Who is buying freight brokers and 3PLs?

Owner

Public (Nasdaq: CHRW)

Headquarters

Eden Prairie, MN

Scale

Trusted by 75,000 customers and 450,000 contract carriers (C.H. Robinson)

Agreed on Oct 5, 2026 to buy RXO in a cash-and-stock deal with an implied value of $5.8B. Closing is expected in the first half of 2027. DeSpir, a high-value cargo specialist, closed on June 22, 2026.

Owner

Public (NYSE: RXO); pending acquisition by C.H. Robinson

Headquarters

Charlotte, NC

Scale

Third-largest provider of brokered transportation in North America (RXO, Sep 2024)

Pending sale: C.H. Robinson agreed on Oct 5, 2026 to buy RXO at an implied $30.25 per share. Closing is expected in the first half of 2027. RXO bought Coyote from UPS for $1.025B.

Owner

The Jordan Company (TJC)

Headquarters

Chicago, IL

Scale

More than 60 locations across North America (Echo, Mar 2026)

Capstone Partners says Echo bought ITS Logistics from GHK Capital Partners in a deal announced in January 2026. Echo announced on March 25, 2026 that the deal had closed.

Owner

Thoma Bravo (majority); CVC Funds and other prior WWEX investors retain a significant minority stake

Headquarters

Dallas and Austin, TX

Scale

More than 2,300 sales professionals (WWEX Group)

Capstone dates the Thoma Bravo deal to March 2026 and lists the sellers as CVC, Providence, Ridgemont and PSG. The merger with Auctane (ShipStation) closed on June 1, 2026. The JEAR deal was first reported by FreightWaves from an anonymous source. JEAR now appears in ShipStation Global's list of brands.

Owner

DHL Group (Deutsche Post AG, listed in Frankfurt)

Headquarters

Westerville, OH

Scale

North America's leading contract logistics provider (DHL)

Buys contract logistics, warehousing, returns and healthcare final-mile businesses rather than truck brokers.

Owner

CMA CGM Group (Saadé family)

Headquarters

Marseille, France

Scale

More than 240 North American locations and about 20,000 people after the FedEx Supply Chain deal (CMA CGM)

CMA CGM's history page calls it family-owned, and Forbes says Rodolphe Saadé controls it jointly with his siblings. FedEx Supply Chain was sold at an enterprise value of $1.4B, announced July 1, 2026. The buyer is foreign; the target is a U.S. 3PL.

Owner

Public (SIX Swiss Exchange)

Headquarters

Schindellegi (Feusisberg), Switzerland

Scale

Not disclosed

IMC is a U.S. marine drayage provider with 49 locations. Kuehne+Nagel paid CHF 510M for 51%, and the IMC brand was kept. In Nov 2025 Kuehne+Nagel also agreed to buy Eastway, an aerospace forwarder based in Ireland (not a U.S. target).

Owner

Public (Nasdaq: HUBG)

Headquarters

Oak Brook, IL

Scale

Second-largest provider of temperature-controlled intermodal solutions in North America; nearly 6,000 employees and drivers (Hub, Sep 2025)

Both deals were asset purchases. Hub is restating its 2023 and 2024 results and the first three quarters of 2025. Its 2025 10-K was filed late, it filed a Form 12b-25 for Q1 2026 (May 2026), and it delayed its Q2 2026 report (Investing.com, Aug 11, 2026).

Owner

Greenbriar Equity Group (majority, agreed Feb 2026); The Jordan Company remains invested

Headquarters

Itasca, IL

Scale

A top-30 U.S. freight forwarder (FreightWaves); acquired 14 businesses under TJC ownership (AIT)

Pending: the Greenbriar deal was announced on Feb 16, 2026 and was expected to close before Q4 2026. Greenbriar lists AIT on its portfolio site, but no closing announcement was found. AIT is mainly a freight forwarder.

Owner

Public (NYSE American: RLGT)

Headquarters

Renton, WA

Scale

Not disclosed

Many of these deals convert Radiant's own agent stations ('strategic operating partners') into company-owned offices, and Radiant pays part of the expected price later based on how the business performs. On Aug 6, 2026 Radiant launched an agent program for truck brokerage and intermodal. It also bought 80% of Weport (Mexico City, Sep 2025), which is not a U.S. target.

Owner

Warburg Pincus

Headquarters

Tampa, FL

Scale

9 offices across the U.S. and Mexico (BlueGrace)

Truk TMS had worked as a BlueGrace partner before the acquisition.

Owner

AEA Investors

Headquarters

Chicago, IL

Scale

Not disclosed

JBF Consulting is a consulting firm, not a 3PL. Redwood bought it to launch its Redwood Advisory practice.

Owner

Calera Capital

Headquarters

Indianapolis, IN

Scale

Serves more than 3,000 shippers and 25,000 carriers (FreightWaves, Sep 2025)

FitzMark says the United Transportation Services deal was its 11th transaction, and that it expects to keep acquiring with Calera's backing.

Owner

Venture-backed (R136 Ventures and Davidovs Capital, per Fura)

Headquarters

Cincinnati, OH

Scale

More than 550 customers and 16,000 carriers on its platform (FreightWaves, Mar 2026)

Fura is backed by venture investors, not a PE fund; 'Private equity' is the closest category available. It is an AI-led broker roll-up, and High Rise was its seventh acquisition (FreightWaves, Aug 2026).

Owner

Greenbriar Equity Group

Headquarters

Parkville, MO

Scale

More than 500 employees, six regional offices and 11 warehouses after the IL2000 deal (Jan 2025)

Greenbriar announced on Jan 6, 2026 that it had bought eShipping. The earlier owner, Ridgemont Equity Partners, had backed the company since a 2021 recapitalization.

Owner

Clarendon Capital

Headquarters

Orlando, FL

Scale

Not disclosed

Medium confidence on the owner. The JOC and an undated Benesch law firm page name Clarendon Capital, but PitchBook shows a later buyout that could not be verified. Allstates focuses on forwarding and expedited freight.

Owner

LDI, Ltd. (family office)

Headquarters

Portland, OR

Scale

60+ offices in 30+ countries, more than 1,200 employees (OIA, Apr 2026)

Backed by a family office: OIA says it is privately owned by LDI, Ltd. It focuses on forwarding and customs brokerage. Its Mar 2026 purchase of About Freight Worldwide (Auckland, NZ) is not a U.S. target.

Owner

Privately held; founded by Jim Berlin (now Founder & Chairman)

Headquarters

Erie, PA

Scale

2,000 employees; operations in 55+ countries (Logistics Plus)

The company calls itself 'privately held' and names no outside sponsor. 'Family-owned' is the closest category for this founder-owned business. Jim Berlin moved from CEO to Chairman in 2026.

Owner

Burris Logistics (family-owned)

Headquarters

Seaford, DE

Scale

Not disclosed

Trinity became a Burris Logistics company in April 2019. Granite had been a Trinity freight agent for nearly 14 years.

Owner

Employee-owned (OneCompass Holdings, an ESOP holding company)

Headquarters

Dublin, OH

Scale

Not disclosed

FST calls itself 100% employee-owned. Matt Hartman is CEO of both FST and OneCompass, and FST is the parent of Hyway Transportation. OneCompass, founded in 2024, has also bought Hyway Transportation, Evolve Global Logistics and AmShaw Service Center (no dates given). Koleaseco is an asset-based carrier, not a 3PL.

Owner

Bluejay Capital Partners and Argosy Private Equity

Headquarters

Atlanta, GA

Scale

Over 40 locations across the U.S. (BWT)

An asset-based 3PL focused on warehousing and contract logistics rather than brokerage. Bluejay says it will keep backing growth through 'strategic partnerships'.

Owner

Quad-C Management (management retains significant ownership)

Headquarters

Charlotte, NC

Scale

Not disclosed

A new Quad-C platform (Jun 2026) that works mainly through independent agents. Quad-C says the deal should let Armstrong grow 'through strategic acquisitions', but no add-ons have been announced yet.