Freight Forwarding

In a Form 8-K statement issued last week, UPS said that it terminated its plans to acquire Estafeta due to the inability of all closing conditions to be satisfied.

Discover the winners of Logistics Management’s prestigious “42nd Annual Quest for Quality Awards,” honoring top performers in transportation and logistics services. This year’s survey garnered over 3,017 responses, evaluating providers across key criteria like On-time Performance, Customer Service, and Information Technology. Categories include motor carriers, railroads, ocean carriers, 3PLs, and air carriers, reflecting LM’s commitment to excellence in service quality. Learn who stood out and what sets them apart in the logistics industry.

Ongoing U.S. trade policy shifts—including new de minimis rules for Chinese shipments—are reshaping global logistics. With rising tariffs and reduced exemptions impacting cross-border e-commerce, Armstrong & Associates projects 2025 third-party logistics (3PL) revenue to hit $316.2 billion, up 4.5%, fueled by early-year growth despite increased uncertainty.

With softening demand and economic headwinds, freight forwarders are leaning on technology and value-added services to maintain their edge.

Danish logistics company DSV has won the race to buy DB Schenker, the logistics arm of Deutsche Bahn, in a deal worth $15.4 billion. This acquisition, expected to be finalized soon, will make DSV the largest freight forwarder in the world, surpassing Swiss competitor Kuehne + Nagel.

Technological solutions and platforms are being rapidly developed and are catapulting the freight forwarding industry into a new era. Today, the forwarding industry is undergoing a digital revolution, and analysts surmise that companies that fail to keep pace with these advancements risk falling behind—and fast.

Following a previous announcement earlier this week, in which key financial terms of a previously-announced deal were amended, Greenville, Tenn.-based asset-light freight and logistics services provider Forward Air said its acquisition of Dallas-based Omni Logistics, an asset-light, high-touch logistics and supply chain services provider owned by Ridgemont Equity Partners, is now official.

Fast-forwarding nearly six months later to this week, it appears that the transaction will now come to fruition, with Forward Air saying that the terms of the agreement have been amended.

Greenville, Tenn.-based asset-light freight and logistics services provider Forward Air served notice that it may not go through with its planned acquisition of Dallas-based Omni Logistics, an asset-light, high-touch logistics and supply chain services provider, which was announced in August and expected to close later this year.

We've compiled a number of features to define current state of global logistics and help shippers understand the breadth of services today’s third-party services companies have to offer.

Greenville, Tenn.-based asset-light freight and logistics services provider Forward Air and Dallas-based Omni Logistics, an asset-light, high-touch logistics and supply chain services provider owned by Ridgemont Equity Partners, announced today they will join forces, with the companies having entered into a definitive agreement to create a combined company through a cash-and-stock transaction.

Echo officials said that Fastmore’s domestic operations are similar to those of Echo’s, with the real benefit of bringing Fastmore into the fold is that it offers up what it called a unique point of entry into an expansive network of expedited brokerage for the international freight forwarding market through various types of equipment, including: cargo vans, straight trucks, and full truckload.

The push by global forwarders toward purely digital, end-to-end transparency is proving to be crucial amid frequent disruptions that are likely to continue through 2023.

Congestion and capacity shortages have been big subjects among forwarders and have resulted in high air, ground and ocean rates. The shortage of capacity has pushed freight rates to historic highs during the last 18 months. Forwarders are banking on technology to build in more agility.

The raise follows years of uninterrupted growth for the company, particularly in the last twelve months, with Flexport’s revenue more than doubling in 2021 as it moved nearly $19 billion in gross merchandise for its clients across 112 countries.