American Freightways (AF; now known as FedEx Freight East) was founded in 1982 by the late Sheridan Garrison. In 1989, AF became a publicly held corporation and by 2001 had developed a wide network of customer centers - providing 100 percent direct coverage to 40 contiguous U.S. states.

American Freightways was acquired by FedEx Corporation in 2001. By combining Viking Freight and AF, FedEx Corp. created FedEx Freight to offer one-stop shopping for LTL customers.

In June 2002, FedEx rebranded AF and Viking as FedEx Freight East and FedEx Freight West, respectively, to accelerate the growth of the regional LTL freight business through a common branding system.