Werner Enterprises Joins Pursuit of Final-Mile Delivery
The business of delivering goods purchased online that are too large or too heavy for parcel carriers just got a little more crowded, as truckload carrier Werner Enterprises joins the pursuit with the launch of Werner Final Mile.
The new service will use two uniformed employees to make deliveries to residential and business addresses nationwide using straight trucks equipped with lift gates operating from about 200 locations in the United States, according to a statement issued May 15.
“With our customers’ rapid growth in the e-commerce market, we continue to adapt our services and technology to meet and exceed their expectations,” said Marty Nordlund, chief operating officer of Werner in Omaha, Neb.
The new service was developed over the past year and uses a proprietary software platform that, Werner said, allows for fully automated, high-volume delivery of heavy goods such as mattresses, furniture, appliances, fitness equipment and store fixtures. The service includes a choice of threshold delivery inside a home or business, or “white-glove” delivery, which involves unpacking, set-up and debris removal. The company also will provide storage, product returns and exchanges.
“Our significant investment in technology and network development make Werner Final Mile another key element in our comprehensive logistics portfolio,” Nordlund said.
Werner ranks No. 15 on Transport Topics’ Top 100 list of largest for-hire carriers in the U.S. and Canada. Werner Global Logistics ranks No. 22 on the TT Top 50 list of largest logistics companies in North America.
Rival truckload carrier Schneider (No. 7 on the TT100) launched its own final-mile delivery service last year after acquiring Watkins & Shepard and Lodeso Inc. in June 2016.
Both companies are chasing XPO Logistics (No. 3 on the TT100 and No. 1 on the TT Top 50), which generated revenue of $828.2 million from its final-mile delivery business in 2016 and claims to be the nation’s largest provider of delivery services for goods other than parcels; and J.B. Hunt Transport Services (No. 4 on the TT100 and No. 2 on the TT Top 50), which provides residential and commercial delivery and installation services as part of its J.B. Hunt Dedicated Services business unit.
