Southern Wine & Spirits Outsources Fleet Maintenance to Ryder

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a managed maintenance contract by Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) the nation's leading wine and spirits distributor.

Under the contract, Ryder will provide a combination of Comprehensive Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance services for Southern’s heavy duty fleet of 2,200 tractors, trucks and trailers, which supports the company’s various locations across the U.S. Ryder’s Comprehensive Maintenance solution gives customers access to its nation-wide network of service locations and highly trained technicians for better fleet reliability and predictable costs. The solution will provide Southern with regular inspections, rapid follow-up repairs, proactive parts replacement, emergency roadside assistance and online reports to track maintenance activity and history. The solution offers 24/7 access to Ryder’s state of the art maintenance network, professional services of more than 5,000 skilled certified technicians and more than 700 service facilities across the U.S. Ryder’s Preventive Maintenance solution provides regularly scheduled maintenance when and where Southern may need it.

“Ryder’s expertise goes beyond just keeping our trucks up and running,” says Larry Sullivan, Vice President, Fleet, Safety & Compliance for Southern Wine & Spirits. “Ryder is helping us understand our maintenance costs, what assets we should keep, and whether or not we are selecting the optimal equipment for our needs. The data and reporting Ryder provides is helping us make better decisions about our business. We don’t need a provider to just fix our trucks. We need a partner to help us better manage our fleet. That’s Ryder.”

“We are in the distribution business, so our customers count on us to make their deliveries on-time,” says Bobby Burg, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer of Southern Wine & Spirits. “A reliable fleet isn’t just nice-to-have; it is a point of differentiation that enables us to maintain our industry-leading reputation for customer service.”

Today, Southern represents a vast array of wine, spirits, and beer products from its suppliers located around the world and distributes more than 110 million cases of product to its customers. Southern operates in 35 states, including Florida, where its Miami-based corporate headquarters is located.

“By delivering on our promise of keeping Southern Wine & Spirits’ vehicles on the road, we are helping the company better serve its customers and get more out of its fleet,” said Dennis Cooke, Ryder’s President of Global Fleet Management Solutions. “We are proud that the team at Southern Wine & Spirits has trusted Ryder by outsourcing this critical business function.”

About Ryder

Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Ryder has been ranked three years in a row as one of the top 250 U.S. companies in the Newsweek Green Rankings. Ryder is a charter member of the NGV Fleet Forum and a member of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets partnership. Ryder is also a recipient of the 2011 NGV Achievement Award and has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. A member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, Ryder is proud to support national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com and follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. Southern currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 14,000 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see http://www.southernwine.com.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.