Having something to base a wide amount of criteria in the 3PL sector can be challenging for shippers. The Gartner Group’s recent release of its Magic Quadrant for Global Third-Party Logistics Providers aims to help alleviate some of those challenges, which can help shippers to better understand 3PLs and their capabilities when evaluating and selecting a set of providers to meet their needs, according to Gartner.

Scores of major and minor third party logistics providers (3PLs) have found that offering “controlled-temperature” services can help shippers break into emerging markets and develop new revenue streams.

Annual growth for the third-party logistics (3PL) market in 2013 is expected to be north of 6 percent, with much of current market activity centered around mergers and acquisitions, with many of the same underlying market fundamentals of 2012 still intact, according to Evan Armstrong, president of Armstrong & Associates.

Established in 2010, Open Mile is a non-asset based transportation service provider, focusing on truckload brokerage, that provides high-tech automation with freight management expertise, according to Echo officials.

Global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider MIQ Logistics announced earlier this month that it has opened a Laredo, Texas-based facility which it said will focus on serving shippers’ cross-border supply chain needs.

Vitran officials said the purchase price for SCO is $97 million in cash, adding that it has used a portion of the cash to fully reduce its debt under its senior revolving credit facility.

Non asset-based 3PL XPO Logistics reported fourth quarter and full-year 2012 results yesterday and also announced that it acquired Chicago-based Covered Logistics & Transportation LLC, a non-asset third party freight brokerage business.

Staying true to a major theme of expanding its service offerings—growth through acquisition—non-asset based third party logistics (3PL) services provider XPO Logistics announced today it has acquired the operating assets of Statesville, North Carolina-based East Coast Air Charter Inc. (ECAC), a non-asset, 3PL focused on expedited air charter brokerage.

As U.S. supply chain managers continue to monitor a possible modal shift in the years ahead, the Panama Canal Expansion has reached several milestones

Diesel prices shot up nearly 10 cents to $4.022 this week, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).