How do I sell my trucking business? A plain guide for owners

To sell your trucking business, you get it valued, clean up your books and safety records, decide whether you’re selling the company or just its assets, and then bring in a broker who knows trucking buyers. Small trucking companies have sold for an average of 3 times what the owner takes home each year. BizBuySell reports a median sale price of $1,137,500 on median revenue of $1,954,881 (BizBuySell trucking benchmarks). Most of the work is in proving that your freight, drivers, and safety record will hold up after you leave.

What the numbers look like

Here is the middle of the market for small trucking companies sold through BizBuySell (BizBuySell):

Measure	Median or average
Sale price	$1,137,500
Revenue	$1,954,881
Owner earnings (SDE)	$400,000
Earnings multiple	3.0x
Revenue multiple	0.65x

Larger fleets get a wider range of outcomes. Valuation specialists at KSM, a CPA firm, say EBITDA multiples for trucking companies over the past five years have run from less than 1 times to more than 20 times (KSM, August 2026). That spread tells you one thing: in trucking, the details of your business matter more than any average.

How buyers look at your trucks vs your business

Trucking is different from most service businesses because the equipment is worth real money on its own. A buyer will check two numbers:

1. What the trucks and trailers would sell for at auction or on the used market.
2. What the business earns from its freight, customers, and drivers.

If the business earns well above what the equipment is worth, you’re selling a business, and you should be paid for it. If earnings are thin, a buyer may only offer equipment value plus a little extra. In that case, it may make sense to sell the fleet and wind down instead.

Fleet age matters

Older trucks mean the buyer will spend money soon to replace them. They’ll take that out of the price. KSM lists fleet condition and replacement needs as a key factor in trucking values (KSM). Have a list ready with each unit’s year, mileage, and whether it’s paid off.

What happens to your MC number and DOT number

You can’t sell your operating authority by itself. It goes with the company.

Sale type	What happens to your authority
Stock sale (buyer takes over the whole company)	The company, its USDOT number, and its authority stay the same. Only the owner changes
Asset sale (buyer buys trucks, contracts, and customers)	The authority doesn’t move on its own. If the buyer takes over the entire operation, both sides can ask FMCSA to record a transfer. Otherwise the buyer runs under its own

FMCSA stopped requiring approval for authority transfers in 2013. It now records a transfer when it’s part of the sale of an entire operation and both the seller and buyer notify the agency (FMCSA).

What pushes your price up

• Steady customers on contract: Dedicated lanes or regular shippers, not just load board freight.
• No single customer that’s too big: If one shipper is a third of your revenue, the buyer will worry. See customer concentration risk.
• A clean safety record: Good CSA scores, few violations, and no open claims.
• Drivers who stay: Low turnover and long-tenured drivers. KSM names driver quality and tenure as a value driver.
• A dispatcher or manager who isn’t you: If you run dispatch yourself, the buyer has to replace you on day one.
• Good records: Fuel, maintenance, and lane-level profit you can show on paper.

What pulls it down

1. Most freight comes off load boards. That revenue can disappear the day you leave.
2. You drive a truck or run dispatch. The buyer is paying for a business, not a job.
3. Old or high-mileage equipment that needs replacing soon.
4. Safety problems: Poor CSA scores, recent crashes, or an open audit.
5. Messy books: Personal expenses mixed in, or no clear profit by lane or customer.

Who buys trucking companies

Buyer type	What they want	How they usually pay
Another carrier	More trucks, drivers, lanes, or customers	Cash, sometimes with an earnout tied to customers staying
Individual buyer	A business to run, often with your help at first	SBA loan plus a seller note
Private equity or a larger group	A regional carrier to build on	Cash plus a share of ownership you keep

Many trucking buyers are other carriers who want your drivers and customers more than your trucks. That’s why who your customers are, and whether they’ll stay, usually matters most. Read more about what kinds of buyers will be interested in your business.

Steps to sell your trucking business

1. Get three years of books in order. Tax returns, profit and loss statements, and a list of add-backs.
2. Build an equipment list with year, mileage, condition, and loan balance for every unit.
3. Pull your safety record and be ready to explain anything on it.
4. List your customers with revenue share, how long they’ve been with you, and whether there’s a contract.
5. Get the business valued by someone who knows trucking. See how to find a business valuation specialist.
6. Pick a broker who has sold carriers before. Ask how many trucking companies they’ve closed and who bought them.
7. Plan your exit role. Most buyers will want you around for a few months to introduce customers and drivers.

Most sales take six months to a year. See how long it takes to sell a business for a stage-by-stage timeline. For more on your options, browse the Future Options section.

When you’re ready to talk to someone, find a business broker whose past deals look like your business. It costs you nothing.