Freight & Cargo Businesses for Sale
The freight revenue number is obvious, but the real value lives in the repeat customers and the dispatch team that keep loads moving without the owner touching every booking.
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Featured Freight & Cargo Businesses
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Due diligence
What to Look For
Practical guidance from hundreds of real acquisition conversations.
Actual Profit Margins
- Freight revenue can look large because it includes what you pay carriers. The number that matters is profit after carrier costs.
- Ask for a P&L that separates gross revenue from net margin, and make sure you understand what's included before putting weight on the headline.
- Some brokerages bundle ancillary fees into gross revenue in ways that inflate the picture — worth clarifying early.
Customer Loyalty and Concentration
- Ask how long the top accounts have been shipping with the business and how often they come back.
- Freight businesses where 80% or more of revenue comes from repeat customers who've been around for years offer a much more comfortable foundation than ones constantly hunting new loads.
- Also look at whether any single customer makes up a large chunk of total revenue, since that concentration shapes the risk picture significantly.
Carrier Network and Partner Relationships
- The quality of the carrier relationships directly affects service reliability and the ability to cover loads during tight market periods.
- Ask about the depth of the carrier network, how long those relationships have been in place, and whether the dispatch team manages them or whether they're tied primarily to the owner.
- Carrier relationships that belong to the business rather than one person's contact list are far more transferable.
Cash Flow and Collections
- Freight can have a challenging cash cycle: you pay carriers before customers pay you.
- Find out how quickly customers pay, what days-outstanding typically looks like, and whether there are any significant overdue accounts.
- Strong collections discipline and low bad debt are signs of a well-run operation and worth verifying before you commit to a deal structure.
Valuation
What Should You Expect to Pay?
3x-5x
SDE
Owner-operated brokerage or small fleet
5x-8x
EBITDA
With management team and strong repeat revenue
In freight, the spread between 3x and 8x reflects customer loyalty, how independently the dispatch team operates, and whether the business is asset-light (brokerage) or asset-heavy (owned fleet).
What drives a premium
Repeat customers averaging 3+ years of relationship history with consistent shipping volume
Dispatch and operations team that handles bookings, carrier selection, and problem-solving without owner involvement
Revenue diversified across multiple customers and routes with no single account over 20%
Clean cash flow cycle with low days-outstanding and minimal bad debt history
SBA Loan Calculator
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FAQ
Freight & Cargo Business Acquisition
What should I look for when buying a cargo business?
Focus on three things: the actual profit margin after carrier costs, how many customers are genuine repeats with multi-year history, and whether the dispatch team runs things without the owner managing every load. Freight businesses with loyal customer bases and independent operations are genuinely exciting acquisitions. Browse cargo businesses for sale on Rejigg to see what's available.
How much does a cargo business cost?
Most freight and cargo businesses sell for 3 to 8 times annual profit, calculated after carrier costs. Asset-light brokerages typically trade at higher multiples than asset-heavy fleet operations because they're easier to scale. The quality and longevity of the customer base has a big effect on where in that range a deal lands. Use the SBA loan calculator to run different financing scenarios.
How do I evaluate a cargo business before buying?
Start with three years of financials and make sure you understand the net margin after carrier costs, not just gross revenue. From there, review the customer list with tenure and shipping frequency, understand how the cash flow cycle works, and get a picture of the carrier network. The SBA loan calculator can help you model what different deal structures mean for your working capital needs.
What due diligence questions should I ask about a cargo business?
Some good starting points: What is the actual net margin after carrier costs? Who are the top 10 customers and how long have they been shipping with the company? Does any single customer make up more than 20% of revenue? How does the dispatch team handle bookings and problem loads without the owner? What are the average days-outstanding on receivables? How deep is the carrier network on key lanes, and are those relationships owned by the business or by specific people?
Where can I find cargo businesses for sale?
Rejigg connects buyers directly with freight and cargo business owners. Browse cargo businesses for sale on Rejigg and connect with sellers directly, with financial details available so you can screen for the customer loyalty and margin profile you're looking for.
Do carrier relationships transfer when buying a freight business?
In most cases, yes, particularly when the dispatch team manages those relationships day to day rather than the owner personally. Ask the seller to walk you through the top 10 carrier partners, how long they've worked together, and who on the team manages each relationship. Carrier relationships embedded in the business's systems and processes rather than one person's phone book transfer much more reliably.
What's the difference between buying an asset-based vs. brokerage freight company?
Asset-based companies own trucks and equipment, which adds tangible value but also maintenance costs and capital requirements. Brokerages are asset-light, arranging shipments without owning the equipment, which tends to mean higher return on capital and easier scalability. Both can be strong businesses. The key is understanding what you're actually buying: for asset-based companies, factor in fleet condition and replacement timing; for brokerages, focus almost entirely on customer relationships and carrier network depth.
