Family-Owned • Owner-Operated • Sioux Falls, SD
Bayou to Badlands Express LLC is a family-owned and operated transportation company built by Chad and Katherine Mitchell, partners in life and in business.
Together, we bring experience from commercial transportation, shipbuilding, information technology, healthcare, and customer service. Those different professional paths give us a shared appreciation for safety, attention to detail, and dependable service.
The name Bayou to Badlands Express tells the story of where we came from and where we are today. Chad was born and raised along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, surrounded by the shipbuilding, maritime, and transportation industries that help define the region. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, later became the place where Chad and Katherine built their home, raised their family, and established their business.
The name represents our Gulf Coast roots, our home on the Great Plains, and the many miles of highway connecting the bayou, the Badlands, and the communities in between.
“We built Bayou to Badlands Express around a simple belief: customers deserve dependable transportation, honest communication, and a carrier who treats every load like it matters.”
Chad brings a diverse background in shipbuilding, commercial transportation, information technology, and customer support to Bayou to Badlands Express.
Before entering the technology field, Chad spent years working in the shipbuilding industry at Huntington Ingalls Industries, where he served as a shipfitter helping construct ships that serve the United States Navy. Shipfitting required hands-on craftsmanship, precision, teamwork, and strict attention to safety and quality. It also taught him that every component matters and that the strength of the finished product depends on each person doing the job correctly.
Chad also has previous over-the-road driving experience with Werner Enterprises and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. His time behind the wheel gave him firsthand knowledge of long-haul transportation, route planning, equipment inspections, delivery schedules, regulatory responsibilities, and the challenges professional drivers face while moving freight across the country.
He later built a career in information technology, systems administration, and client support. Troubleshooting complex problems, coordinating technical projects, and working directly with customers strengthened his commitment to preparation, accurate information, clear communication, and dependable follow-through.
Today, Chad brings those experiences together as the owner-operator behind the wheel of Bayou to Badlands Express. He personally manages the transportation side of the business, including equipment inspections, load planning, freight securement, route management, customer communication, and final delivery.
For Chad, every shipment represents more than freight on a trailer. It represents someone's equipment, inventory, deadline, and reputation. That responsibility is taken seriously from the first conversation through the final signed delivery paperwork.
“My career has taken me from helping build ships for the United States Navy to driving across the country and supporting customers through complex technology challenges. Every one of those experiences taught me the same lesson: prepare carefully, do the job correctly, and stand behind your work.”
Katherine brings years of experience in healthcare, patient care, and clinical decision-making to Bayou to Badlands Express.
As a nurse practitioner, Katherine's career has been built around responsibility, careful judgment, attention to detail, and helping people through situations where trust and communication are essential. Healthcare requires the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate information carefully, communicate clearly, and make decisions that place safety and well-being first.
Those same qualities play an important role in how Bayou to Badlands Express operates. Katherine helps provide the steady judgment, organization, and accountability needed to build a responsible family business. Her perspective helps ensure that decisions are made thoughtfully and that the company remains focused on professionalism, safety, and the people behind every shipment.
Katherine also understands that strong relationships are built by listening, communicating honestly, and following through on commitments. She brings those values into the business as we develop relationships with brokers, shippers, customers, and other transportation professionals.
Together, Chad and Katherine approach the company the same way they approach their professional careers and family life: prepare carefully, communicate openly, take responsibility for the outcome, and treat people with respect.
When you work with Bayou to Badlands Express, you are working directly with the people responsible for your shipment. Chad personally operates the truck, manages the load, and provides updates from pickup through delivery.
That direct connection means questions are answered without being passed between departments, decisions can be made quickly, and responsibility remains with the same person throughout the shipment. For customers and brokers, it provides a clear point of contact and a more personal level of service.
Chad's background in shipbuilding taught him the value of craftsmanship, safety, and doing the job correctly the first time. His over-the-road experience taught him what it takes to move freight across the country while managing schedules, inspections, changing road conditions, and customer expectations.
His career in information technology added another important skill: the ability to troubleshoot problems, communicate clearly, and keep customers informed rather than leaving them wondering what is happening.
Katherine's healthcare background brings another layer of discipline to the company. Her experience reinforces the importance of careful decision-making, documentation, organization, and maintaining composure when circumstances change.
Together, those experiences shape how Bayou to Badlands Express approaches every shipment:
We believe professionalism is not limited to what happens behind the wheel. It begins with the first conversation and continues until the final paperwork has been delivered.
Bayou to Badlands Express is a growing company, and we understand that long-term relationships are earned through consistent actions rather than promises.
Our goal is not simply to move freight from one location to another. We want to build relationships with customers, brokers, and businesses that value dependable service, direct communication, and personal accountability.
We know that every successful load is an opportunity to earn the next one. That means arriving prepared, protecting the freight, communicating throughout the trip, and completing the delivery with the same level of care shown at pickup.
We are not trying to become the biggest carrier on the highway. We are focused on building a company known for reliability, professionalism, and the willingness to stand behind our work.
Based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bayou to Badlands Express provides professional hotshot transportation for compatible general freight, machinery, equipment, palletized products, construction materials, farm equipment, and other approved loads.
Our company represents the journey from Chad's Gulf Coast beginnings to the home and family Chad and Katherine have built on the Great Plains.
From the bayou to the Badlands, and wherever the road leads in between, we are ready to work, ready to communicate, and ready to build lasting relationships.
Family-owned. Owner-operated. Licensed, insured, and ready to roll.