ColdRider’s parent company, AfterMark LLC, was founded in 2004. AfterMark was created when Hitachi’s automotive parts division asked Chad Carnahan to help it sell parts into the aftermarket. At that time, Hitachi was only manufacturing original equipment parts for vehicle manufacturers like Ford and Toyota.
Because Hitachi had only produced special orders for large vehicle manufacturers, Carnahan could find only one area with full coverage - starters for Thermo King refrigeration units. This became the opportunity to bring Hitachi into the aftermarket.
It was also the beginning of the ColdRider division of AfterMark. Over the next few months, AfterMark added a full line of transport refrigeration parts for Carrier Transicold and Thermo King.
Today, AfterMark / ColdRider offers a full line of preventive maintenance parts for transport refrigeration. It sells throughout the United States. While it sells fleets and individuals, it’s primary business is supporting independent technicians who service refrigeration fleets.