C&M Transport is set to acquire Barrett Directline Delivery Services, combining two specialists in time-critical ground freight at a moment when manufacturers and retailers continue to prize fast-cycle replenishment. The deal, announced October 1, positions the Ohio-based carrier to broaden same-day and next-day coverage and add density ahead of the holiday push. Terms were not disclosed.
Operationally, Barrett Directline is expected to transition under the C&M banner by November 1 following a short integration window focused on minimizing service disruption for customers and drivers. The companies signaled a “seamless” handoff over the next four weeks, with final approvals targeted by the start of November. For shippers, that timeline suggests minimal changes to contacts and SOPs through October while billing and branding migrate.
The combination unites complementary footprints and product sets. C&M Transport, headquartered near Cleveland with 17 locations nationwide, brings asset-backed expedited trucking, air charter access, and 3PL management to the table. Barrett Directline, based in Rogers, Arkansas, adds a book of same- and next-day freight spanning the lower 48 and into Canada, plus light warehousing and cross-dock capabilities. Together, the merged network should deliver tighter coverage across critical auto, industrial and retail lanes where “line-down” risk and late cutoffs demand speed.
Scale matters in expedited. Beyond the obvious sales lift, the strategic gain is density—being able to match urgent loads with the right asset faster, in more places, at more hours of the day. Added density can reduce deadhead on recovery moves, raise equipment utilization, and give dispatch more options when time buffers evaporate. For procurement teams, the near-term watch items are: whether rate cards consolidate, how quickly unified track-and-trace is stood up, and if accessorial rules are harmonized in a way that simplifies (or complicates) tendering.
A bigger expedited platform also creates resiliency when unplanned events hit—think supplier hiccups, plant trips, or port and rail snarls that spill over into truck. The merged operation’s mix of ground-expedite plus on-demand air charter should give planners another lever to pull when lead times compress and inventory carry costs collide with service requirements.
What shippers should do now: confirm that vendor profiles and certificates of insurance reflect the pending name change by November 1; align on updated remit-to details and EDI/API endpoints once communicated; and, for recurring hot lanes, consider locking service expectations (cutoffs, POD timing, dwell) in writing to avoid friction during the branding and systems rollout.
Bottom line: this is a classic “more coverage, faster answers” deal in a niche where minutes matter. If the integration stays invisible to customers and the combined dispatch can convert density into reliability, C&M’s expedited value proposition just got stronger.
Sources: FreightWaves, IndexBox
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