Last Mile

Quarterly revenue was up 2.2% to $3.76 billion and was a record high for the company, as was net income at $47.6 million and earnings per share at $0.38, which were up annually compared to $42.6 million and $0.35 a year ago.

Taking steps to expand its e-commerce delivery platform, trucking and intermodal services bellwether J.B. Hunt (JBH) recently announced it plans to acquire Special Logistics Dedicated LLC (SLD) for $136 million, with the deal subject to customary closing conditions.

While estimates for the actual value of the last-mile delivery market vary, it goes without saying that this e-commerce –driven space has still has lots of room to grow into. This is especially true when considering the rate at which last-mile distribution centers are popping up in close proximity to the population centers of major U.S. cities, according to recently published research from industrial real estate firm CBRE.

Last month, UPS announced that it rolled out a new service in Europe focused on urgent, time-critical shipments requiring special handling. Called UPS Express Critical, the company said examples of these shipments include things like aircraft parts or surgical tools that are particularly germane to the industries like healthcare, manufacturing and aerospace.

Global freight transportation and logistics services provider Werner Enterprises is the latest company to get on board in the e-commerce-driven last, or final, mile sector, with the introduction of Werner Final Mile.

Company officials said this new facility doubles the capacity of XPO’s Chicago-based market delivery center (MDC), which serves large retailers, e-commerce service providers, and heavy goods manufacturers, to almost 100,000 square feet.

Nightline develops and deploys innovative consumer focused services for its customers in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain, as well as its business-to-business services, and has been in business for 25 years.

Established carriers and logistics services providers are clashing with tech-savvy newcomers to gain market share in this critical, final piece in the e-commerce puzzle. Final Mile Delivery Trends, Last mile transportation trends 2017, Final Mile Delivery

Management consultants at McKinsey & Company, maintain that the parcel market in the U.S. is set to double by 2025, with Same-day delivery and instant delivery to accounting for one-fifth of the demand. Furthermore, a new study reveals that one in two customers is willing to pay extra for faster delivery.