Whirlpool, Toyota and General Motors are among the companies with recently documented Penske Logistics relationships. Penske’s published customer history also includes BMW, Ford, Novelis and Kroger. Together, those names give a good indication of the work that brings businesses to Penske. Appliances need to leave the factory, parts need to reach the assembly line, and groceries need to arrive while they are still fresh. Penske can manage the warehouse, supply the drivers, coordinate outside carriers, or take responsibility for several of those jobs. It also does shared warehousing and order fulfillment. For a business comparing 3PLs, the first question is which part of that operation it needs to buy.
We looked through Penske’s customer announcements, case studies and service pages to see who uses it, what those relationships involve, and where the public record leaves questions open.
What does Penske Logistics do?
Penske Logistics is part of Penske Transportation Solutions and is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. Its services cover warehouse operations, dedicated transportation, freight brokerage and broader supply chain management. (Penske Logistics, About.)
Three parts of that offering explain most of the customer examples below.
- Dedicated transportation. Penske provides vehicles and drivers assigned to a customer’s operation. That can include scheduled plant deliveries, store replenishment and other repeat routes, with Penske managing the drivers and equipment. (Penske Logistics, Dedicated Contract Carriage.)
- Warehouse management. Penske can help select and set up a facility, then run its labor, inventory systems and handling equipment. An engagement can include taking responsibility for an existing distribution operation.
- Lead logistics and 4PL services. Penske coordinates suppliers, transportation and other logistics providers, giving the customer one company to oversee a network that may involve several carriers and warehouses.
Which manufacturers use Penske Logistics?
The following examples come from Penske’s public disclosures. Dates identify when the work was documented. Older announcements establish a past relationship, while the 2025 and 2026 releases provide more recent confirmation. The service described applies to that particular engagement.
Whirlpool | Warehouses and freight management
Whirlpool is one of the clearest examples of a customer using several Penske services. In September 2025, Penske announced two Whirlpool awards recognizing its work during 2024. One covered a new warehouse management system successfully introduced in a pilot program. The other covered freight management supporting manufacturing flows and finished goods, including supplier and trucking carrier coordination.
An appliance company needs its warehouse and transportation plans to work together. A refrigerator can be ready to ship and still miss its delivery if the carrier, loading schedule or destination appointment falls through. The Whirlpool example shows Penske working across those handoffs. (Penske Logistics, Whirlpool supply chain awards announcement, September 9, 2025.)
Toyota | Factory supply and dealer parts
Penske’s July 2025 announcement of a Toyota Manufacturing Innovation Award identifies support for plant operations in Alabama, Indiana and Ontario, Canada. The recognition covered dedicated contract carriage.
There is also a separate service-parts relationship. A December 2024 announcement describes deliveries supporting Toyota dealers in selected Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic markets. Factory supply and dealer replenishment have different schedules and delivery requirements, so those two engagements help explain the range of Penske’s automotive work. (Penske, Toyota innovation award announcement, July 30, 2025, and Toyota service outbound award announcement, December 4, 2024.)
General Motors | Coordinating logistics in Mexico
In June 2026, Penske announced a GM Supplier of the Year award for its work as a lead logistics provider, or 4PL, in Mexico. The release cites shipment optimization and digital tools for supply chain visibility and predictive alerts. It also identifies a broader, longstanding relationship with GM operations across North America.
For a manufacturer with many suppliers and carriers, a late shipment needs someone to spot the delay, assess the production risk and arrange a response. This is the type of coordination that a lead logistics contract is designed to cover. (Penske Logistics, GM supplier award announcement, June 5, 2026.)
BMW | Production freight and aftermarket distribution
Penske’s BMW announcements describe two different assignments. In 2013, Penske was selected to operate BMW of North America’s 875,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The scope included a workforce for a facility supplying automotive parts, motorcycle parts and lifestyle products to dealerships.
A 2020 agreement covered lead logistics services for BMW’s South Carolina manufacturing plant, including coordination of inbound and outbound parts freight and outside truckload and less-than-truckload carriers. These dated announcements show experience in both dealership distribution and production logistics. Ask for a recent reference before using either assignment to judge today’s service performance. (Penske Logistics, BMW distribution center announcement, April 30, 2013, and South Carolina contract announcement, October 26, 2020.)
Ford and Novelis | Parts supply and aluminum recycling
Penske’s Ford records include a 2010 assignment at the Dearborn Truck Plant covering sequencing, repacking, small-lot handling and container management. Those activities prepare material for production, where the quantity and order of arrival affect how efficiently workers can build a vehicle.
A separate published case study describes Penske’s work with aluminum producer Novelis. Trucks carried finished coils from Oswego, New York, to stamping plants and brought aluminum scrap back for remelting. Penske and Novelis also developed trailers for the operation. Penske’s accompanying Ford case describes the automaker’s role in this recycling arrangement.
These are historical examples of logistics built around a manufacturing process. The return load was part of the production plan, with scrap becoming feedstock for another batch of aluminum. (Penske Logistics, Ford business announcement, August 5, 2010, Novelis case study, and “Logistics Solution Closes the Loop on Aluminum Recycling.”)
What does the Kroger relationship show?
Penske’s work for Kroger illustrates its grocery distribution capabilities. In 2019, it opened the 606,000-square-foot Michigan Fresh Center in Romulus to serve Kroger’s Michigan division. The facility included freezer, cooler and ambient storage, with 105 loading docks. The announcement described a dedicated grocery operation supplying stores. (Penske Logistics, Michigan Fresh Center announcement, June 4, 2019.)
Individual sites can change even within a long customer relationship. In a 2024 notice filed with Michigan, Penske reported that Kroger planned to close a separate warehouse in Chesterfield that Penske had operated. That notice concerned Chesterfield. It gives a concrete reason to verify the location and current scope when someone cites a customer name as proof of capability.
Does Penske work with smaller companies and eCommerce sellers?
Penske offers shared warehousing for customers that need flexible space or seasonal capacity. Its service materials describe storage, cross-docking, freight consolidation and pick-and-pack work. Pricing follows a discussion of the customer’s requirements. The public materials reviewed do not establish a companywide minimum order volume. (Penske Logistics, Multi-Client Warehousing service pages.)
Several case studies show what those customers look like, although Penske withholds their names.
A garment manufacturer shipping from Honduras
One case describes a manufacturer moving apparel through Penske’s shared warehouse in Carson, California, to two Southern California screen printers. Penske coordinated ocean freight, drayage, sorting and outbound transportation. The arrangement used shared resources and a pay-per-use structure without a long-term commitment.
The customer needed several transport and handling steps to work together while keeping its storage footprint small. That is a practical reason for an importer to consider a larger logistics provider. The published terms describe this customer’s arrangement. (Penske Logistics, “Building Integrated Supply Chains With Multi-Client Warehousing.”)
An EV charging equipment business with an urgent move
Another case describes a December 2025 relocation from Houston and Las Vegas into Penske’s shared facility in Coppell, Texas. The required trailer count rose from 17 to 36, and the inventory needed more storage space than originally planned.
Penske reports expanding the allocation from 8,000 to 26,200 square feet while arranging transportation and bringing the inventory into its warehouse management system. This example is most relevant to businesses with oversized equipment and changing space requirements. (Penske Logistics, “From Flexible Logistics to a Strategic Partnership.”)
A luxury products business with personalization requirements
Penske also describes a customer whose warehouse needed to support monogramming, engraving, gift wrapping and handwritten cards. The company served retail stores and wholesale accounts and had a concentrated holiday peak. Penske reorganized the operation and introduced tighter inventory controls.
The case includes results from 2018, so it is an older example of the services Penske has delivered. A brand considering similar work should ask to see the current process, staffing and quality checks at the proposed facility. (Penske Logistics, “Luxury Product Manufacturer Turns to Penske to Improve Warehouse and Distribution Operations.”)
What does Penske Logistics charge?
We found no public rate card that would let a seller calculate a standard Penske fulfillment bill. Penske’s shared warehousing page says it gathers information about the operation and prepares a quote. It also says its public warehousing agreements use a standard contract approved by the International Warehouse Logistics Association. The actual rates and obligations still depend on the proposal. (Penske Logistics, Multi-Client Warehousing.)
Start with the service you are buying. A warehouse quote should address receiving, storage, picking, packing, returns and any customization. A dedicated transportation proposal needs the route schedule, equipment, staffing, expected mileage and the treatment of fuel, waiting time and demand changes. A lead logistics proposal should explain which management costs are separate from carrier charges.
Ask each provider to price the same operating assumptions. Include a quiet month, a normal month and a peak month. For an existing facility, include the costs and responsibilities involved in the handover. Our guide to how 3PL pricing works provides a way to compare the individual charges.
Why would a company choose Penske?
The customer record suggests that Penske is most useful when several operations depend on one another. A manufacturer may need suppliers, trucks and warehouse labor working to the same production schedule. A grocery distributor may need temperature-controlled storage and tightly timed store deliveries. A shared warehouse customer may need to coordinate imports, sorting and onward transport.
Penske can bring those activities into one operating plan. Its dedicated fleet offering can also take driver recruitment and equipment management off a customer’s plate. For companies already spending heavily on those functions, evaluating an outsourced operation can be a substantial part of the buying decision. (Penske Logistics, Dedicated Contract Carriage and 4PL/Lead Logistics service pages.)
That breadth is most convincing when the proposal explains who handles each step. Request one accountable contact for an exception that crosses warehouse and transport teams, and ask how that person gets a delayed order moving again.
Where should buyers be cautious?
The public record is strongest on industrial supply chains. A small parcel seller should ask for recent references from businesses with similar order volumes, product sizes, returns and sales channels. An automotive award establishes success on that automotive assignment. A direct-to-consumer brand needs evidence tied to its own workflow.
Several detailed case studies are anonymous or dated. They can explain how Penske approaches a problem, but they give you limited ability to question the customer about the result. Ask for a reference call and recent performance measures from the site being proposed.
Integration also deserves an early demonstration. Penske describes connections to customer order and enterprise resource planning systems, warehouse management systems and transportation platforms. The materials reviewed do not establish a standard self-serve Shopify onboarding process. Ask how orders, inventory, cancellations and returns would move between your systems, who builds the connection, and what the implementation costs. (Penske Logistics, Warehouse Operations.)
How should you compare Penske with another 3PL?
Build the comparison around your actual shipment mix and operating problems. Four checks will make the proposals easier to assess.
- Ask which building would hold your inventory, which services are available there, and whether the space and labor are shared or dedicated.
- Follow a receipt, a shipment, a cancellation and a return through the proposed process. Include a late inbound load if production or store appointments depend on it.
- Define inventory accuracy, order accuracy, shipping cutoffs and the time allowed to resolve a discrepancy. Review the reporting and escalation process alongside the targets.
- Find out how inventory, people and systems move into the operation, what happens if volume changes, and how a future transfer would be handled.
Our articles on Ryder fulfillment and Buske Logistics cover other providers with substantial manufacturing and distribution work. They can help you build a shortlist around the services you actually need.
Penske is a credible candidate for companies that need coordinated warehouse operations, repeat transportation or oversight of a complicated supplier network. Its shared warehousing cases also show room for businesses with more specific projects. The next step is a proposal tied to a facility, a team and a defined scope of work.
For brands looking for eCommerce order fulfillment, warehousing and 24/7/365 support for their shoppers, talk to Speed Commerce. Bring the same order data and questions to us, too.
