DAT Freight & Analytics has acquired Trucker Tools, calling the deal a strategic move designed to combine Trucker Tools' approach to load tracking and carrier sourcing with DAT’s experience providing freight solutions.
Beaverton, Oregon-based DAT operates what it calls the largest truckload freight marketplace and truckload freight data analytics service in North America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but DAT is a business unit of the publicly traded, Fortune 1000-company Roper Technologies.
Following the deal, DAT said that brokers will continue to get load visibility and capacity tools for every load they manage, but now with greater resources for an enhanced suite of broker tools. And in turn, carriers will get the same lifestyle features as before—like weigh scales and fuel optimizers—but will also gain access to one of the largest networks of loads, making it easier for carriers to find the loads they want.
Trucker Tools CEO Kary Jablonski praised the deal, saying the firms are aligned in their goals to simplify and enhance the lives of brokers and carriers. “Through our strategic partnership with DAT, we are amplifying this mission on a greater scale, delivering enhanced solutions and transformative insights to our customers. This collaboration unlocks opportunities for speed, efficiency, and innovation for the freight industry. We are thrilled to align with DAT to advance their vision of eliminating uncertainty in the freight industry,” Jablonski said.
As holiday shoppers blitz through the final weeks of the winter peak shopping season, a survey from the postal and shipping solutions provider Stamps.com shows that 40% of U.S. consumers are unaware of holiday shipping deadlines, leaving them at risk of running into last-minute scrambles, higher shipping costs, and packages arriving late.
The survey also found a generational difference in holiday shipping deadline awareness, with 53% of Baby Boomers unaware of these cut-off dates, compared to just 32% of Millennials. Millennials are also more likely to prioritize guaranteed delivery, with 68% citing it as a key factor when choosing a shipping option this holiday season.
Of those surveyed, 66% have experienced holiday shipping delays, with Gen Z reporting the highest rate of delays at 73%, compared to 49% of Baby Boomers. That statistical spread highlights a conclusion that younger generations are less tolerant of delays and prioritize fast and efficient shipping, researchers said. The data came from a study of 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted in October 2024 to understand their shopping habits and preferences.
As they cope with that tight shipping window, a huge 83% of surveyed consumers are willing to pay extra for faster shipping to avoid the prospect of a late-arriving gift. This trend is especially strong among Gen Z, with 56% willing to pay up, compared to just 27% of Baby Boomers.
“As the holiday season approaches, it’s crucial for consumers to be prepared and aware of shipping deadlines to ensure their gifts arrive on time,” Nick Spitzman, General Manager of Stamps.com, said in a release. ”Our survey highlights the significant portion of consumers who are unaware of these deadlines, particularly older generations. It’s essential for retailers and shipping carriers to provide clear and timely information about shipping deadlines to help consumers avoid last-minute stress and disappointment.”
For best results, Stamps.com advises consumers to begin holiday shopping early and familiarize themselves with shipping deadlines across carriers. That is especially true with Thanksgiving falling later this year, meaning the holiday season is shorter and planning ahead is even more essential.
According to Stamps.com, key shipping deadlines include:
December 13, 2024: Last day for FedEx Ground Economy
December 18, 2024: Last day for USPS Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail
December 19, 2024: Last day for UPS 3 Day Select and USPS Priority Mail
December 20, 2024: Last day for UPS 2nd Day Air
December 21, 2024: Last day for USPS Priority Mail Express
Retailers are deploying multiple carriers to deliver their packages, delivering lightning-fast delivery times this winter as peak season 2024 is off to the strongest start for e-commerce parcel handling since Covid-19, according to industry statistics from supply chain visibility platform provider Project44.
That success comes as the last mile peak season ramps up, spanning November to January as the year’s highest annual volumes are driven by holiday shopping, returns, and events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Proejct44 measures retailers’ and e-tailers’ performance in managing that rush with a metric called “delivery time,” which comprises fulfillment time—from order placement to shipment readiness, including picking, packing, and upstream transit—and transit time, which is the journey from the warehouse to the customer.
And in November 2024, the average delivery time was just 3.7 days—a 27% improvement from November 2023 and a 33% improvement from November 2022. That reduction shows a long-term trend where delivery times have decreased as online shopping grows and customer expectations rise, the report said. That move has been largely a reaction to Amazon’s standardization of 2-day shipping, which has reshaped the market, pushing companies to optimize processes and enhance satisfaction.
Speed isn’t the only metric that matters, as customer satisfaction and retention also hinge on on-time performance—the accuracy of the initial ETA provided at order placement. Therefore, building and maintaining a healthy e-commerce customer base requires both delivery speed and delivery predictability, Project44 said.
To deliver that performance—while mitigating shipping risks and increasing capacity—shippers increasingly use multiple carriers, the firm said. Counting by the average number of carriers used per account, carrier diversification has risen by two carriers per account since 2021, with a 5% increase between October and November 2024 as shippers expand their networks for peak season. According to Project44, this trend is fueled by the growing availability of smaller carriers like OnTrac, Deliver-it, and Veho, alongside established players such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS.
To be sure, customers still file complaints about last-mile delivery performance, but complaints about delayed deliveries have dropped 8% since 2022 and are 1% lower than in 2023, Project44 said. The top complaints are: delivered but missing (28%), delayed (28%), carrier complaint (17%), damaged (14%), customer service (%), returned to sender (4%), and incorrect items delivered (4%).
A measure of business conditions for shippers improved in September due to lower fuel costs, looser trucking capacity, and lower freight rates, but the freight transportation forecasting firm FTR still expects readings to be weaker and closer to neutral through its two-year forecast period.
Bloomington, Indiana-based FTR is maintaining its stance that trucking conditions will improve, even though its Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) improved in September to 4.6 from a 2.9 reading in August, reaching its strongest level of the year.
“The fact that September’s index is the strongest since last December is not a sign that shippers’ market conditions are steadily improving,” Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, said in a release.
“September and May were modest outliers this year in a market that is at least becoming more balanced. We expect that trend to continue and for SCI readings to be mostly negative to neutral in 2025 and 2026. However, markets in transition tend to be volatile, so further outliers are likely and possibly in both directions. The supply chain implications of tariffs are a wild card for 2025 especially,” he said.
The SCI tracks the changes representing four major conditions in the U.S. full-load freight market: freight demand, freight rates, fleet capacity, and fuel price. Combined into a single index, a positive score represents good, optimistic conditions, while a negative score represents bad, pessimistic conditions.
Cowan is a dedicated contract carrier that also provides brokerage, drayage, and warehousing services. The company operates approximately 1,800 trucks and 7,500 trailers across more than 40 locations throughout the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic regions, serving the retail and consumer goods, food and beverage products, industrials, and building materials sectors.
After the deal, Schneider will operate over 8,400 tractors in its dedicated arm – approximately 70% of its total Truckload fleet – cementing its place as one of the largest dedicated providers in the transportation industry, Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Schneider said.
The latest move follows earlier acquisitions by Schneider of the dedicated contract carriers Midwest Logistics Systems and M&M Transport Services LLC in 2023.
Roadrunner CEO Chris Jamroz made the move through Prospero Staff Capital, a private equity vehicle that he co-leads with the investor Ted Kellner, buying the stake from Elliott Investment Management L.P.
Kellner, the founder and partner of Fiduciary Management Inc. with over $17 billion in assets under management, and currently CEO of T&M Partners and Chairman of Fiduciary Real Estate Development, is a long-term investor in Roadrunner. Prospero Staff Capital is part of LyonIX Holdings, Jamroz’ investment company with holdings in transportation and logistics, real estate, infrastructure, and cyber security.
"After comprehensively unwinding the prior management's roll-up strategy to get to a pure-play LTL network, Roadrunner now stands as a premium long-haul carrier," Jamroz said in a release. "Today marks the beginning of our growth phase, driven by new capital, strategic investments, and acquisitions. We're committed to organic expansion, as well as pursuing focused and opportunistic M&A to strengthen our market position."