Nuvocargo Acquires Merge Transportation: What It Means

A letter from our CEO, Deepak Chhugani Today, I’m excited to share some big news: we’ve acquired Merge Transportation, an intra‑U.S. 3PL based in South Carolina. Merge was ranked the fastest‑growing company in its home state in 2024, and the full team — including founder Jamie Cioe — is joining Nuvocargo to help build the next generation of logistics infrastructure for North America. This is a meaningful step in expanding our footprint across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada — and in bringing our vision of a vertically integrated and AI‑enabled North America Logistics platform to life. Why Merge, and why now? Over the past few years, we’ve become a trusted partner for companies shipping freight between the U.S. and Mexico. With this move, we’re extending that trust to a broader range of lanes across the entire U.S. domestic market — backed by the same capabilities our customers already rely on: Freight brokerage Customs brokerage Managed transportation A stronger position on tariffs — without losing our cross‑border edge Some shippers are increasing the share of movements that stay wholly within the U.S. to hedge against tariff volatility and evolving trade policies. By integrating an intra‑U.S. specialist like Merge into the NuvoOS ecosystem, customers can now decide lane strategy on price, speed, and tariff exposure — all within a single, tech‑forward operating system. At the same time, we remain laser‑focused on the U.S.–Mexico corridor. Every macro signal — from Mexico’s rise as America’s largest trading partner to near‑shoring incentives and supply‑chain de‑risking — points to sustained, long‑term growth in cross‑border freight. Our differentiated technology, bilingual operations, and in‑house customs expertise keep us uniquely positioned to capture that growth, even as we give customers more options for tariff‑neutral, domestic routing when it makes sense. From software‑first to AI‑enabled Like all technology startups, we’ve seen the incredible impact AI is going to have in revolutionizing how North America logistics & freight is managed. We’ve spent the last 2 years playing with the new technologies and also being pitched by dozens of AI startups. That has led us to a clear point of view on how we are going to unlock the potential of AI in freight and bring that value for our customers. We believe in order to unlock the full potential of AI for your customers in a business critical setting like transportation, you need to: Own the service & outcome for your customer Control & modify the system of record (Nuvo OS) where most of the transaction occurs Build AI on top of both That’s what we’re doing with NuvoOS — our proprietary AI workflow engine and transportation management system, purpose‑built for the complexity of North American freight. Rolling NuvoOS out to the Merge team and their customers will unlock: ✅ Deeper visibility and a more differentiated customer experience ✅ Long‑term, strategic shipper relationships across freight, customs, and managed transportation ✅ Stronger P&L leverage — so we can pass on even more savings to customers Where we’re headed This acquisition marks the first chapter in our AI‑enabled roll‑up strategy. We’re on a mission to modernize logistics across North America by combining: Strong service DNA Proprietary AI‑driven software Strategic M&A We’re just getting started — and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Jamie and the Merge team into the Nuvocargo team and ecosystem. If you’re a shipper, carrier, or logistics leader who wants to be part of what we’re building, we’d love to hear from you. Onward, Deepak CEO, Nuvocargo ‍ Learn more about How the Kimberly-Clark–Kenvue Deal Redefines Supply Chain Efficiency for CPG Brands.

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