Jacksonville-based transportation provider Trailer Bridge Inc. announced Oct. 7 it agreed to sell its logistics division to ATS Logistics Services Inc., effective Nov. 1.
Trailer Bridge said its logistics division is responsible for the company’s domestic brokerage and intermodal operations.
Intermodal is the shipping of goods using multiple means, such as cargo containers by sea, truck and rail.
Trailer Bridge said the sale was a strategic decision to focus its services within the Puerto Rican trade lane, expand its government support services and grow its international freight forwarding business.
ATS Logistics Services is a subsidiary of St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Anderson Trucking Service. ATS provides transportation and third-party logistics solutions across North America.
“ATS has been a trusted partner of ours for more than 30 years, and I firmly believe they are the right team to care for and best serve our logistics customers and employees moving forward,” Trailer Bridge CEO Mitch Luciano said in a news release. “The launch of our Logistics Division in 2012 marked the beginning of our evolution into a full-service transportation provider and has been an integral part of our story. This next chapter is only possible because of the hard work and determination of this team.”
Trailer Bridge’s logistics division workers will continue to serve customers throughout the transition period.
ATS will assume operations of Trailer Bridge Logistics offices in Jacksonville; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas; and Kansas City, Kansas.
“This acquisition reflects our commitment to growth and, more importantly, to delivering even greater value to our customers,” Brent Anderson, president of Anderson Trucking Services, said in the release. “By combining the strengths of both organizations, we’ll expand capacity, broaden solutions, and ensure shippers have the reliable support they need in today’s complex supply chain environment.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Trailer Bridge is one of three Jones Act carriers serving Puerto Rico from the Port of Jacksonville, offering weekly barge service supported by its fleet of 53-foot containers and refrigerated equipment. The company serves shippers moving food and beverage, medical supplies, consumer goods, oversized equipment, construction materials and more.
The Jones Act is a federal law that requires shipping between two U.S. ports to be conducted on U.S.-built, -owned, -flagged and -crewed vessels. TOTE Maritime and Crowley Maritime are the other Jones Act shippers.
Trailer Bridge also operates Trailer Bridge International, an non-vessel operating common carrier division that provides global freight forwarding, customs clearance and cargo insurance services.
Trailer Bridge said it will also continue to support its government and military partners through its government division, which holds multiple long-term contracts with the U.S. Transportation Command, the Department of War and the Naval Supply Systems Command.