As we near the end of the year, a string of fleet acquisition news, with Werner adding to its final-mile portfolio, Ashley Furniture buying Wilson Logistics, TFI International buying D&D Sexton, and Quantix buying Delaware.

Werner Enterprises Acquires Final Mile Carrier NEHDS Logistics

Werner Enterprises has closed on the acquisition of NEHDS, based in Monroe, Connecticut, expanding Werner’s Final Mile capabilities.

NEHDS operates a fleet of over 400 delivery trucks primarily in the Northeast and Midwest. It delivers primarily big and bulky products using two-person delivery teams performing residential and commercial deliveries through a network of 19 cross-dock, warehouse and customer facilities.

The NEHDS asset and asset-light delivery teams solutions will complement Werner’s existing Final Mile national independent contractor network, the company said. New services will include product set-up, including appliance delivery/install; dedicated or comingled warehousing and cross-docking; inventory management and order fulfillment; dynamic routing and real-time fleet performance monitoring; and branded retail delivery with logoed trucks and uniformed teams.

Werner chief Derek Leathers called the move “a significant step forward in our Final Mile delivery program.”

The combined network can reach 95% of the U.S. population with same-day or next-day services.

Ashley Furniture Buying Wilson Logistics

Ashley Furniture has inked a deal with Springfield, Missouri-based carrier Wilson Logistics to acquire the forward-thinking trucking company, which has a fleet of some 1,200 trucks.

In 1974, Ashley Furniture developed its own transportation fleet, Ashley Distribution Services, which boasts more than 900 tractors, according to its website. The Wilson deal will expand ADS’ brokerage and distribution operations in the western United States, according to published reports.

Wilson Logistics was named a 2021 Best Fleets to Drive For by the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge. Founder and CEO Darrel Wilson was a 2020 HDT Truck Fleet Innovator.

D&D Sexton to Expand CFI Refrigerated

TFI International Inc. is buying refrigerated carrier D&D Sexton, based in Carthage, Missouri, which will operate within TFI International’s CFI group of companies (based in Joplin, Missouri).

D&D has been a family-owned business for more than 40 years, specializing in refrigerated transportation with both long-haul over-the-road services as well as local and shuttle operations, operating more than 120 tractors and nearly 400 refrigerated and dry van trailers.

CFI only recently got into the refrigerated business. Mike Hinz, senior vice president with CFI, told the Joplin Globe, "With the size of CFI, we just have better buying power and we also have resources that maybe can complement with what D&D has and again, just do what they do but maybe just a little bit better,” Hinz said. “There will be a lot of learning for us (CFI) — we can learn a ton from them; they have a 40-year legacy and they’ve been serving the food industry for many, many years."

Alain Bédard, CEO of TFI International, said in a news release that "in addition to an overlapping refrigerated freight network, D&D brings significant experience in local and shuttle operations. We see multiple near-term opportunities around costs, routes and pricing to enhance profitability, as well as longer-term opportunities to optimize equipment and the capacity network design.”

Quantix Buys Delaware Express

Quantix, formerly known as A&R Logistics, announced the acquisition of Delaware Express Co., a provider of dry and liquid bulk transportation services. Delaware represents another strategic acquisition that bolsters the Quantix fleet of specialized assets and reinforces the company’s footprint in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Delaware is a family owned and operated regional trucking company specializing in bulk transport of dry and liquid materials, headquartered in Elkton, Maryland. The Delaware network fills a void in the Quantix footprint in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to a news release.

Investment company Wind Point acquired Quantix, then known as A&R Logistics, in 2019. Delaware represents the seventh add-on acquisition for Quantix under Wind Point’s ownership, with its focus on acquiring companies that provide dry and liquid bulk transportation, warehousing, and logistics services to producers and distributors of chemicals and plastics.