by Company said ongoing labor shortages have made it difficult to maintain fleet size to handle LTL shipments
HUDSON, Wisc. — Due to ongoing labor shortages, specialized furniture carrier Wiseway Transportation Services told customers this week that it has sold its trucking fleet and will discontinue the pickup and delivery of freight on its own equipment.
“It is with great sadness that we felt this change had to be made, but due to extreme labor shortages, that have been getting worse for several years, we are no longer able to maintain a fleet size necessary to handle the LTL tonnage into our service area,” the company said in a May 5 letter to customers. “These shortages have become even more pronounced since Covid.”
The company did not say in the letter which company purchased its trucking fleet. However, a source familiar with the deal said it was not another furniture carrier.
Officials on either side of the transaction also were not immediately available for further comment.
Wiseway did say in the letter that it will continue its warehouse services in Moreno Valley, California, and Hickory, North Carolina. It also noted that its brokerage operation Wiseway Logistics will handle partial and full truckloads nationwide, although it will not be accepting stop truck appointments at its terminals after May 10.
Wiseway said it will fulfill stop truck appointments made prior to that date and that it will continue transporting all furniture within its system until it is delivered. Wiseway also is working with clients, including large retailers, to help them find other furniture transportation solutions that are available in the marketplace.
The news follows an announcement in early February that the company was no longer providing delivery service to Indiana and Ohio. At that time, it said it also was eliminating delivery service to most of Missouri with the exception of some ZIP codes in St. Louis.
In February, Wiseway said it was continuing its pickup services throughout Indiana, Ohio and Missouri and that it also was continuing delivery service to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan and parts of eastern Nebraska and parts of St. Louis. It also said it was continuing its delivery service from California to California, Utah, Las Vegas and its Midwest coverage area.
However, in its May 5 letter, the company said that ongoing driver shortages ultimately forced it to abandon the pickup and delivery of freight on its own equipment.
“It has been a privilege to serve you for the last 34 years,” the company said. “Wiseway began with the idea that we could made a difference as a Midwest-based furniture carrier and carve out a niche within the furniture industry. We feel like we accomplished that and if not for the driver shortages, we would have continued to operate as a specialized carrier of furniture for many years to come.”
I’m sorry to hear that Wiseway Transportation Services has had to sell its trucking fleet and discontinue the pickup and delivery of freight on its own equipment. It’s clear that the ongoing labor shortages have made it difficult for the company to maintain its operations.
I’m glad to hear that Wiseway will continue its warehouse services and brokerage operation. This will help to ensure that its customers can still get the furniture they need, even if it means having to use a different carrier for pickup and delivery.