Logistics Pulse by FulfillYN

I’m sure many of you will be reading this in Vegas thanks to the Manifest show. Pro gambling tip: don’t gamble - the house always wins.

This week was relatively quiet compared to the last few weeks, but I still found some interesting news for you.

Speaking of quiet, Stored Logistics appears to be gradually acquiring some of Quiet Logistics' operations, starting with its Dallas facility. No news on their Boston, Atlanta, or Los Angeles facilities as of the time of this newsletter.

I’m also not sure why they didn’t opt in to sell before announcing their closure.

Let’s dive into this week’s news recap,

In the biggest logistics deal you didn't see coming, FedEx and private equity firm Advent International just agreed to acquire InPost for $9.2 billion. That's a 50% premium over the Polish parcel locker company's trading price, and it's about to reshape how packages get delivered across Europe.

The play: FedEx gets instant access to 61,000 automated parcel lockers and 90,000 out-of-home delivery points across nine countries. Instead of burning fuel and money making individual home stops, they can drop hundreds of packages at a single locker location. The math is simple—locker deliveries can slash CO2 emissions by up to 75% compared to door-to-door service while cutting costs dramatically.

The structure: FedEx and Advent each take 37% stakes. InPost founder and CEO Rafał Brzoska keeps 16% through his investment vehicle, and PPF Group holds the remaining 10%. Critically, InPost stays headquartered in Poland and operates as a standalone brand under Brzoska's leadership.

Why this matters for 3PLs: The final mile accounts for over 50% of total shipping costs. FedEx just solved that problem by buying the company that already cracked the code. If you're still doing traditional residential delivery in dense European cities, you're about to get priced out by a competitor with a fundamentally cheaper model.

The timeline: Deal closes in the second half of 2026, pending EU regulatory approval. Watch for FedEx to begin migrating significant B2C volume to InPost lockers—if they execute it successfully, margin expansion could be significant.

After years of drivers wasting an hour daily hunting for parking spots, Congress finally coughed up real money to fix it.

The $1.2 trillion federal spending bill Trump signed Tuesday includes $200 million specifically earmarked to expand public truck parking nationwide. The American Trucking Associations called it a "historic first."

The problem by the numbers: The average truck driver spends 56 minutes of drive time daily looking for safe parking, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. That translates to $6,813 in lost wages per driver annually—not to mention the safety hazards when exhausted drivers park on highway shoulders because legal spots are full.

What's next: States including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, and Ohio are already working on their own truck-parking expansions and technologies to help drivers find open spots. Federal funding should significantly accelerate those efforts.

For 3PLs: If your operation relies on truckers making overnight hauls, this could reduce delays and improve driver retention. Parking shortages have been a silent tax on the industry for years—finally, someone's taking action.

The White House announced Monday that it's reducing Bangladesh's reciprocal tariff from 20% to 19% and offering a full exemption for certain textile products made with U.S.-produced cotton and man-made fiber.

What Bangladesh promised: Preferential market access for U.S. industrial and agricultural goods (chemicals, medical devices, auto parts, energy, farm products), addressing non-tariff barriers, accepting U.S.-compliant vehicles and pharmaceuticals, plus environmental, labor, and IP protections.

The commercial windfall: The White House anticipates upcoming deals, including aircraft procurement, $3.5 billion in U.S. agricultural products, and a $15 billion energy purchase over 15 years.

This is the latest in a series of trade agreements the administration has negotiated with countries, including India and Argentina. For apparel and textile logistics, this could significantly shift sourcing patterns if brands route production through Bangladesh to access the exemption.

While global logistics markets cool after a post-COVID supply glut, last-mile urban warehouses are defying gravity.

The divergence: Global logistics rents fell about 5% in 2024 (7% in the U.S. and Canada). Commodity big-box warehouses in fringe locations were hit hard. But infill sites near dense population centers? Still scarce, still in high demand, still seeing rent growth.

Why is the supply constrained?

The demand driver: Delivery windows have compressed from days to hours. AI tools are accelerating online purchasing and enabling faster fulfillment, forcing operators into the tightest urban pockets. Tenants will pay higher premiums for urban locations because the alternative incurs higher costs for trucking, fuel, and congestion.

The numbers: Overall Amsterdam-Rotterdam vacancy is 7.5%, but urban infill areas remain near 1%. Netherlands-based Boreal IAM reports that tenants sometimes compromise on building specifications to secure the location.

For 3PLs: If you're operating in suburban or exurban locations, expect margin pressure. The real value is in proximity to consumers, and real estate investors know it.

Pittsburgh carrier R&R Family of Cos. shuts down after lender pulls plug
The No. 48-ranked for-hire carrier closed in January after Huntington National Bank declined to back a $25 million restructuring, citing $65 million in unresolved trade payables. The company operated 928 tractors and employed 715 staff. Huntington sued CEO Richard Francis, alleging he hid losses and transferred a $10 million Florida property into his name. R&R sold WLX/WLE to CJK Group before closing; the remaining assets are being liquidated.

Gather AI raises $40M Series B for warehouse drone intelligence
The Pittsburgh startup just landed funding led by Smith Point Capital to scale its Physical AI platform across global supply chains. Gather AI uses vision-based models and drones to continuously verify inventory, replacing periodic manual counts. Customers report 99.9% inventory accuracy, an 80% reduction in manual counting, and a 5x increase in productivity. Total funding now stands at $74 million.

Wind Point Partners acquires A&R Logistics
The Chicago PE firm acquired one of North America's largest integrated dry-bulk logistics providers serving the chemical and plastics industries. President and CEO Mark Holden stays on with a meaningful ownership stake. A&R plans to launch at least 2 million square feet of new facilities in Charleston and Savannah to support plastics export.

Shipfusion acquires Boxtrot, hits record growth
The ecommerce fulfillment provider completed its first strategic acquisition, transitioning Boxtrot merchants into Shipfusion's national network. The company added a new 350,000 sq ft facility in Pennsylvania, bringing total capacity to over 1 million sq ft across four warehouses. Shipment volume jumped 65% in 2025.

XB Fulfillment is closing down
One of the main beneficiaries of de minimis cross-border shipments between Mexico and the US is winding down operations. XB Fulfillment raised $100M in 2023, but the burn rate has since become too high. This is a big reminder that setting up your company based on a loophole generally doesn’t pan out, and diversification is always needed.

FulfillYN connects fast-growing brands with vetted top-tier 3PL providers worldwide (300+ warehouses). We align partners with your business needs and guide you from intro to contract.

Learn more at FulfillYN.com or reach out when you're ready to find your ideal fulfillment match.

Sponsor this newsletter? Sponsorship Form.