Dive Brief:
- Better Trucks has expanded its delivery coverage into the New England area via a partnership with fellow last-mile carrier Optima Overnight, according to a Nov. 4 news release.
- The expansion allows Better Trucks to offer delivery to more than 1,000 new ZIP codes in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. The company now reaches over 40% of U.S. households.
- “Our current clients and prospects have asked for service in New England, and our open technology platform made it easy to expand our partner network in time for peak season,” said Josh Fredman, Better Trucks SVP of commercial and growth, in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration connects Better Trucks to Boston, a key market where shippers have a high interest in additional delivery options, according to Fredman.
Better Trucks clients shipping into New England will have their deliveries fulfilled by Optima. Additionally, Optima customers will have the same option to send shipments into Better Trucks' coverage area, which concentrated in the midwest and western U.S., for final delivery.
“Our partnership with Better Trucks adds volume to densify our operations, and opens a path for our clients to expand to Better Truck's vast coverage across the country,” said Len Braudis, Optima president, in the announcement. “The smooth tech integration allowed us to operationalize this partnership in record time.”
Optima isn't the first carrier Better Trucks has connected its network with. The company has also partnered with GLS US, allowing customers to leverage each carrier’s network coverage.
Better Trucks, GLS US and Optima are among the slew of alternative delivery providers looking to snag market share from dominant carriers like FedEx and UPS. Shipper interest in using these emerging competitors remains high this year, but FedEx and UPS have been fighting to gain more volume through aggressive rate discounts.
