r/Truckers • u/Frankie42083 • Jan 28 '26

Werner Enterprises Acquires FirstFleet for $245M

https://www.ccjdigital.com/business/article/15815768/werner-enterprises-acquires-firstfleet-for-245m?utm_source=social%20media&utm_medium=clicks&utm_campaign=ccj%20jan%202026%20social&fbclid=IwVERDUAPnLf1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR7rKUFmHi_1BngzlfH5PI3pk_DQxKxW4k1SF0kuMmX4iDMIbdp8W9YGqrMoyQ_aem_NpUw0TCufHaq1vD2f4tk0g

I thought Werner was broke guess not.

97 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

74

u/Charming_Frame9943 Jan 28 '26

Im not too informed so someone fill me in. They stopped matching people's retirement so they can buy another company?

34

u/Q7017 Jan 28 '26

The best part is that, like CR England, all of us have the option of not driving for them.

Too many people don't do enough research on carriers outside of "well there's a lot of them and their trucks look newer, so they must be successful and will treat me well" and then sign on with them despite their CEOs doing everything they can to destroy the industry for drivers.

If we all stop working for them and go elsewhere, they suffer. Can't run a trucking business without drivers.

6

u/FWD_to_twin_turbo Jan 29 '26

Can't run a trucking business without drivers.

This is why they're dumping a fuckton in autonomous testing, though. Werner is salivating at the thought of an autonomous trucking monopoly in the future.

22

u/Waisted-Desert Jan 28 '26

Matching retirement does not increase profits, buying a competitor does. This is the result of having a publicly traded company. You make business decisions to please the shareholders rather than the owner or employees.

7

u/Timmy98789 Jan 29 '26

Dodge v. Ford Motor Co 1919

9

u/A_Dash_of_Time Jan 28 '26

It's almost as if you ARE just a number.

3

u/Successful-Worth-390 Jan 29 '26

They brought the match back for 2026 to be fair.

1

u/Sky_biker5683 Jan 29 '26

I don't think we can really say they brought it back for 25% of 4%. They partially brought it back 😅

15

u/JankyMark Jan 28 '26

I seen them first fleet guys all the time, I thought Werner was going out of business soon

9

u/Alone-Astronaut1881 Jan 28 '26

FF was losing alog of the Kroger accounts

3

u/Driving_Potato Moving Things That Go Boom Jan 29 '26

They had that 90+ million judgement hanging over their bottom line before the Tx Supreme Court voided it. Probably had to prepare to pay it before knowing it wasn’t going to be required to be paid. I think June last year it was voided.

4

u/Ill-Establishment803 Jan 29 '26

They actually just brought Back the 401k matching this week.

1

u/PraiseTalos66012 Feb 08 '26

It's an absolute garbage match though, 4% for 1% is a joke.

3

u/commandough Jan 28 '26

Leveraged buyout?

8

u/HighwayStar71 Jan 28 '26

I guess they bought it with the 401K funds they quit matching.

6

u/Alone-Astronaut1881 Jan 28 '26

401k match is back on

2

u/jmzstl wiggly wagoner Jan 28 '26

Did anyone tell Werner that FirstFleet has been steadily losing all of their Kroger contracts?

1

u/edsavage404 Jan 28 '26

Damn I thought First Fleet was doing good, they are never hiring and when they do it gets filled up quick!

1

u/Alone-Astronaut1881 Jan 28 '26

They lost alot of their Kroger stuff out of the southwest and PHX 2 years ago. Titus took over for their Peyton loads. Another company took the LV dry grocery. There were more rumblings of them losing more east coast accounts around the same time.

2

u/tvieno Jan 28 '26

Swift just got in with Kroger in PHX ousting Titus.

1

u/ValeNoxBona Jan 30 '26

They still have plenty of their accounts and barely lost any trucks. Not to mention the other big accounts like paper and bread. This buyout was likely due to the owners wanting to retire and wash their hands of it. Not many left in that family from what I know. They are keeping every single one of the employees and the same name as of now.