Werner Enterprises has acquired award-winning truckload carrier Baylor Trucking, which operates in the east central and south central U.S.
With the acquisition, announced Oct. 3, Werner, which is No. 12 on the FleetOwner 500: Top For-Hire Fleets of 2022 list, gains access to Baylor Trucking’s 234 drivers and its fleet of 200 trucks (170 company and 30 independent contractor) and 980 trailers.
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Omaha, Nebraska-based Werner said it intends to retain the Baylor brand, with Baylor operating as a stand-alone business unit within Werner. Baylor's financial results will be reported in Werner’s One-Way Truckload unit within Truckload Transportation Services. Existing Baylor leadership, including its president, Cari Baylor, along with the company’s drivers and other employees, will remain in place, according to a Werner release.
“Baylor, with its highly-skilled professional drivers and non-driver associates, further strengthens our portfolio with their exceptional service and stellar reputation,” said Derek Leathers, Werner's chairman, president, and CEO. “I have known Cari Baylor for many years, and I have tremendous respect for what Cari, her family, and her leadership team have created at Baylor. We expect this transaction to be accretive in year one and anticipate buying power synergies through integrated management of our combined fleets.”
As of December 2021, Werner employed 9,988 drivers, 595 mechanics and maintenance associates, 1,459 office associates, and 1,483 other employees for Werner Logistics, driving schools, and other non-trucking operations. At the end of 2021, Werner's truckload segment had a fleet of 8,340 trucks, of which 8,050 were company-operated and 290 were owned and operated by independent contractors. The Werner Logistics division operated an additional 55 intermodal drayage trucks at the end of 2021.
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Baylor’s freight revenues are made up of one-way dry van (51%), expedited dry van (42%), and refrigerated (7%) revenues. Baylor Trucking has been recognized as a Carrier of the Year by Walmart four times, with 2021 being the second consecutive time the company has been awarded as a Diversity Carrier of the Year.
The Baylor Trucking acquisition is the latest in Werner's growth trajectory. Werner acquired ECM Associated in July and NEHDS Logistics in November.
ECM provides regional truckload carrier services in the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, and Northeast regions of the U.S. and operates nearly 500 trucks and 2,000 trailers in its network of eight operational facilities and 18 drop yards. NEHDS is a final-mile residential delivery provider with access to a network of 400 final-mile delivery trucks serving customers primarily in the Northeast and Midwest U.S. markets. NEHDS delivers primarily big and bulky products (primarily furniture and appliances) using two-person delivery teams performing residential and commercial deliveries through a network of 19 cross dock, warehouse and customer facilities. Werner rebranded NEHDS with its existing final-mile business as Werner Final Mile.
See also: Werner Enterprises acquires ECM Transport Group
“Both Werner and Baylor believe deeply that our professional drivers are the backbone of our companies,” Leathers said. “Both companies were founded by their first driver. We look forward to welcoming the Baylor team and working together to create additional value for our customers and shareholders.”
“I have admired and respected Werner for a long time as an industry leader," Cari Baylor said in a release. "We are extremely excited to join the Werner team and look forward to continued growth as we leverage the strengths of Baylor and Werner to serve our existing and new customers at even higher levels. We will stand by our customers and continue to provide them with the superior service they expect from Baylor. Aligning with Werner only expands our service capabilities. Werner shares our passion for delivering value and continually creating personal and professional opportunities for our elite Baylor team.”
