Ryder expands truck-sharing platform

Commercial fleet management firm Ryder System, Inc. is expanding its truck-sharing platform, COOP by Ryder, into South Florida, the company said today.

Launched in Atlanta last March, COOP is a peer-to-peer sharing platform that allows businesses to rent commercial vehicles from each other. Ryder said the platform is now available in South Florida and is expected to be available throughout the state by the end of the year.

Miami-based Ryder cited the program's success in Atlanta and pointed to the Port of Miami, local capacity constraints and seasonal business spikes as key reasons for expanding into its home market.

"With close to half a million registered commercial vehicles in Florida and a richly diverse mix of businesses that experience seasonality, the South Florida market represents great opportunities for lenders and borrowers of trucks to connect on COOP to generate revenue from idle vehicles and move business forward," Rich Mohr, general manager for COOP by Ryder, said in a prepared statement. "In Atlanta, we witnessed plenty of success in 2018, where more than 300 companies in the metro area reaped the benefits of COOP and we're confident this innovative service will be a value to businesses in Ryder's home state of Florida."

Ryder has enhanced the COOP platform since its launch last year, adding its 24/7 roadside assistance and free Uber rides to a pick-up location for borrowers, the company said. COOP also offers a revenue calculator to help lenders estimate their earning potential, and the platform includes replacement vehicle coverage and advanced user ratings.

Ryder said it will add a mobile application for Android and iOS users in 2019.