Sennder Technologies has bought the European Surface Transportation division of CH Robinson. It makes the digital freight forwarder one of the top five providers of full truckload (FTL) transport in Europe, with a combined revenue of €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion).

Sennder said the acquisition doubles its scale and brings across 6,500 shippers and over 15,000 carriers to its network. The company provides transport services to a wide range of industries, including automotive, connecting customers with small and mid-sized trucking companies who can access a wide range of loads. 

doubling-the-scale-of-its-business_-sennder-to-acquire-ch-robinson-s-est-operations

Sennder is doubling its European road transport services with the buyout of CH Robinson’s European Surface Transportation subsidiary

CH Robinson said the move to divest its European surface transport operations was part of its strategy “to get fit, fast and focused” and to work on profitable growth in its four core modes: North American truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL), and global ocean and air.

“Europe remains an important strategic market for us, and we are committed to our global forwarding and managed services presence there,” said CH Robinson’s president and CEO Dave Bozeman. “This clarity of investment in the region is important for the long-term success of our business and employees, as well as the value and impact we can offer our customers and carriers. I am convinced that Sennder will be a great home for the EST business and will provide good continuity of service to EST customers.”

The European Surface Transportation division has been a subsidiary of CH Robinson since 1994 and provides transport and logistics services, including truckload and LTL transport services, across Europe.

Digital platform 
Through its digital platform Sennder said it gives shippers access to a connected fleet of more than 40,000 trucks across Europe. The company will make its proprietary SennOS technology available to new customers which it said will enhance efficiency in load management. Shippers will be able to digitally manage their transport and gain visibility of their trucking operations. Sennder said carriers will benefit from higher utilisation, fewer empty kilometres, faster payments, and technology that reduces their administrative workload.

“SennOS, the technological powerhouse behind Sennder, requires scale and volume density to unlock its full potential,” said David Nothacker, CEO of Sennder. “This M&A transaction gives us that scale. We are deeply impressed by the EST team from CH Robinson, and with our combined business and enhanced talent pool, we can deliver substantial growth and operational scale, accelerating our European expansion in road freight and increasing network density and digital capabilities for the benefit of carriers, shippers, and the wider industry.”