Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lindell Forsythe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lindell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The mission behind Paperboie Trucking is personal. I started out as a driver, and I’ve experienced firsthand the challenges and the grind that come with trying to build something from the ground up. That’s why Paperboie isn’t just a trucking company, we’re a company rooted in purpose. Our mission is to deliver excellence in freight while creating opportunities for people who’ve been overlooked, counted out, or are simply looking for a second chance.

What drives me every day is knowing that our work goes beyond the freight. Through Driving Change, our nonprofit arm, we’re actively building workforce programs, providing CDL training support, and helping reentry populations and underserved communities step into sustainable careers. We’re creating a system where people who may have been told “no” finally get a real “yes.”

For me, that’s what makes this mission meaningful. We’re not just moving containers, we’re moving lives forward. Every load we haul is a step toward building something bigger: generational impact, economic stability, and a legacy of change for our community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For those who may not know me, I’m Lindell Forsythe, founder and CEO of Paperboie Trucking LLC,a Charleston-based freight and logistics company built on purpose, resilience, and legacy.

My journey into trucking didn’t begin in a boardroom or with a fleet. It started when I was a kid. My cousin invited me to help him deliver newspapers on his route, and I remember being fascinated by the idea of moving something, connecting people to information, products, or services—across distance. That moment sparked something in me. Years later, when it came time to name my own company, I called it Paperboie as a tribute to where the dream started.

I launched the first version of Paperboie in 2007, running a single dump truck. But like many small businesses, we were hit hard by the housing recession, and I had to put the vision on hold. That experience taught me resilience and timing, and while the dream paused, it never died.

I went on to build a successful corporate career, starting as a driver and working my way into leadership roles. I learned how to lead, scale, and execute with excellence. Then in 2020, I came back to my first love, transportation, and relaunched Paperboie with a sharpened focus on drayage freight, particularly moving containers from the Port of Charleston and Savannah.

Today, Paperboie offers a range of services including local and long-distance drayage, FTL/LTL freight, lane forecasting, strategic logistics planning, and 3PL networking. What sets us apart is more than just our service-it’s our spirit. We’re solution-driven, forward-thinking, and grounded in real experience. We bring integrity, innovation, and intentionality to every move we make.

But the part that matters most to me? Family. Paperboie is a family company at its core. My brothers, my sister, and others close to me are all part of the business. We treat our team like family, and we show up for our clients like family too.

I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, but I’m even more proud of how we’re using our platform to give back. Through our nonprofit, Driving Change, we support CDL training and job placement for individuals from reentry populations and underserved communities. We’re tackling labor shortages while also creating second chances.

At the end of the day, Paperboie is about more than freight. It’s about legacy, opportunity, and impact. We’re here to build something bigger than ourselves, and we’re doing it one mile, one life, one load at a time.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe our reputation was built on consistency, integrity, and relationships.

When I relaunched Paperboie Trucking, I knew I was stepping into a competitive market, but I also knew that reliability and how you treat people go a long way. From day one, I made it a priority to show up with excellence, whether we were hauling one container or twenty. We never cut corners, and we never overpromise. We focus on doing what we say we’re going to do and doing it well.

Another key part of building our reputation has been communication. In logistics, delays happen. Ports back up. Things shift fast. What makes the difference is how you communicate through it. Our clients know they can trust us to be transparent and proactive. That trust turns into loyalty.

And finally, I think our reputation has grown because people can feel our purpose. Paperboie isn’t just here to move freight, we’re here to make an impact. Through Driving Change, our nonprofit arm, we’re working to solve real workforce issues by training and placing qualified CDL drivers from underserved communities. That commitment to community, along with our results, is what really sets us apart.

At the end of the day, it’s about doing good work, treating people with respect, and staying aligned with your mission. That’s how we’ve built our name and that’s how we plan to keep growing.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my life was when I had to press pause on Paperboie Trucking after first launching it in 2007. I had just gotten my first dump truck, and I was full of drive and ambition, ready to make my mark in the trucking world. But not long after starting, the housing recession hit, and everything slowed down. Construction sites dried up. The work just wasn’t there. As much as I wanted to push through, I had to make the difficult decision to step back and put the business on hold.

That moment was humbling. It was frustrating. But it was also necessary. I pivoted into corporate work, where I built a strong career, starting as a driver and working my way up into leadership. During that time, I didn’t lose the dream, I just refined it. I learned how to manage people, how to build systems, and how to think strategically. I gained the tools I would later need to run Paperboie the right way.

Then in 2020, I pivoted again, this time, back into my purpose. I restarted Paperboie Trucking, but with a clearer vision and deeper foundation. I shifted our focus from dump truck work to drayage and logistics, and we haven’t looked back. That pivot changed everything. It allowed me to build a company that not only serves the market, but also creates opportunities for others.

Sometimes pivoting doesn’t mean giving up, it means planting the seed in better soil. That’s exactly what I did. And now that seed is growing into something powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paperboietrucking.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperboietrucking/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559649007127
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindell-f-774a8a271

Image Credits

images by MadLad Films