- About Us
Your Loyal Carrier
There’s a better way to run the trucking industry and you’ll know it when you call us and see it.
Founder, Graig Morin
- Our History
Built from the Road Up.
BROWN DOG CARRIERS AND LOGISTICS is the realization of a dream by Co-Founder and President – Graig Morin to utilize his years of trucking and logistics experience with his unwavering commitment to service and provide transportation solutions for his customers.
Graig takes a pragmatic entrepreneurial approach to helping solve your transportation needs. He has been a truck driver all of his professional life so he also understands the complexities of transport and how important it is to have top drivers handling your freight.
Brown Dog is located in Biddeford Maine and is able to work with clients in all parts of the USA.
With more than 100 years of experience in the shipping business, we have made a lot of connections. We used our knowledge of the industry and wealth of experience to begin moving freight using our trusted network of partners. This gave us the opportunity to develop a solid supply chain to move your freight all over America and become a true solutions provider.
- Meet Our Team
The People Behind Every Delivery
Graig Morin
President and CO-FOUNDER
Graig was born and raised in Biddeford, Maine. Shortly after high school, Graig began investing in truck driving. This investment transpired in 1998, after a road trip from Maine to Arizona with a few friends. While on the trip, he knew that the trucking industry was his passion and lifelong desire. Since 1998, Graig has been fully involved in the transportation industry. His career has varied from working on loading docks to hauling general freight. He has also hauled heavy equipment across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions. Graig has safely operated tractor trailers of all types, logging over 1.5 million miles.
In 2010, Graig met the love of his life, Christine, and her four-legged side kick, Lily. Lily is a chocolate Labrador Retriever who travels with Graig every day in the truck (she has logged 500,000 herself). Graig and Christine married soon after and since then have been blessed with three healthy boys. For the past 19 years, Graig has dreamed of owning and operating a driver friendly transportation and logistics company. He has spent countless hours studying the industry and all of its workings. Graig attends the Mid America Truck show to help continue his knowledge of this ever-changing industry.
In January of 2017, Graig and Christine decided it was time to build the family-friendly transport company that Graig had been dreaming about for decades. With the guidance from the co-owners of Aventure Management, Brown Dog Carriers and Logistics was born.
Graig and Christine enjoy the outdoors. They are always looking for a mountain to ski on or a boat to relax on, and they look forward to camping with the boys in the upcoming years.
Graig also serves as the secretary of the Maine Professional Drivers Association.
Graig Morin
President and CO-FOUNDER
Carolyn Hughes – SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Human Resources and Accounting
With a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Carolyn achieved her Professional Engineering certification in the Province of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in Canada. She worked for many years in the field of information technology matching job tasks with emerging technology in industry and then in provincial government. Upon moving to Maine, Carolyn used her Industrial Engineering skills to develop programs for job safety (OSHA) and food safety (HACCP program) with Bristol Seafood.
In 2004 Carolyn took on the Human Resource Management role at Bristol Seafood and Bristol Trucking and began to develop her expertise in this area through on-the-job training and continuing education through the Society of Human Resources and University of Southern Maine. In January 2014, Carolyn obtained her Senior Professional Human Resource certification through the Human Resource Certification Institute and in May 2015 added the Senior Certified Professional certification through the Society of Human Resource Management. While working with as the Director of Human Resources at the Town of Kennebunk, Carolyn gained experience in municipal systems and labor negotiation.
In 2017, Carolyn joined Graig Morin as a partner in Brown Dog, providing C-Level expertise in Human Resources
Carolyn Hughes – SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Human Resources and Accounting
Darrell Pardy, CPA CA
Finance, Business Development & Co Founder
Darrell has held a professional accounting designation since 1984 and lead and helped scale multiple organizations in various C-Level roles including CEO, COO and CFO.
After the successful sale of Bristol Seafood (a company he co-founded) he teamed up with Graig Morin as an investor/director to help Graig and the Brown Dog team start and grow the company.
In his role at Brown Dog he provides high level financial and organizational oversight to the company and has taken a leading role in the marketing and business development side of the company.
Darrell has served on, and chaired multiple non-profit boards in the Arts and Education community in Southern Maine.
Darrell Pardy, CPA CA
Finance, Business Development & Co Founder
Jeff Dorais
Director of Operations
Jeff Dorais was born and raised in Biddeford. Attended school in Biddeford and went to Kaplan University where he earned an Associate degree in Business Administration.
Right out of High School Jeff began his career in the transportation industry by working for Sure Winner Foods as a Sales Merchandiser in the Southern Maine area. This is where he earned performance awards including Sales Merchandiser of the year and Silver Penguin presented by the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association.
In 2007 Jeff married and later went on to have 2 beautiful girls. His family consists of 2 daughters and dog Cherry.
When Jeff is not working to ensure on time safe delivery of product for Brown Dog’s customers he spends his free time enjoying watching and coaching his kids sports. He also serves on the board of director’s to both the Youth Softball and Youth Hockey organizations.
In 2016 he was prompted to Operations Manger at Sure Winner Foods where he handled the daily logistics and truck needs of the business.
At the end of 2019 he was recruited by Brown Dog Carriers as our Operations and Business Development Manger.
Jeff Dorais
Director of Operations
John Wright
Safety, Payroll, and Operations Coordinator
John was born in Portland, Maine and has lived in South Portland, Maine since the age of 7. He studied Electronics and Drafting at S.M.V.T.I. After College John’s path took another turn, when he was approached by a food broker, Acosta (formally MAI-Alper). He started as a sales rep which led to a role inside Hannaford/Delhaize headquarters as a Shelf Management Specialist.
In 1998 John shifted companies, inside Shelf Management, to Sure Winner Foods. In 2001, John was promoted to Logistics Development Manager where he learned the skills of creating and managing a distribution network. John remained in that role until Sure Winner closed their doors in 2019. He continued his role as Logistics Manager with Paradigm Window Solutions until 2022 when he joined the Brown Dog team.
John still resides in South Portland, Maine with his wife Melissa and his 2 sons and 2 Stepsons. In the Summer, he enjoys going on Motorcycle rides with the whole family. John is a Star Wars geek, so if you ever need a hand at Star Wars Trivia – He’s your guy! He is also the self-proclaimed Neighborhood Chef and can normally be found in the kitchen or on the grill getting ready to host a backyard party or a weekend game night.
John Wright
Safety, Payroll, and Operations Coordinator
David Foote
Recruitment and Driver Engagement Manager
David’s journey in the trucking industry began during his college years as a truck greaser, eventually leading him to drive tractor-trailers for a CDL-exempt intrastate agricultural operation.
For the past fifteen years, he’s been based in Maine, dedicating the last five exclusively to driver recruitment. A central Maine native with deep family roots in Biddeford,
David is eager to share Brown Dog’s growth story, industry accolades, and our commitment to driver satisfaction.
David Foote
Recruitment and Driver Engagement Manager
Jim Costa
Safety Consultant
Jim brings decades of experience as a CDL CMV operator and as a Safety Manager for a major HazMat hauler. Jim drives for us, conducts road tests, trains drivers, and keeps all of us focused on SAFETY. In addition, Jim is a Vietnam Veteran and actively participates in numerous Veteran-related community activities including Wreaths Across America and The Wall that Heals.
Jim Costa
Safety Consultant
Lily Rae Morin 2009-2022
Chief Canine Officer
Lily was born and raised in Maine. Lily’s birth name was Olivia, only to be changed when she went home with her mom, Christine, in the spring of 2009. They took morning walks together before Christine headed to school, and Lily relaxed at home for the day. Christine is an avid runner, and Lily soon became one as well. If you saw Christine running road races, Lily was running right next to her. Each race they ran together, Lily always finished first!
In the winter of 2011, Lily met her dad, Graig. The connection was instant. Lily loved to curl herself up to him as they were sleeping or relaxing on the couch. Lily loved greeting him with a “friend” (stuffed animal) in her mouth when he came home from work. It was as though she had known him all of her life.
One fall morning, Graig brought Lily with him to work. She was quite curious about the new adventure with daddy and his work truck. From that day forward, Lily looked forward to each morning, knowing that when daddy’s alarm went off, she was traveling somewhere new with him.
Lily made many friends along her travels, both four legged and two. She brought a smile to every customer she met. If she wasn’t smiling from the window of Graig’s truck, she was out wagging her tail at them and giving them kisses. She even had customers who had treats for her when she visited them.
Sadly, Lily passed away in November 2022. She is missed but lives on in our hearts and company
Lily Rae Morin 2009-2022
Chief Canine Officer
- Mission & Values
Create a World Where We Whine Less and Wag More
At Brown Dog Carriers we:
- STRIVE to provide the safest, most reliable freight service to our valued customers while keeping the public and our families safe.
- BELIEVE that everyone should feel like family: customers, employees, and owners.
- BELIEVE no matter the need, it will be performed with precision, safety and pride.
- BELIEVE that our quality equipment and pristine work environment will make Brown Dog Carriers your loyal carrier.
Safety
SAFETY is our main value and will always come first.
Family
We believe FAMILY matters most. We will always provide a family-friendly work environment to our dedicated employees.
Service
At Brown Dog Carriers, we will always provide superior SERVICE to our valued customers.
Reliability
You can always count on Brown Dog for RELIABILITY to get the job done right.
Transparency
We provide TRANSPARENCY - letting you know the status of your deliveries and staying ahead of any potential issues.
- Commitment to Safety
Safety Is How We Do Business
Why Our Safety Program Shines
Brown Dog Carriers was founded with the safety and wellbeing of the drivers and the public in mind. Our mission statement emphasizes safety. This is something that we not only stress throughout our training, but it is something that we ourselves live each day, whether we are driving in a company vehicle or one with our family.
Graig Morin called on his network of professional drivers to help him with specific safety and wellness questions and training tips during the founding of our company. As the company entered its second year of operations it was able to hire a Safety Officer. The Safety Officer came to us with over 48 years’ experience in the trucking industry as a driver, manager and safety trainer. He has his CDL A license, and is a certified trainer for Hazmat Safety, the Smith System and the Safety in Motion system. He brings his experience to the company and exemplifies the company’s commitment to safety.
Brown Dog’s owners have an extended history of being involved in and concerned for providing safe work environments to their employees. The President of the company and the Safety Officer are members of the Maine Professional Drivers Association and take the profession and its obligations very seriously. This philosophy is conveyed to the employees from the moment in which they are hired and on a day to day basis.
As a growing company, we are always looking for ways to strengthen our safety program. We also know that with the knowledge and education of our Safety Officer and President, constant checks ins, ride-alongs, and teachable moments with staff, that our safety program will grow with our company.
See Safety First Hand
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Our pre trip inspection starts visually, as demonstrated by Brown Dog Carriers’ safety director.
Our pre-trip inspection continues under the hood looking at our trucks’ individual components.
Air connections, caps, individual components are all visually and physically inspected prior to our departure to ensure a safe start to your cargo’s trip.
Our safety check continues inside the cab.