The 2015 activity, which in some cases bore the fruit of the seeds planted as far back as early 2014, stands in stark contrast to the M&A torpor that existed between 2008 and 2014. That period included the financial crisis and so-called Great Recession, a time when many companies were focused on survival rather than growth. Yet industry CEOs stayed out of the M&A game even as U.S. and world economies recovered, albeit tortuously. Robert C. Lieb, professor of supply chain management at Boston’s Northeastern University, who conducts an annual survey of 3PL CEOs, said respondents to his 2014 survey believed that post-acquisition integration challenges were too daunting and potential acquisitions insufficiently accretive to justify an aggressive buying strategy. That attitude seemed to change in 2015. Perhaps it was the slowdown in demand for virtually all transportation services—while 3PL demand continued apace—that pressured some CEOs into achieving top-line growth through acquisition instead of through organic measures. If that is the case, then M&A activity may be extended well into 2016. For example, sluggish demand and ample truck capacity have forced many truckload carriers to ratchet down forecasts for increases in base prices to 1 to 2 percent (from 3 to 5 percent). Rate compression, combined with rising costs for drivers, power units, and trailers, could put further pressure on organic revenue growth. "Capacity remains loose and pricing for carriers is weak," said Ben Cubitt, senior vice president of consulting and engineering for Transplace LLC, a large Frisco, Texas-based 3PL. Cubitt said earlier this week that he finished three bid reviews before Christmas and that "all showed strong savings." Evan Armstrong, Armstrong & Associates’ president, said M&A volume would stay strong during 2016, though there will likely not be as many megadeals. He also noted that XPO, whose four-year buying […]