U.S. 3PL Acquisitions That Are Reshaping American Logistics

The U.S. 3PL industry is in the middle of a consolidation wave. Large logistics providers are acquiring companies to expand into higher-value segments such as healthcare logistics, customs brokerage, fulfillment, managed transportation, and cross-border logistics. At the same time, mid-market and regional 3PLs are buying niche operators to broaden their service offerings, strengthen their geographic reach, and add warehouse capacity. Across the industry, acquisitions have become one of the primary ways logistics companies are growing and differentiating themselves.

Below are some of the most important U.S. 3PL mergers and acquisitions announced or completed between 2025 and 2026, and why each deal matters.

UPS doubled down on healthcare logistics in April 2025 with its $1.6 billion acquisition of Andlauer Healthcare Group, one of Canada's largest providers of temperature-controlled transportation and pharmaceutical distribution. The deal gives UPS control of a business that has spent nearly three decades building specialized logistics infrastructure for hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, and healthcare providers across Canada. For UPS, it isn't simply another acquisition—it's another step toward becoming one of the dominant players in healthcare logistics.

Why this matters: The acquisition also reflects where logistics companies see future growth. Pharmaceutical supply chains have become more complex as biologics, specialty medicines, and cell and gene therapies make up a larger share of healthcare spending.

Those products require tighter temperature controls, faster transportation, and stricter handling standards than traditional pharmaceuticals. By adding Andlauer, UPS strengthens its healthcare network across North America while putting itself in a stronger position to compete with DHL Supply Chain, FedEx, and other logistics providers investing heavily in life sciences logistics.

CMA CGM made one of the biggest moves in U.S. logistics in 2026 by agreeing to acquire FedEx Supply Chain for an enterprise value of $1.4 billion. The acquisition, which will be folded into its logistics subsidiary CEVA Logistics, is one of the largest contract logistics transactions in recent years and marks another major step in CMA CGM's transformation from a container shipping company into an end-to-end supply chain provider.

Why this matters: The acquisition also reflects CMA CGM's broader strategy of building an integrated logistics business that stretches well beyond ocean shipping. Over the past several years, the French group has steadily expanded through acquisitions in freight forwarding, air cargo, contract logistics, and e-commerce fulfillment.

FedEx Supply Chain fills one of its biggest remaining gaps by giving CEVA a significantly larger warehousing and contract logistics platform in the United States, allowing it to compete more directly with DHL Supply Chain, GXO, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, and other major 3PL providers.

No logistics company was more aggressive on the acquisition front in 2025 than DHL Supply Chain. Rather than pursuing a single transformational deal, the company assembled four businesses that strengthened different parts of its network—from reverse logistics and e-commerce fulfillment to life sciences and healthcare. Collectively, the acquisitions significantly expanded DHL's North American footprint while reinforcing its long-term strategy of becoming the leading provider of specialized contract logistics services.

DHL began the year by acquiring Inmar Supply Chain Solutions, a leading provider of reverse logistics for retailers and e-commerce companies. The deal immediately made DHL the largest provider of returns processing in North America, adding 14 return centers and approximately 800 employees to a network that already exceeded 520 warehouses. As online shopping continues to grow, so does the volume of returns, making reverse logistics one of the fastest-growing segments of the supply chain industry.

The company followed that acquisition with the purchase of IDS Fulfillment, a U.S.-based e-commerce fulfillment provider with more than 1.3 million square feet of warehouse space across Indiana, Georgia, and Utah.

Healthcare became the company's next focus. DHL acquired CryoPDP, a specialist in clinical trial and cell and gene therapy logistics, before completing its acquisition of SDS Rx, whose network spans more than 200 U.S. locations providing final-mile transportation for pharmacies, health systems, and patients.

Stord has spent the past several years trying to build something few logistics companies have successfully achieved—a nationwide fulfillment platform that combines software, warehousing, transportation, and order management into a single network. Its acquisitions of Ware2Go and Shipwire mark two of the company's biggest steps toward that vision.

The first came in May 2025 when Stord acquired Ware2Go from UPS. The acquisition added 21 fulfillment centers and roughly 2.5 million square feet of warehouse capacity to Stord's network while bringing relationships with hundreds of growing e-commerce brands.

Why this matters: The acquisitions illustrate Stord's strategy of competing not by owning the most warehouses, but by building an integrated commerce platform where software and logistics operate together. As brands increasingly look for alternatives to managing fulfillment in-house or relying on a single marketplace ecosystem, Stord is positioning itself as a technology-enabled logistics partner capable of supporting growth across multiple channels.

Echo Global Logistics strengthened its transportation platform with the acquisition of ITS Logistics, creating one of North America's largest privately held logistics providers with combined annual revenue of roughly $5.2 billion. While financial terms were not disclosed, the transaction significantly expands Echo's capabilities across freight brokerage, managed transportation, drayage, and dedicated logistics services.

Why this matters: ITS Logistics has built a strong presence in western U.S. transportation markets, particularly around port drayage, intermodal transportation, and retail distribution. The company also operates one of the country's largest drop-trailer networks, giving shippers greater flexibility during peak demand periods. Those capabilities complement Echo's nationwide brokerage platform while strengthening its position around major U.S. ports.

Buske Logistics continued its steady expansion through the acquisition of Strategic Warehousing, a Minnesota-based provider specializing in confectionery and consumer goods logistics.

Strategic Warehousing brings specialized storage and distribution capabilities serving food and consumer packaged goods customers, adding another layer of expertise to Buske's national contract logistics business. Following the acquisition, Buske's warehouse network surpassed seven million square feet, giving the company additional capacity while strengthening its presence in the Midwest. For Buske, the acquisition isn't about making headlines—it's about steadily expanding a nationwide logistics network one strategic facility at a time.

Why this matters: Although smaller than many of the billion-dollar transactions completed during the period, the acquisition reflects a broader trend across the U.S. 3PL market, where regional operators are using tuck-in acquisitions to expand their geographic reach and industry expertise.

California-based West Coast Prep 3PL continued its expansion by acquiring Logistics HQ, a fulfillment provider serving Amazon sellers, direct-to-consumer brands, and wholesale distributors. While considerably smaller than the billion-dollar transactions elsewhere in the market, the acquisition reflects another trend shaping the U.S. 3PL industry: regional providers buying niche operators to expand capacity rather than building it from scratch.

Why this matters: The combined company expects the deal to improve fulfillment efficiency, expand capacity, and support increasingly complex multi-channel logistics operations.

One of the biggest ownership changes in the U.S. logistics industry came when private equity firm Thoma Bravo agreed to acquire WWEX Group and combine it with shipping software company Auctane. WWEX owns several major logistics brands, including Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, Unishippers, JEAR Logistics, and BLX Logistics, giving the combined business one of the largest parcel and freight platforms in North America.

Redwood Logistics was one of the busiest acquirers in the U.S. logistics industry during 2026, completing two acquisitions within a week that significantly expanded its capabilities across managed transportation and cross-border logistics.

The first acquisition brought EELCO, a Texas-based customs brokerage, warehousing, and Foreign-Trade Zone operator with more than three decades of experience serving companies moving freight across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Just days later, Redwood announced its acquisition of Stridas, a Cincinnati-based managed transportation provider known for redesigning freight networks and helping shippers reduce transportation costs through data-driven optimization

Why this matters: Taken together, the two acquisitions show how Redwood is positioning itself beyond traditional freight brokerage. EELCO expands the company's physical presence and customs expertise at a time when nearshoring is driving more freight across the U.S.-Mexico border, while Stridas strengthens its ability to design, optimize, and manage increasingly complex transportation networks.

The consolidation wave isn't slowing down. According to Capstone Partners, 3PL deal activity rose 20% year over year to 48 transactions in the first half of 2026. Asset-based trucking and managed transportation deals nearly tripled to 19, while private equity-backed add-on acquisitions climbed to 23 as buyers continued rolling up smaller operators. '

Meanwhile, 3PL Hub recorded 38 logistics acquisitions in 2025 alone—the busiest year since it began tracking deals in 2019. Across the broader transportation and logistics sector, PitchBook reported 993 M&A deals in 2025, up from 950 in 2024 and 869 in 2023, underscoring that consolidation remains one of the defining trends shaping the industry.