Last-Mile Delivery

Late last week, one global Atlanta-based company purchased a smaller Atlanta-based one, with freight transportation and logistics titan UPS announcing it entered into an agreement to acquire Roadie, and on-the-way delivery service with the nation’s largest local same-day footprint.

Taking steps to meet increasing customer demands for faster delivery times, Miami-based freight transportation and logistics services provider Ryder System Inc. announced today it has made some moves to Ryder Last Mile, its customizable, multi-tiered delivery service offering for big-and-bulky goods, in the form of new United States-based hubs in Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Dallas-based TForce Logistics, a freight transportation and logistics services provider and a subsidiary of TFI International, announced this week it has rolled out a Texas-based regional e-commerce network, which provides customers with expanded, expedited next-day delivery for the largest metropolitan areas in the state.

Now is the time to meet the challenge and prepare your entire supply chain for same-day delivery, delighted customers and increase sales.

The company formally kicked off its Tennessee-based services last month, saying these moves, in tandem with the company’s broader expansion, have increased delivery coverage by almost 18%, reaching an additional 979 new zip codes throughout 16 states.

In its “Q1 Industrial Outlook,” JLL Director of U.S. Industrial Research Mehtab Randhawa wrote that e-commerce continues to be a trending topic of discussion, with demand from this industry driving the bulk of industrial leasing, with the caveat that leasing volumes are starting to normalize following an anomaly year.

The company said that the Forward LTL facility is its first Kansas-based LTL terminal, adding that it will cross-utilize space and resources within its Wichita-based Final Mile operation, with a focus on bringing a larger service offering to the Wichita area. And it also noted that the cohabitation of Final Mile and LTL operations allows Forward to grow organically, with less investment than a traditional new market expansion.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Rick Watson, Founder and CEO of New York-based RMW Commerce Consulting. Watson provided Berman with an overview of his views on the highly-competitive e-commerce logistics sector, how Amazon is standing out compared to the duopoly of UPS and FedEx and what shippers may be in store for in regards to the 2021 Peak Season.

USPS had a net loss of $82 million for the quarter, down significantly from a net loss of around $4.5 billion a year ago at this time, with the USPS saying that a pandemic surge in demand did not offset increased operating costs and a decline in mail services revenue, its largest category. And total quarterly revenue—at around $18.9 billion—headed up roughly 1.1%, or 6%, annually.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Bonnie Voldeng, VP, FedEx Freight Direct, the company's last-mile and e-commerce-focused service that handles the delivery of bulky items like furniture, televisions, and exercise equipment, among other items. From FY19 to FY20, FedEx Freight’s e-commerce portfolio saw a 71% annual volume increase, including FedEx Freight Direct.

New data from Austin, Texas-based Convey shows how COVID-19 continues to impact retail delivery and the last mile – including performance and market share for FedEx, UPS, USPS and regional carriers.

Mercury Gate officials said that bringing Cheetah into the fold will enable the company to extend its TMS platform in order to deliver a last mile, parcel, and less-than-truckload (LTL) offering—and an enhanced fleet management capability—able to adapt, automate, and communicate real-time movements.

Pilot officials said that this transaction, which it called a strategic purchase, was completed on March 31. And they added that it also expands Pilot Last Mile, its national final mile home delivery service offering, as well as set it up to be the nation’s second-largest last-mile delivery services provider for big and bulky goods.

As myriad supply chain stakeholders continue to keep a watchful eye on climate change, sustainability, and the need, or even expectation, of having greener supply chains, a report recently released by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) presents the case for what can be done to spur on increased investment in, as well as the adoption of, electric vehicles used for delivery.

Total first quarter net income—at $318 million—was well ahead of a $748 million net income loss, for the same period a year ago. And total operating revenue—at $21.495 billion—topped the $19.351 billion from a year ago.