Last-Mile Delivery

For Atlanta-based Roadie, an on-the-way delivery service with the nation’s largest local same-day footprint, and subsidiary of UPS, there is always a heightened focus on final-, or last-, mile logistics. That is especially true at this time of the year, to be sure. LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with Roadie Senior Marketing Manager Will Walker to learn about how the company approaches the busiest time of the year.

The role of the final mile market and where it fits in to the overall logistics landscape were key themes at the “Final Mile Issues and Opportunities” session at the CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) EDGE conference last month in Nashville.

On the heels of recently announcing the rollout of a new transcontinental delivery service, following their October 2021 merger announcement, Vienna, Va.-based LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier and last-mile delivery services provider, and Chandler, Ariz.-based regional shipping services provider OnTrac, said earlier this month that they are expanding into Texas.

Fiscal year (FY) 2022 third quarter earnings for the United States Postal Service (USPS) saw total revenue post a 1.4% annual increase, to $18.741 billion. And it had an adjusted quarterly loss of $459 million compared to an adjusted loss of $41 million, for the same quarter last year, while posting $59.7 billion in net income, compared to a $3.0 billion FY 2021 second quarter loss.

Following their late 2021 announcement, in which Vienna, Va.-based LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier and last-mile delivery services provider, and Chandler, Ariz.-based regional shipping services provider OnTrac, announced they had entered into a definitive agreement to merge, with LaserShip acquiring OnTrac for $1.3 billion, the companies last week stated they are taking a major next step in the process.

A new report by Chicago-based Bringg, a data-led delivery and fulfillment cloud platform provider highlighted how logistics services providers are approaching their last-mile operations, with a focus on things like: growth strategy, bridging the gap between growing delivery trends; and current capabilities supported by technology in order to fuel and sustain long-term growth.

Earlier this week, two regional final mile delivery service providers—Capital Express, an Omaha-based final mile delivery company, and ADL Delivery, a Tampa-based final mile delivery company—announced they have partnered up to form a holding company, or platform, focused on building a national provider of customized and final mile logistics services.

This new 8,140 square-foot DC, which is located in Stoney Creek, Ontario, provides TForce with the ability to provide next day delivery service down the Highway 401 corridor from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, according to company officials.

Earlier today, global technology giant Google said it has rolled out two new offerings—entitled Cloud Fleet Routing API and Last Mile Fleet Solution— which focus on helping logistics and retail fleet operators to see gains in delivery success and optimizing fleet performance through what it described as an integrated suite of mapping, routing and analytics capabilities.

Bringg officials said that the objective of this acquisition is to accelerate Bringg’s penetration in the Salesforce ecosystem by extending Zenkraft’s parcel, return and post purchase use cases with an on-demand delivery network of hundreds of providers.

A report issued this week by Chicago-based Bringg, a data-led delivery and fulfillment cloud platform provider, examined various aspects of same-day delivery, focusing on a forward-looking approach to same-day delivery, as well as the main strengths and drawbacks related to it, among other factors.

Taking steps to expand its e-fulfillment network, Miami-based freight transportation and logistics services provider Ryder System Inc. said earlier this week it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Industry City, Calif.-based omnichannel fulfillment and logistics services provider Whiplash.

While the parcel duopoly of UPS and FedEx remains alive and well, at a time when e-commerce activity continues to see no signs of slowing down, that, by no means, suggests that the smaller regional small package delivery carriers have been left out in the cold. In fact, the regional carriers are starting to take a bigger seat at the table. That was made clear, with Vienna, Va.-based LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier and last-mile delivery services...

Executive leadership for South Portland, Maine-based ShipRight, a provider of order fulfillment, contact center and final mile delivery services, provided LM with a look at how it approaches Peak Season, both from a preparation and operations perspective.

Chicago-based supply chain visibility services provider project44 announced today it has acquired Austin-based Convey, a provider of delivery experience management software that helps shippers connect disparate data and processes from parcel to freight in the last mile. The purchase price, according to project44, is $255 million, the company’s largest acquisition in its history and the third one of 2021, too, having acquired Ocean Insights and ClearMetal earlier this year.