchased the company from Sourdough Bob. Sourdough Transfer has been owned and managed by the Hering family ever since. The first trucks were used for hauling over the roads. Horse drawn wagons and dog teams were still used on rough trails to mining camps and village.
1927 Gene Rogge, a pioneer Fairbanks Trucker, and Hering's son in law, hauled his first load from Valdez to Fairbanks. He carried eight barrels for gas to Fairbanks in his 1927 Chevy Truck.
1934 Sourdough began hauling coal to local customers.
1935 Gene Rogge buys Sourdough from Ed Hering. The operation focuses in on hauling mining equipment and machinery to different mining camps.
1940 Leo Schlotfeldt leases Sourdough Transfer from Gene Rogge. Sourdough was doing home heating oil and coal deliveries and local cartage in Fairbanks area.
1945 Sourdough becomes a distributor for Standard Oil in Fairbanks.
1948 Leo Schlotfeldt purchases Sourdough Transfer from Rogge and soon after incorporates under the name Sourdough Transfer, Inc.
1949 Sourdough services include delivery of coal, oil wood and freight of general commodity.
1956 Sourdough enters household goods business as an agent for Alaska Orient Van Service.
1958 Sourdough became an agent for United Van Lines doing military and commercial household moves. They were also an agent for Air Van Lines who used to fly their household goods to Seattle.
1959 Alaska became a state and Sourdough Transfer received their ICC permits, causing the home heating oil and coal service to be under a company the family named Sourdough Heating.
1960 Sourdough gains it's own ICC authority to haul household goods.
1968 Leo Schlotfeldt and a group of investors start the "Great North Transportation group" to attempt an overland road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay.
1974 With discovery of oil on the North Slope, Sourdough trucks began hauling supplies for oil development to the slope.
1975 Sourdough companies services include transportation of household goods, home heating fuel, coal, full truckload petroleum products, bulk commodities, flatbed, van specialized hauling and oversize equipment hauling, local drayage, air freight services, in addition to furnace repairs, cleaning and replacement.
1985 Oil prices crashed, Sourdough Transfer weathers an economic disaster. Sourdough opens a second moving company called Borealis Moving and Storage. Sourdough Fuel (Sourdough Heating and Fairbanks Fuel) is sold to Petro Star (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation).
1987 Sourdough Transfer becomes an agent for Global Van Lines with the additional business Sourdough opens a terminal in Anchorage.
1994 Development on the North Slope increases and an influx of federal dollars causes substantial growth in Alaska's economy. Sourdoughs freight division expands it services.
1997 Sourdough opens a third moving company, Sourdough Transfer, Inc., specializing in military shipments.
1998 Celebrated 100th anniversary in business. Borealis opens a terminal in Anchorage, specializing in military shipments.
1999 Sourdough Transfer purchases Food Transportation Services from Bob Bolding expanding into the movement of temperature-controlled freight. Sourdough opens a terminal in Cordova.
2001 Sourdough Transfer diversifies into selling and leasing sea containers or "connexes" for storage structures.
2003 Sourdough Transfer continues to grow with the Alaskan economy, hauling an assorted variety of commodities.

An Arpin Agent

As a PRIME agent of Arpin Van Lines, enable us to seamlessly extend our service reach to all 50 states and around the world.

To help us facilitate long distance (state-to-state) and international moves, Sourdough joined the Arpin Van Line family of moving agents. As a part of Arpin's network, we have the global systems, processes, capabilities and resources to effective move you to all corners of the country and the world. The Arpin connection enables us to leverage industry best practices, provide state of the art systems for managing move logistics, customer service and claims, effectively handle all aspects of interstate and international moves, and provide nationwide corporate relocation, military and GSA services.

Arpin Van Lines is one of Top 10 national moving brands, and has consistently been recognized for delivering the best safety record, unmatched service, and green moving innovation. For over 100 years, Arpin remains a family owned service provider with global reach and local commitment.

Click here to learn more about Arpin Van Lines

Arpin was a great fit for Sourdough Transfer. They share the same high quality, family owned service mentality along with the customer care commitment, capabilities, and attitude to insure stress-free, turnkey long distance moves.

Awards

Winner - 2010 International Agent of the Year (Arpin International Group)
Winner - 2009 Affiliate of the Year (Alaska Board of Realtors)

Affiliations

  • ProMover
  • American Moving and Storage Association
  • Fairbanks Rotary
  • Anchorage Rotary
  • Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
  • International Association of Movers
  • Youth Sports