Pilot Freight Services Acquires Five Franchise Stations in Strategic Markets
GLEN MILLS, PA – July 1, 2020 – Pilot Freight Services (Pilot), a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, has acquired five franchise stations in strategic markets in the Midwest and along the US and Mexico border. Effective July 1, 2020, the franchises will be seamlessly integrated into Pilot’s corporate organization with no disruption in service offerings or senior management.
The franchises, located in Wisconsin, Texas and Mexico, were attractive assets due to strong historical growth and operational performance. They also serve to enhance client-focused solutions for the automotive, healthcare, home furnishings, industrial products and packaging industries. The acquisitions further enhance Pilot’s operational control over its nationwide network. By bringing the operations along the US and Mexico border in-house, Pilot further improves its ability to provide seamless trade solutions for cross-border clients. The leadership and employees of the franchises will join the Pilot organization as part of the transactions.
Backed by ATL Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), Pilot has acquired 25 franchise locations over the last three years and completed the acquisition of last mile logistics provider, Manna Freight Systems, in 2018. As a result of these acquisitions, nearly 90% of Pilot’s locations are company owned.
“So much of Pilot’s success is grounded in the strength and expertise of our team members. Acquiring franchises with a record of strong performance and growth, adds to the stability and growth trajectory for Pilot in both domestic and global sales,” explains Gordon Branov, chief executive officer of Pilot Freight Services. “We are happy to welcome long term franchisees to the Pilot corporate team, and we are confident they will play instrumental roles in the long-term growth of the company.”
Throughout 2020, Pilot’s business-to-consumer home delivery segment, which focuses on heavy and hard to handle (H3D) goods, has experienced significant growth driven by increasing consumer demand and e-commerce penetration as well as the addition of new clients seeking an elevated customer experience. As business activity has begun to scale back up both in the US and internationally, Pilot has seen domestic business-to-business volumes recover to exceed prior year levels and has experienced significant growth in global freight movements in recent months. Overall, Pilot is looking forward to a strong 2020 with growth across all product lines.
