Yellow’s Shutdown Opens Up Market for More Competitors

Yellow’s Closure Spurs New Competitors in Trucking Industry Yellow Corp.’s recent shutdown has created opportunities for competitors to expand their presence in the less-than-truckload (LTL) space, as freight volumes redirect toward alternative providers.

Earlier in August, Yellow logistics employees lost their jobs due to company-wide layoffs at Yellow Corp.’s subsidiary. However, this led to a surprising turn of events. Radiant Logistics, in the same month, announced the opening of a new brokerage office in Overland Park, Kansas. Remarkably, the managers of this new venture were formerly associated with Yellow Logistics before its closure.

Radiant Logistics, founded 85 years ago and previously known as Clipper Exxpress, specializes in various transportation services such as truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, drayage, and trans-loading. The leaders of this new office, Steve McCleary and Ryan Stroup, both contributed to the expansion of Yellow’s truck brokerage unit that began in 2017.

Ryan Stroup expressed enthusiasm about the situation, explaining how Radiant was able to swiftly establish operations to ensure minimal disruption to customers. Bohn Crain, Radiant’s founder and CEO, echoed this excitement and welcomed the experienced team. Interestingly, this expansion offers Radiant the chance to provide not only truckload (TL) brokerage services but also market less-than-truckload (LTL) and intermodal services.

Yellow Corp.’s Unforeseen Closure A Yellow employee shed light on the abrupt closure, revealing that the entire staff received short notice to join a company-wide conference call. To their surprise, the call conveyed that there were insufficient funds to sustain operations, leading to their termination.

Despite the closure, Yellow’s parent company initially maintained that business would proceed as usual under the name HNRY Logistics. However, signs of distress became evident, prompting the company to seek potential buyers for its truckload shipments, contract logistics, and warehousing services. This move aimed to offload these operations before filing for bankruptcy.

The Fallout and Competing Offers Around 100 to 150 employees, including managers, were let go following Yellow’s closure. The absence of an official statement from Yellow Logistics contrasted with the news that the Teamsters Union had been informed of the impending bankruptcy filing.

In an interesting twist, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. expressed interest in acquiring Yellow Corp.’s 169 terminals, offering $1.5 billion out of bankruptcy. This counteroffer surpassed a prior bid from Estes Express Lines, sparking a competitive bidding process.

Yellow’s Impact on the Industry The trucking industry’s landscape shifted as Yellow’s shutdown had repercussions on the LTL sector. Although challenges arose, experts believe the sector can handle the additional freight volume. Kevin Day, president of the less-than-truckload business at AFS Logistics, expressed confidence in the industry’s capacity to absorb the changes.

Despite the upheaval, some major players like ArcBest Corp., TFI International, and XPO are poised to benefit from increased freight, leveraging their established weight and pricing strategies.

Uber Freight anticipates an increase in LTL rates due to Yellow’s shutdown, and it could take months for the market to stabilize after losing a significant player holding about 9% of the market share.

A Positive Outlook and Evolving Landscape Analysts view the situation positively for the less-than-truckload companies, anticipating that the disruption could lead to enhanced consolidation among national providers. Carriers like ArcBest reported significant shipment increases in response to the changing market dynamics.

As the industry adjusts, shippers have taken steps to minimize disruption, implementing contingency plans. Glenn Koepke, from FourKites, emphasized the importance of preparation and expects the full effects of the situation to become clearer as demand increases.

In conclusion, Yellow Corp.’s shutdown has instigated a series of transformations in the trucking industry. While it initially caused disruptions, the sector is adapting, with competitors and stakeholders taking strategic steps to fill the void left by Yellow’s departure.