LTL Markets (The Business of it all)

OD snapped up a lot of XPO's customers. That was the big thing on the business side. I wonder if this is the year OD passes up YRC Freight.

 

Road Runner is considered an "Asset Light" company meaning they don't own any power units not really and probably lease warehouse space from who ever. I went down to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and took a look at there operation. Here's what I can deduce. Road Runner does move freight around, but they aren't set up like an LTL company where there's a big dock building. There more in a warehouse at this place. Lots of purchase transport trailers. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they brookered out freight, because all there linehaul is done with sleeper cab trucks that are owner operators some have nice trucks some don't that Freightliner in the picture there parked in the street is one leased to them that was a rough truck it wasn't very pretty.

There line haul like I said is done with O/O's leased to them or heck I bet they broker there own loads out, because I saw a white Volvo pulling a white trailer leaving there terminal no markings on the trailer and the truck was some Chicagoland Volvo Company (you know what I mean by that). However it was pretty quiet and I did hear the fork lift going in and out of the trailers so they must be breaking down loads and reloading and making shipments. There defiantly not your typical LTL company there something different, that just so happens to have LTL shipments. I think they are a truck load carrier pretending to be an LTL company if that makes any sense. They don't pull doubles they don't use day cabs all there line runs are done with owner operator sleeper cabs that's all real truck loadish to me, granted there's more then one way to skin a cat, but how many sleeper cabs besides the occasional sleeper team do you see the regional and national LTL's use when there not busy passing freight off to the rail or Werner, Swift, Schneider, JB Hunt, Barr Nunn so on and so fourth.

From what I read Roadrunner almost seems like a company that takes a truck load of stuff from a manufacturer warehouses it and then makes deliveries. They do not seem like the kind of company that is looking to pick up a pallet here and pick up one there and pick another one up over here and take them back to the terminal throw them all in the same trailer and send them to a break bulk. They seem to be go here get a truck load of stuff from whoever. Then move the truck load of stuff to the warehouse over there and then take and distribute the stuff as needed by the customer.

Most of there line haul is done by train or purchase transport which doesn't make any sense to me because there whole business is purchase transport they don't own any tractors there all owner operator so by default isn't using an owner operator who is on the hook for all expenses almost the same thing as using purchase transport?

They said Roadrunner at the core is a truck load carrier or has a large truck load business and decided to offer LTL as an ad on service. It sure doesn't look like there playing the same game YRC, Conway, OD and FedEx freight are playing.

 

There one of the biggest that is for sure there kind of a mystery.