Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

DB Schenker spends $435 million to buy Arkansas’ USA Truck

German logistics provider plans to open its international logistics expertise, air transport services, and ocean gateways to trucking fleet’s existing customer base.

Screen Shot 2022-06-24 at 10.44.19 AM.png

German logistics services provider DB Schenker is spending $435 million to acquire USA Truck, an Arkansas-based operation with 1,900 trucks, a network of terminals across the Eastern half of the U.S., and a nationwide third-party logistics (3PL) presence.

Essen, Germany-based DB Schenker said it plans to expand USA Truck’s presence in North America, and to offer its existing customer base access to Schenker’s international logistics expertise, air transport services, and ocean gateways. Likewise, the company plans to build on USA Truck’s existing U.S. and Mexico freight network to expand its global logistics services across land, air, and ocean transportation services.


Van Buren, Arkansas-based USA Truck was founded in 1983 as Crawford Produce Inc. with fewer than 10 tractors in operation. It went public in 1992 and has been listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange ever since, growing to its current size of 2,100 employees and partnerships with more than 36,000 active contract carriers. 

USA Truck had seen strong financial results in recent months, as hot freight demand and tight market capacity drove high rates for transportation providers. In its most recent earnings report, the company reported its best first quarter earnings per share in company history and its seventh consecutive quarter of record earnings, according to its president and CEO James Reed. 

By the numbers, USA Truck reported consolidated operating revenue of $201.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $158.5 million for that period last year. Based on that revenue, the company declared net income of $13.1 million, compared to $3.6 million for the same quarter in 2021.

Recent

More Stories

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations have the competitive characteristics they’ll need for future readiness, according to a Gartner survey released Tuesday. The survey focused on how organizations are preparing for future challenges and to keep their supply chains competitive.

Gartner surveyed 579 supply chain practitioners to determine the capabilities needed to manage the “future drivers of influence” on supply chains, which include artificial intelligence (AI) achievement and the ability to navigate new trade policies. According to the survey, the five competitive characteristics are: agility, resilience, regionalization, integrated ecosystems, and integrated enterprise strategy.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screen shot of returns apps on different devices

Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud

With returns now a routine part of the shopping journey, technology provider Optoro says a recent survey has identified four trends influencing shopper preferences and retailer priorities.

First, 54% of retailers are looking for ways to increase their financial recovery from returns. That’s because the cost to return a purchase averages 27% of the purchase price, which erases as much as 50% of the sales margin. But consumers have their own interests in mind: 76% of shoppers admit they’ve embellished or exaggerated the return reason to avoid a fee, a 39% increase from 2023 to 204.

Keep ReadingShow less
robots carry goods through a warehouse

Fortna: rethink your distribution strategy for 2025

Facing an evolving supply chain landscape in 2025, companies are being forced to rethink their distribution strategies to cope with challenges like rising cost pressures, persistent labor shortages, and the complexities of managing SKU proliferation.

But according to the systems integrator Fortna, businesses can remain competitive if they focus on five core areas:

Keep ReadingShow less
shopper uses smartphone in retail store

EY lists five ways to fortify omnichannel retail

In the fallout from the pandemic, the term “omnichannel” seems both out of date and yet more vital than ever, according to a study from consulting firm EY.

That clash has come as retailers have been hustling to adjust to pandemic swings like a renewed focus on e-commerce, then swiftly reimagining store experiences as foot traffic returned. But even as the dust settles from those changes, retailers are now facing renewed questions about how best to define their omnichannel strategy in a world where customers have increasing power and information.

Keep ReadingShow less
artistic image of a building roof

BCG: tariffs would accelerate change in global trade flows

Geopolitical rivalries, alliances, and aspirations are rewiring the global economy—and the imposition of new tariffs on foreign imports by the U.S. will accelerate that process, according to an analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Without a broad increase in tariffs, world trade in goods will keep growing at an average of 2.9% annually for the next eight years, the firm forecasts in its report, “Great Powers, Geopolitics, and the Future of Trade.” But the routes goods travel will change markedly as North America reduces its dependence on China and China builds up its links with the Global South, which is cementing its power in the global trade map.

Keep ReadingShow less