In The News

U.S. Xpress, Canadian carrier form North American partnership

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — U.S. Xpress Enterprises, the second-largest privately-owned truckload carrier in the U.S., and Maritime-Ontario Freight Lines Limited (M-O) a top Canadian freight carrier, have partnered to launch a cross-border North American shipping solution.

Through the partnership, each company will leverage its dominant national network to move freight across the border and throughout each country, creating one seamless North American network, covering the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to top officials of both carriers.

The unique partnership comes as a response to customer demand for a one-stop direct carrier option with the geographic footprint, ease of access and the capacity they need to take their freight safely across the border to its final destination with no hassles, head-aches or the need for third-party vendors, the carriers said in a news release.

Under terms of the agreement, M-O will carry the freight across the Canada/ U.S. border crossing and U.S. Xpress will be responsible for Mexico/U.S. border crossings. The border crossings served through the partnership are Buffalo/Niagara and Detroit/Windsor. To ensure the security of the freight and facilities, M-O has completed the rigorous requirements and testing necessary to earn its C-TPAT certification in Canada and PIPS certification in the United States, and U.S. Xpress has been recognized as C-TPAT compliant.

“The bottom line here is that cross-border shipping is not easy, and there are not many good options available to carriers who want one point of contact,” John White, executive vice-president of sales and marketing at U.S. Xpress, said. “This service brings together two like-minded, high performing companies to give shippers the convenience and peace of mind that comes from dealing with one trusted carrier who can get their goods where they need to go safely and on-time, effectively erasing the border and the issues associated with crossing it.”

The service has been designed to cover the widest possible range of needs and price points and will employ truckload, refrigerated, dedicated and some limited LTL options through team and solo arrangements, company officials said.

To take advantage of each company’s strong rail presence, intermodal services will also be used as appropriate.

While U.S. Xpress and M-O believe that the retail sector will generate the greatest demand for this service, it is suited to everything from pharmaceuticals to grocery to manufacturing.

“While many companies on both sides of the border claim to have an international presence, the extent of their reach is limited,” Maritime-Ontario Chief Operating Officer Bill Henderson said. “With our partnership, we will have more than just a few trucks over the border.  Both companies offer best-in-class transportation solutions and are recognized premium brands in their respective countries.  Needless to say, we believe this is a true game-changer for North American freight hauling.”

Maritime-Ontario Freight Lines Limited was established in 1962 and is experienced in transportation of LTL (less than truckload) and truckload freight between Ontario, Quebec as well as eastern and Western Canada. M-O is leading the way to more efficient, consistent and innovative methods of transporting freight

Founded in 1985, U.S. Xpress provides a wide variety of transportation solutions throughout North America.

For more information, visit www.usxpress.com.

The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].

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