TransForce Continues Expansion Trend by Acquiring USA Drivers
TransForce Inc. said it purchased regional staffing agency USA Drivers, marking the 14th acquisition for TransForce since 2013.
Atlanta-based USA Drivers has been providing CDL-holding truck drivers to motor carriers for more than 20 years, seeking placement of CDL drivers in metropolitan Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., Charlotte, N.C., and South Bend, Ind., according to TransForce.
We're proud to welcome USA Drivers to the @TransForceGroup team!#trucking #truckdrivers #cdl #recruiting https://t.co/MWo1DFbdeO — TransForce (@TransForceUSA) February 26, 2019
Based in Alexandria, Va., TransForce is a national truck-driver staffing firm.
CEO David Broome told Transport Topics that he foresees his company making more acquisitions through 2019, and that the company is not deterred by the challenge facing the trucking industry’s biggest problem: a driver shortage of more than 50,000 workers.
“TransForce’s goal is to fix the problems,” Broome said.
He said the company looks to expand in three areas: trucking education and training, recruiting and employment placements, and safety and compliance. The company has said it looks for strong, regional players. In December, TransForce bought Hire Edge Logistics Personnel, a regional staffing agency for trucking industries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Then in January, the company acquired Drive360 Logistics, a transportation recruitment firm for truck drivers and diesel mechanics, and The CDL School, a Miami company that trains about 4,000 individuals a year to become truck drivers.
TransForce likely sees an opportunity in one of the biggest challenges of the trucking industry, even though the task of addressing it may seem daunting. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, the driver shortage ranked as the industry’s No. 1 concern. The institute said in its annual report, released in October, that the shortage exceeds 50,000 drivers. Aggravating the situation is the retirement of baby boomer truckers, said one jobs-placement businessman.
“If you look at our industry today, our drivers are aging out,” said Ken Holmes, sales director of TruckDrivingJobs.com, a website that works to match job candidates with truck-driving positions.
The problem is even causing fast-growing companies to deter truck-related business from making plans for expansion.
Gary Petty, president and CEO of the National Private Truck Council, said, “Everywhere in our culture there is a tremendous demand for drivers that can’t be filled right away.”
TransForce works on some of that problem from the beginning, by training new drivers. It owns eight CDL schools, Broome said, six of which are on military bases as part of the company’s “Troops Into Transportation” program. He said the schools graduated 4,000 soldiers last year.
TransForce was founded in 1991. In early February, it formed the TransForce Group, a holding company to oversee TransForce Group Education and Training Solutions, TransForce Group Recruiting and Employment Solutions, and TransForce Group Compliance and Safety Solutions.
