Universal Logistics acquires rail terminal operator for $194M

Parsec acquisition pushes Universal’s contract logistics revenue over $1B

Universal Logistics adds $230 million to the top line in its latest deal. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Universal Logistics announced it has acquired rail terminal operator Parsec for $193.6 million. The deal is expected to be immediately accretive to Universal’s earnings.

Cincinnati-based Parsec provides terminal management services at 20 rail yards across North America. The company specializes in container lift services for Class I, regional and short-line railroads. It also offers drayage, container and chassis stacking, equipment maintenance, and equipment sales and leasing.

Parsec has 2,100 employees and generated $230.2 million in revenue for the 12-month period ended Aug. 31.

“This strategic acquisition further enhances our value-added service offering, and provides Universal a meaningful presence in the rail terminal services space,” said Universal CEO Tim Phillips in a news release.

Parsec will become part of Universal’s (NASDAQ: ULH) contract logistics segment, pushing annual revenue in the unit to more than $1 billion. The unit had 5,400 employees prior to the acquisition.

Including Universal’s intermodal, trucking and company-managed brokerage segments, the company generated a total of $1.66 billion in revenue last year.

Shares of ULH were off 0.1% at 11:35 a.m. EDT on Tuesday compared to the S&P 500, which was down 1%.

Acquisition price$193.6M
Parsec’s revenue run rate$230.2M
Universal’s revenue run rate (2023)$1.66B
Earnings expectationsimmediately accretive
Recent acquisitions by UniversalElliott Custom Brokers, Roadrunner Intermodal Services, Southern Counties Express, Fore Transportation
Table: Company reports

More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.