Fleets Adding New Services to Counter Shortage of Drivers

tymied by a shortage of drivers and worried about the effect of rising costs for fuel and equipment, trucking companies are increasingly looking to add transportation services, such as freight brokerage, air and ocean forwarding, rail intermodal and warehousing as they expand and diversify their service.

For the most part, they said the diversification trend is driven by a desire to expand business with existing customers.

Industry analysts said the diversification reflects a conservative approach to carrier expansion and the desire of many trucking executives to hold onto recent gains in profitability.