M&A in the transportation & logistics space continues to be driven by non-asset logistics companies with proprietary technology. A deal that illustrates this is the whopping $1.8 billion cash acquisition of Coyote Logistics, LLC, a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus LLC, by United Parcel Service. The acquisition would allow UPS to expand its portfolio and transportation management services.
Proposed fuel efficiency rules will likely accelerate investment in fleet upgrades by the US trucking industry. Federal transportation and environmental regulators in June 2015 announced new fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks that aim to cut carbon emissions by 24% by 2027 and reduce oil consumption by 1.8 billion barrels over the lifetimes of the new trucks. Under the new rules, a best-in-class long-haul truck would get about 10 miles per gallon of fuel compared to the 5 to 7 miles today.
Technology companies are attempting to significantly streamline the processes used by shippers to book freight forwarding services. One such company, Freightos, recently received $14 million in Series B funding to expand its offerings, according to TechCrunch. Freightos has developed an online platform that helps forwarders manage their rates and automate their routing and pricing. Shippers can use the platform to receive instant competitive quotes that take into account a wide variety of shipping fees.
- The average US retail price for diesel and regular gas, a major operating cost for trucking fleets, fell 33.9 percent and 31.3 percent, respectively, in the week ending September 14, 2015, compared to the same week in 2014.
- According to data from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF), an economic research group, revenue for US truck transportation is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 5% between 2015 and 2019.
Posted by Doug Nix.
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