New Penn and Dicom team up for cross-border service offerings

A cross-border less-than-truckload (LTL) partnership was established earlier this month between New Penn, a Lebanon, Pa.-based regional LTL carrier, and subsidiary of YRC Worldwide, and Dicom Transportation, a Montreal-based provider of transportation and logistics services.

New Penn and Dicom officials said that this endeavor will enable both companies to provider broader coverage and enhanced capabilities, with New Penn providing U.S. LTL service and Dicom providing cross-border and intra-Canada LTL service, adding that this will provide customers with increased access to more competitive north and southbound service.

A New Penn spokesman told LM that there were multiple drivers for this partnership.

“We are always looking for ways to drive and improve customer value,” he said. “Our previous Canadian cross-border offering provided industry-leading service but when we saw a way to make it even better, we seized the opportunity.  It was also clear to us that the Dicom leadership team was very strategic and growth-oriented. This presented an opportunity to talk to more customers than ever before about Canadian cross-border service.”

New Penn previously partnered with another carrier for cross-border services. The spokesman said that when it learned that Dicom didn’t have a partner in the U.S. less-than-truckload space, it was the perfect time to explore new opportunities for both of its organizations and, most importantly, for its customers.

In terms of shipper benefits the spokesman said that Dicom operates more than two dozen facilities within the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, adding that this partnership aligns two very customer-focused organizations and allows for more dense coverage in the major Eastern Canada metropolitan areas and direct coverage in secondary markets.  And from an e-commerce standpoint, he said there will be no difference in the seamless exchange of information available through the New Penn Website.

Dicom previously announced the expansion of its parcel services into the U.S., which, in turn, meshes the acquisition of its U.S. parcel network into its Canadian parcel network, and the companies said that this partnership allows Dicom to offer its customers LTL and parcel services in a large footprint covering Canada and the Northeastern U.S.