Image source: joc.com
Ryder System, Inc., popularly known as Ryder, is an American logistics and transportation company primarily known for its fleet of commercial rental trucks.
Ryder specializes in supply chain management, fleet management, and dedicated transportation management. It also offers rental and maintenance, full-service leasing, used vehicle sales, e-commerce fulfillment, transportation management, professional drivers, and last-mile delivery services.
Ryder operates majorly in North America and the United Kingdom. It has its headquarters in Miami, Florida, within Miami-Dade County.
Ryder was established in Miami, Florida, in 1933 by James Ryder as a concrete haulage company with one truck, a 1931 Model “A” Ford. Five years of growth later, Ryder signed a five-truck lease deal with Champagne Velvet Beer in 1938, increasing Ryder’s fleet to 20 trucks. By the following year, the fleet grew to more than 50 trucks. This led to Ryder changing its focus from distribution to leasing.
In 1952, Ryder bought the Great Southern Trucking Company. And in 1955, Ryder System, Inc. was formed to combine Great Southern and Ryder Truck Rental. Ryder System went public in 1955 and expanded into the distribution and supply chain markets as early as the 1960s and 1970s.
As part of its expansion policy, Ryder acquired three regional competitors: Pollock NationaLease, Gator Lessing, and Lily Transportation in 2008.
However, there is no multinational company that hasn’t faced its fair share in terms of criticism. In the case of Ryder, in December 2011, the non-partisan organization Public Campaign criticized Ryder for spending $0.96 million on lobbying and not paying any taxes between 008–2010, instead of getting $46 million in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $627 million.
Subsequently, in April 2018, Ryder acquired Ohio-based MDX Group, an e-commerce fulfillment and last-mile delivery provider with a network of at least 109 fulfillment centers across the United States and Canada.
This was followed by the introduction of RyderGyde, a commercial fleet management smartphone app for drivers and fleet managers to monitor and manage their fleets in May 2018. The app allows customers to view the maintenance status of their vehicles, schedule maintenance appointments, and compare fuel rates in real-time.
Earlier in January 2018, Ryder had opened a new logistics center in London, Ontario, Canada. And in November 2018, Ryder added 1,000 electric trucks to their fleet, the largest deal for electric trucks to date in the US.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown of 2020, Ryder took several steps to work with customers to meet the increased demands for warehousing and distribution of essential goods and services to fight the pandemic.
Away from logistics and transportation, the Ryder Charitable Foundation was established in 1984. And as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility has supported several charitable organizations, including, American Red Cross, Truckers Against Trafficking, Hiring Our Heroes, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jackson Health Foundation, among several others.
To a great extent, Ryder System Inc. has set itself apart from its competitors not just in the United States, but in every country where it has some form of presence. And as it continues to expand steadily and consistently, so also it continues to set the standards for what an ideal logistics and hauling company should be like.
Learn more about Ryder System Inc. here.
Sources:
