Ryder System, Inc. acquired Cardinal Logistics, enabling growth and further strengthening Ryder’s position as a customized dedicated contract carrier in North America.
“With complementary contractual services in many of the same industries, we gain greater economies of scale, and we can provide even more flexibility for transportation networks when seasonality and fluctuating demand inhibit the continuous use of resources,” says Steve W. Martin, SVP of dedicated transportation for Ryder. “Combined with our end-to-end visibility and collaboration technology RyderShare, we can deliver tremendous value for customers looking for more dynamic and resilient transportation solutions.”
Key takeaways:
- Cardinal provides dedicated fleets and professional drivers to service complex route structures across distribution centers, suppliers, and stores, as well as complementary freight brokerage services; and, to a lesser extent, last-mile delivery and contract logistics services. Cardinal primarily serves the consumer packaged goods, omnichannel, grocery, building products, automotive, and industrial verticals.
- The Cardinal acquisition will further advance Ryder’s strategy to accelerate profitable growth. Ryder will fully integrate Cardinal operations, facilities, and equipment into its dedicated transportation, fleet management, and supply chain businesses. The transaction is expected to be accretive in 2025.
- To help ensure a seamless transition, Tom Hostetler and Vin McLoughlin, who founded Cardinal in 1997—and both of whom spent the first eight years of their careers at Ryder —will also join Ryder.
“We’ve come full circle, back to where we started, and that was purposeful,” says Hostetler, CEO at Cardinal. “We chose Ryder to continue our legacy because of the company culture. We experienced firsthand Ryder’s people-first, customer-centric culture, and that had an impact on us as we built our own company.” “We care deeply about our people and our customers, many of whom have been with us for decades. We also know Ryder. So, we know our people will have expanded opportunities in a larger, well-diversified company, and our customers will have access to an even greater breadth of products and services and the technology to support their continued growth,” says McLoughlin, chairman of the board for Cardinal. “We’re excited for the future, knowing that our customers and employees are in the best possible hands with Ryder.”
