Roadrunner rolls out new service into Canada and Portland, adds 135 lanes

Taking steps to expand its national network, Downers Grove, Ill.-based Roadrunner, a national less-than-truckload (LTL) services provider, with a focus on long-haul metro-to-metro shipping, said today it has rolled out new LTL service offerings into Portland, Ore., as well as service into Toronto and Montreal via Detroit.

What’s more, the company said that it has added 135 new lanes into its LTL network, leveraging its openings in new markets in Kansas City, Denver, Richmond, and Las Vegas, including:

• Dallas and Houston, Texas to Denver;
• Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee to Denver;
• the Northeastern U.S. to and from Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati;
• major cities in Florida to Nashville and Memphis; and
• service to Alaska and Hawaii with newly enhanced quote automation and improved transit times

Roadrunner explained that this network expansion is a continuation of changes it announced last year, including the creation of Guaranteed Service in select lanes, which offers shippers on-time delivery by the promised date or a full refund of charges, and one-day service between its Southern California and Chicago locations.

“This is yet another piece of our strategic plan to grow our Smart Network,” said Phil Thalheim, Director of Linehaul Analytics at Roadrunner, in a statement. “We constantly analyze our data to find out where it makes the most sense to add coverage. Both our algorithms and customers indicated that Canada was the next most sensible place for us to expand. We look forward to serving our neighbors to the north.”

As for what led to Roadrunner rolling out LTL services in these various locations, Chris Jamroz, Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO of Roadrunner, told LM that Roadrunner prioritizes major metropolitan areas, and Portland, Toronto, and Montreal offer shippers access to multiple millions of customers.  

“The expansion to both Portland and Canada has been a priority for Roadrunner since at least early last year, as we worked to optimize our network to expand our map,” said Jamroz. “Roadrunner had previously serviced these areas and we are confident that our customers will experience high-level service that meets our new standards. Rolling out service to Toronto and Montreal is part of Roadrunner’s Canadian expansion plan and was driven by post-Covid market conditions and the trend of nearshoring, as there is more demand for products to go into Canada. It is the first step in our plan to open Canada and eventually Mexico to meet our customers’ needs and match our strategic growth plan.”

And he added that as part of Roadrunner’s overall strategy to be the preeminent long-haul LTL carrier, it has been planning on entering Canada for the past year but wanted to make sure it had the technology in place and support ready behind the scenes to make it seamless for its shippers.

When asked how Roadrunner previously served these areas it has added to its service menu prior to this expansion, Jamroz said Roadrunner offered LTL service to these areas before it decided to scale back, optimize its network, and invest in its technology. Now that Roadrunner’s LTL network is operating at a high service level across the U.S., he said the company decided to expand to more major metros and offer cross-border service.

In terms of the biggest benefits of this expansion for Roadrunner’s shipper customers, Jamroz said the biggest benefit is connectivity.

“Roadrunner has a unique service model of providing direct, long-haul, metro-to-metro service and offering connectivity to these areas,” he said. “Now shippers have even more large metros connected via our Smart Network instead of a traditional hub and spoke model. Since Roadrunner runs point-to-point, there is less handling which means faster transit and less opportunity for damage.”