Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Schneider to Shutter Final Mile Delivery Business

Schneider National is shutting down its three-year old Final Mile Delivery business unit.

August 6, 2019
Schneider to Shutter Final Mile Delivery Business

Schneider said the shutdown of its Last Mile Delivery business unit would affect 26 terminals dedicated to the business, but that it would try to place workers affected by the shutdown with other parts of the company.

Photo: Schneider National

2 min to read


Schneider National’s brief flirtation with last-mile home delivery has come to an end.

According to various news reports and reporting by Paul Page at the Wall Street Journal, the Green Bay, Wisconsin, carrier is getting out of the Last Mile home delivery market of appliances and other oversized goods. According to Schneider officials, the attempt to tap into a consumer market fueled by growing e-commerce demand simply hasn’t worked out.

Ad Loading...

Company officials said that by the end of the year it will wind down operations in the First to Final Mile, or FTFM, business that it launched with two acquisitions three years ago.

“This decision followed a careful assessment of the near and longer-term prospects and alternatives,” Mark Rourke, Schneider’s chief executive, said in a press statement.

Schneider was one of several large fleets to experiment with the growing last-mile market, which specializes in fast delivery of goods purchased online. As that trend has evolved, consumers have grown more comfortable ordering larger, more expensive items online as well, such as appliances, exercise equipment, and furniture.

Ad Loading...

Schneider National, one of the largest U.S. carriers in a truckload sector that serves retailers and manufacturers, jumped into the business in 2016 by buying two specialty providers, Lodeso and Watkins & Shepard Trucking, for undisclosed sums.

Home delivery has been a difficult proposition for cargo carriers. E-commerce expansion has pushed millions of new packages into parcel networks, but carriers have struggled with the high costs of the larger number of packages bound for residences. UPS and FedEx have been seeking to set up centralized pickup and drop-off locations to reduce the costs and complications of residential parcel delivery.

Logistics experts say home delivery is especially difficult for trucking companies that are more focused on industrial distribution.

Schneider said the shutdown would affect 26 terminals dedicated to the business and that it would try to place workers affected by the shutdown with other parts of the company.

The company disclosed the shutdown as it released second-quarter earnings that included a 48% decline in net profit, to $34.5 million, on declining revenue in its core truckload business.

More Fleet Management

thermo king heavy duty trucking
SponsoredJuly 1, 2026

Enhance Fleet Performance with High-Efficiency Auxiliary Power Units

Drive sustainable cost savings while increasing driver comfort during short- and long-haul logistics operations.

Read More →
Cover of a Dayton Parts guide titled "Strategic Parts Purchasing: A Process Checklist." The cover highlights "5 Steps to Revamp Parts Procurement, Cut Costs and Increase Uptime" and features a warehouse aisle with shelving full of automotive parts, where a worker is organizing heavy-duty suspension components on a pallet.
SponsoredJune 30, 2026

Is Your Parts Procurement Process Reactive or Proactive?

Ready to revamp your parts procurement process? Learn how now with “Strategic Parts Purchasing: A Process Checklist”

Read More →
Fleet Managementby StaffJune 24, 2026

What Trucking Events are Happening in 2026?

Looking for trucking-related conventions, expos, and other events? Heavy Duty Trucking has developed this list of national and larger regional trucking shows and events.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
LIne graph showing spot rates and driver availability over time
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJune 22, 2026

Truckload Rates Keep Rising as Tight Capacity Fuels Freight Market Recovery

Spot and contract rates continued climbing in May and June, not because freight demand is surging, but because fewer trucks and drivers are available.

Read More →
Geotab screen on AI concept background
Fleet ManagementJune 17, 2026

What Geotab's New AI Connector Means for Fleets

Fleets can now ask their usual AI assistants questions about maintenance, safety, fuel use, and vehicle performance, using their live Geotab data, and take action on the answers without leaving their preferred AI tool.

Read More →
Image of computer screen with BidBoardX interface

New C.H. Robinson Tool Opens Door to More Predictable Freight

BidBoardX lets carriers search, bid on, and secure committed freight opportunities through a single digital marketplace.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Amazon electric cargo bike on New York City street
Fleet ManagementJune 15, 2026

New York City's Microhub Project is Delivering Results

Trucking, last-mile delivery companies, and environmental advocates like what they are seeing so far with New York's microhub program.

Read More →
Illustration of hourglass and trucks backed up to a dock
DriversJune 15, 2026

Why Truck Detention Keeps Costing Fleets Time and Money

A 2024 ATRI study found detention affects nearly 40% of truckload stops and costs the industry more than $15 billion annually. Despite the toll on drivers, fleets, and supply chains, the problem remains stubbornly persistent.

Read More →
Panel discussion
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJune 12, 2026

Time is Running Out to Apply for Exclusive HDT Event

Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange brings fleet managers and suppliers together for the deeper conversations that lead to ideas, partnerships, and solutions. Time is running out to apply for the September event.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Empty trailer with worker loading a pallet of cargo
Fleet ManagementJune 10, 2026

Amazon Launches Less-Than-Truckload Freight Offering for All Businesses   

This launch is the latest addition to Amazon Supply Chain Services, a portfolio of supply chain capabilities from Amazon, including freight, distribution, fulfillment, and parcel shipping.

Read More →