Cox Automotive acquires FleetNet America

ORLANDO, Florida—Cox Automotive has acquired trucking fleet maintenance provider FleetNet America, the company announced during American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council’s 2023 Annual Meeting on Feb. 28. With the acquisition, Cox leaders said they are creating the foundation for fleets to connect every vehicle and service.

“The market leadership that comes with this joining of our two companies is unmatched in the fleet space,” said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. “Empowered by our combined decades-long legacy, best-in-class customers and service provider networks, and industry expertise, we’re disrupting the status quo and leading the fleet future—but not in the breakdown business—in the problem-solving business.”  

A subsidiary of ArcBest (No. 29 on the FleetOwner 500: For-Hire), FleetNet has a network of more than 60,000 independent service providers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Services include brokering mobile emergency assistance, truck repair, towing and recovery, preventive maintenance, and tire repair. 

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Paired with Cox Automotive’s expertise in creating two-sided marketplaces, ability to deliver industry-leading data insights, and operation at a global scale, Rowley said the acquisition would fuel the companies’ commitments to providing more flexibility, transparency, communication, and ultimately keeping fleets doing what they do best, working for their customers.

“While both FleetNet and Cox Automotive are leaders in the market today, we haven't even scratched the surface of where we will take fleet operations tomorrow,” said John Wood, president of FleetNet America. “Together, our teams will move the industry forward in a transformative way.”

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The FleetNet purchase builds on Cox Automotive Mobility Fleet Operations’s vision to deliver turnkey solutions backed by fleet experts and an expansive service provider network, allowing customers to find and connect with specialized service providers when and where they need them, according to a news release. This proprietary technology, which includes FleetNet’s smartphone app, delivers a straightforward, automated workflow to keep vehicles healthy and on the road and fleet providers focused on their business. 

“We are relentless operators and innovators, and we are obsessed with putting our customers, service providers, and our people first, always,” said Alex Fraser, AVP of fleet operations at Cox Automotive Mobility. “We are invested in making operating a fleet more efficient, solving our customers’ problems on the road or in the garage.”