U.S. Xpress rolls out U.S. Xpress Ventures to focus on new asset based models and tech strategies

Chattanooga, Tennessee-based truckload and full-service freight transportation provider U.S. Xpress announced this week it has formed a new entity, entitled U.S. Xpress Ventures.

U.S. Xpress described U.S. Xpress Ventures as “an internal business unit focused on developing and implementing new asset based business models and technology strategies.”

This unit will be spearheaded by Cameron Ramsdell, who will serve as president. Ramsdell joins U.S. Xpress from Chicago-based freight technology brokerage and subsidiary of UPS, Coyote Logistics. Ramsdell was Coyote’s chief technology officer, a position in which he lead its Product, Software Development, Project Management, Infrastructure, and Data Science groups. And prior to that he led Coyote’s Strategy group, overseeing acquisitions and expansion into Europe and Mexico.

“Technology and innovation remain a top priority for U.S. Xpress as we work to advance our strategic initiatives we believe are designed to deliver industry leading profitability. We are excited to announce the formation of U.S. Xpress Ventures to be led by Cameron Ramsdell, an accomplished industry veteran, which we expect will maximize the many opportunities that we see ahead as the speed of technology development and adoption in our industry accelerates.” said Eric Fuller, President and CEO of U.S. Xpress, in a statement. “With U.S. Xpress Ventures, we will be working towards advancing our own technology focused on delivering a frictionless order to compete in the evolving transportation and logistics industry.”

A U.S. Xpress spokesperson told LM that the introduction of U.S. Xpress Ventures was driven by various factors.

“With the speed of technology development in our industry, we see opportunities to take advantage of new technology to enhance our operations and remove friction from our processes,” the spokesperson said.

Things U.S Xpress Ventures will focus on in terms of developing new asset based business models and technology strategies include vary, according to the spokesperson.

One key aspect will be a focus on using technology to improve the driver experience by replacing old, manual workflow processes, which are industry standards, with automated “frictionless” processes that will allow drivers to focus on the road and make driving for U.S. Xpress more rewarding.

“The removal of these manual gates will eliminate the friction and frustration for the driver, who are usually the ones affected in most cases when problems within the process arise,” the spokesperson said. “We think the division will help drive efficiency and modernization, which should ultimately be better for all of our stakeholders including customers.”