Trucking M&A: 3 Reasons Private Equity Struggles With Assets

The freight market is showing signs of recovery, reigniting interest in M&A across the logistics sector. But while non-asset brokerage deals have historically attracted private equity, asset-based trucking presents unique challenges. Craig Decker, Managing Director at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, explains why financial engineering alone isn’t enough in asset-heavy operations and how a lack of understanding of replacement cycles and operational complexities can lead to ‘miserable’ investment outcomes. Discover what investors are now looking for in the evolving M&A landscape. Private equity’s persistent losses in asset-based trucking come down to three compounding failures: overleveraged balance sheets, misread freight cycles, and underestimated operational complexity.