Most manufacturing companies long ago outsourced their truck deliveries in the belief that outside experts could do the job more efficiently.

Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., the largest U.S. maker and retailer of furniture, has resisted that trend. It owns and operates about 800 trucks and delivers the vast bulk of its own products from factories to stores. “We think it is a core competency,” says Todd Wanek, chief executive of the family-owned company.

Ashley employs about 3,000 people in transport and warehouse functions in the U.S., nearly a quarter of its U.S. head count. Its distribution centers feature racks specially designed to speed loading, and its managers arrange for trucks returning after they deliver their furniture to carry loads for other companies for a fee. Its drivers, dubbed Ashley Ambassadors, are also charged with building customer relations.

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