Mergers and acquisitions in the trucking industry in June 2021

The aftermarket was the focus of acquisitions this month, with three established companies adding important additions to their installation and service network. Dealer activity slowed after a busy spring despite one dealer continuing its rapid expansion campaign in 2021.

The provider market remained relatively slow, only a few providers made any news.

Royal Truck & Trailer announced on June 3rd that it was expanding to include Morgan Truck Body dealer Arista Truck Systems. Royal President and CEO Ken Bumgardner said the acquisition would allow his company “not only to expand our core business geographically, but also to further diversify our product offerings for our customers.” The company will now operate as Arista, a Royal Truck & Trailer Company.

That news was followed by FleetPride, which returned to M&A after a month. The company announced on June 16 that it had added All Pro Truck & Trailer, a 16-bay towing and breakdown services company in Rockford, Illinois. “All Pro Truck & Trailer will be a great addition to FleetPride and our ability to provide end-to-end solutions to our customers in Rockford and the surrounding markets,” said Mike Harris, FleetPride senior vice president of sales and operations.

Inland Truck Parts announced a similar move on June 17, adding Dirty Dan’s garage in Greeley, Colorado. The facility will come with a new location the company is building in Greeley which will open in 2022 and will cover an area of ​​39,000 sq. “Establishing a full-service repair shop has always been part of our expansion plans for the Greeley area,” said Inland President and CEO Greg Klein.

Service industry activity ended on June 25th when Epika Fleet Services acquired Deaton Fleet Solutions of Rome, Georgia. “Our vision to become a fully integrated utility vehicle service organization that can serve our customers from coast to coast has the addition of Deaton Fleet Solutions,” said Glenn Sherburne, CEO of Epika Fleet Services.

The dealer room was again the place where the Velocity Truck Center moved. This month the company announced its landmark partnership with Canorsa Freightliner to create Velocity Vehicles Mexico, which operates in Mexicali, Tijuana, Ensenada and San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Brad Fauvre and Conan Barker, Co-Presidents of VTC, said, “We couldn’t be happier to work with [Canorsa] … their long family history with trucking in Baja California, excellent locations and strong local customer knowledge will provide the perfect platform to expand the three pillars of VVG – speed, value and trust – to support our mutual customers in Mexico. “

Tire companies were the busiest suppliers in June.

Goodyear announced completion of the acquisition of Cooper Tire on June 7th. Upon closing the deal, Goodyear announced that the combined company will offer more options across the value spectrum, making it easier for customers and consumers to choose Goodyear and Cooper branded tires. “This combination strengthens Goodyear’s ability to serve more consumers worldwide and provides greater reach to support larger investments in new mobility and fleet solutions,” said Richard J. Kramer, Chairman, President and CEO of Goodyear.

Just over a week later, Bridgestone announced a minority stake in Kodiak Robotics, a US-based self-driving truck company. Bridgestone said the partnership will enable the company to bring its smart tire technologies and fleet solutions into Kodiak’s level 4 autonomous trucks to integrate. “This investment will enable Bridgestone and Kodiak to work together to develop advanced mobility solutions with speed and precision that will revolutionize commercial trucking,” said Paolo Ferrari, global chief solutions officer, Bridgestone Corporation.

Then there was Standard Motor Products. The light and heavy components supplier acquired Trumpet Holdings, commonly known as Trombetta, on June 1st. This acquisition fits in very well with our strategy of expanding beyond our core aftermarket business into related markets and is an excellent addition to our recent acquisition of Pollak. “Said Eric Sills, CEO and President of Standard Motor Products.

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