A trucking company in Rolling Meadows is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Arlington Heights — not on a statewide rumor multiple. CBS-1 (10 business days) plus Cook County’s 45-day local notice; Chicago’s 45-day city notice only if this business also operates in the city. The statewide trucking companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Rolling Meadows file. Confidential sale. No upfront listing fee.
Confidential • No upfront fees • Illinois statewide
Rolling Meadows market
Selling a trucking company in Rolling Meadows
A trucking company in Rolling Meadows is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Arlington Heights — not on a statewide rumor multiple. CBS-1 (10 business days) plus Cook County’s 45-day local notice; Chicago’s 45-day city notice only if this business also operates in the city. The statewide trucking companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Rolling Meadows file.
Rolling Meadows is an I-90 Cook suburb of corporate parks and Kirchoff Road retail — office-and-flex between Arlington Heights and Schaumburg, without a destination downtown.
B2B services to the office parks are the distinctive book; household routes are the other. Office-occupancy shifts belong in the recast. Buyers treat this as fill-in between Woodfield and Arlington Heights. Do not sell a Metra-downtown story this city does not have.
Rolling Meadows has about 24,296 residents in Cook County, inside the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area. Nearby markets buyers already compare this book to include Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village. That comparison changes who shows up: a buyer who will drive from Arlington Heights is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Planning facts
Typical multiple
3x–5x EBITDA
Typical timeline
6–12 months
SBA eligible
Often — confirm
County
Cook County
Population
24,296
Metro
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Nearby comps
Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village
Closing clock
CBS-1 (10 business days) plus Cook County’s 45-day local notice; Chicago’s 45-day city notice only if this business also operates in the city
Cook County and the City of Chicago add 45-day bulk-sale notices on top of Illinois Form CBS-1 (10 business days). That calendar is longer than most downstate businesses.
Buyer density is the highest in Illinois. Confidential outreach matters more here than a public ad on a recognizable storefront.
Rolling Meadows demand for trucking companies is the customer list and the license path — not the Census population figure. About 24,296 residents is context for who already lives in the trade area. It is not a sale price.
Trucking Company in Rolling Meadows
What a Rolling Meadows buyer will underwrite on this trucking company
Rolling Meadows sits in an Illinois freight and labor map. Authority, insurance, and the yard lease are the business. A trucking company that only works because the seller dispatches from a cell phone will get a haircut.
Trucking Companies statewide typically plan around 3x–5x EBITDA and a 6–12 months process when books and the lease are ready. That is a planning range, not a price for this Rolling Meadows shop. Buyers here usually argue fleet age and condition, contract freight vs spot market mix, driver count and retention, authority and safety rating.
Closing clock for this Rolling Meadows file: CBS-1 (10 business days) plus Cook County’s 45-day local notice; Chicago’s 45-day city notice only if this business also operates in the city. License path: USDOT number, MC authority, Illinois IRP plates, IFTA, and Unified Carrier Registration sit on the entity and do not casually transfer. The industry hub teaches the statewide rule. This URL is the Rolling Meadows application of it.
In a suburb like Rolling Meadows, larger carriers, pe-backed transportation platforms, owner-operators are the names that usually appear on the NDA list. A buyer who will drive from Arlington Heights is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Buyer pool
Who buys a trucking company in Rolling Meadows
Cook has the deepest Illinois buyer pool: SBA owner-operators, PE home-services and healthcare platforms, and strategics who already have a Chicago route. Density is an asset and a leak risk. Employees and landlords hear rumors faster here than in a downstate county. Confidential outreach is the default, not a listing-site photo of a recognizable storefront.
Illustration: a ten-truck dry-van carrier in Will County running contracted intermodal-adjacent freight, a 4-year average tractor age, and a seller who still dispatches mornings. Not a closed sale.
A trucking company whose customers already sit in Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village is a larger business than one that stops at the Rolling Meadows city limit. Tell the truth about the route. Buyers will map it.
SDE recast
How a buyer will read the books on this Rolling Meadows trucking company
Trucking buyers recast EBITDA after a market-rate dispatcher and a realistic driver bench. Pull fuel-surcharge years, one-time equipment sales, and any owner-operator who is really the seller’s truck. Fleet depreciation and ELD-era compliance are run-rate. A 3x–5x EBITDA band is for contracted freight and a CSA score a buyer can insure — not a spot-market hero year.
Illustration only — not a quote for any Rolling Meadows shop. A trucking company whose tax return shows $244,000 of net profit is not worth $244,000 × a rumor multiple.
Add back the owner’s $124,000 W-2 and payroll tax, $13,000 of discretionary benefits, $6,500 of accepted one-time cost, and $8,000 of personal expenses that a buyer will not run. Then subtract $35,000 of replacement labor if the owner still diagnoses, sells, or closes the books.
Adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings are $360,000. At the planning range 3.0x–5.0x, enterprise value is $1,080,000 to $1,800,000. Mid-range 4.00x is $1,440,000 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. A Rolling Meadows buyer will argue the multiple after they ride with the staff and read the lease.
At 4.00 times $360,000 of seller’s discretionary earnings, enterprise value is $1,440,000 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. That is the planning conversation. It is not a listing-site guess.
SDE line items
Reported net profit (tax return, not the marketing P&L)
+ Interest expense
+ Income taxes (not payroll, sales, or property tax)
+ Depreciation and amortization
+ Owner W-2, bonuses, and payroll taxes on the owner
+ Discretionary owner benefits that a buyer will not keep (auto, personal travel, family on payroll with no role)
+ Accepted one-time or non-recurring expenses
− Market-rate replacement labor for owner work that will not transfer
= Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)
Illustration recast for a Rolling Meadows trucking company — not a quote
Net profit
$244,000
Owner W-2
$124,000
Benefits
$13,000
One-time
$6,500
Personal
$8,000
Replacement labor (subtract)
−$35,000
Recast SDE
$360,000
Planning EV at 4.00x
$1,440,000
Recast Seller’s Discretionary Earnings, then apply a planning multiple for trucking companies.
Replacement labor is subtracted. This is a planning tool, not an appraisal.
Recast SDE—
Planning enterprise value—
Before debt, working-capital peg, holdback, and tax. Educational only.
Enter your annual Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) — your net profit plus owner's salary and any personal expenses run through the business — to estimate a range.
$
1x3.0x8x
Estimated Value Range—to—
This is an estimate for planning purposes only. Actual value depends on lease terms, asset quality, customer concentration, and current market conditions. Request a professional valuation for a precise number.
Licenses and closing steps for a Rolling Meadows sale
Cook County adds a local bulk-sale notice on top of Illinois Form CBS-1. File the Cook County notice at least 45 days before transfer with the sales contract (revenuecompliance@cookcountyil.gov). City of Chicago businesses also file a Chicago Department of Finance bulk-sales notice at least 45 days out under Municipal Code 3-4-140, covering city taxes and Title 4 licenses. State CBS-1 is still due at least 10 business days before closing. Miss a local clock and the buyer can inherit tax or license debt.
USDOT number, MC authority, Illinois IRP plates, IFTA, and Unified Carrier Registration sit on the entity and do not casually transfer. Intrastate authority and IDOT rules can also apply. CDLs are personal to drivers. A change-of-ownership that bungles MC or insurance leaves trailers in the yard. Authority and safety rating are the license.
Labor and lease
What has to keep working on Monday after close in Rolling Meadows
For a trucking company in Rolling Meadows, the first labor question is: Contracted freight and a CSA score a carrier will renew.
Leases are the deal killer more often than the multiple. Loop, River North, and neighborhood retail have assignment clauses, kick-out rights, and renewal politics that collar-county industrial shops rarely see. CTA-adjacent and parking-constrained sites change buyer type. Labor is union-aware in several trades and hospitality crews turn over faster than downstate.
Cook is not one market. A bungalow-belt repair shop, a South Side contractor, and a Near North concept do not share a “Chicago premium.” O’Hare, the lakefront, and the expressway grid concentrate customers and also concentrate competing buyers. Price the business, not the skyline.
Diligence
What a serious trucking company buyer will open
Levers that move the multiple in this vertical: Contracted freight and a CSA score a carrier will renew; Fleet age a lender will finance; Drivers who stay and a dispatcher who is not the seller; Clean USDOT/MC/IRP/IFTA file; Low customer concentration.
Have these ready before anyone hears the name of the Rolling Meadows business: Contracted freight versus spot mix and customer concentration; Fleet age, liens, and remaining useful life; Driver count, turnover, and CDL bench; CSA / SMS scores, insurance loss runs, and broker packets; USDOT, MC, IRP, IFTA, and any Illinois intrastate authority; Dispatcher tenure and TMS ownership.
Buyer tool
SBA payment sketch for a Rolling Meadows trucking company buyer
Most Illinois owner-operator acquisitions use SBA 7(a). This is a payment sketch, not an approval.
SBA 7(a) loans are the most common financing for business acquisitions. Estimate your monthly payment and required down payment based on the purchase price.
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Loan Amount—
Est. Monthly Payment—
This calculator provides estimates for planning purposes only. Actual SBA loan terms depend on your credit profile, the specific lender, and current market conditions. Contact us to connect with SBA-approved lenders in Illinois.
Sale steps
How to prepare a Rolling Meadows trucking company for sale
Recast this Rolling Meadows trucking company. Start with the tax return. Add owner pay. Subtract replacement labor if the seller still does the work a Rolling Meadows buyer must hire. Do not treat a spike year as the new normal.
Name who can operate on Monday. List every credential that lets this trucking company pull a permit or see a patient in Rolling Meadows, and whether that person stays. Personal licenses do not transfer with the assets.
Tell the truth about the Rolling Meadows trade area. Map customers against neighboring towns. Buyers will. A book that already covers those towns is larger than a book that stops at the Rolling Meadows limit.
Open the lease and the labor file. Remaining term and assignment in Cook County. Whether the crew can run without the seller living eight minutes away.
Calendar the notices that apply here. CBS-1 (10 business days) plus Cook County’s 45-day local notice; Chicago’s 45-day city notice only if this business also operates in the city. Start them at letter of intent, not the week of funding.
Read the statewide playbook, then talk. The Illinois trucking companies hub is the statute and recast teaching. This page is the Rolling Meadows file. Confidential consult — no upfront listing fee.
Continue
Related Rolling Meadows and trucking companies pages
Questions about trucking companies in Rolling Meadows
Answers for owners and buyers in Cook County, including local closing steps.
Illinois trucking companies typically sell for 3x–5x EBITDA. Fleet condition, contract freight vs. spot market revenue mix, driver retention, and your FMCSA safety rating are the primary value drivers.
Your FMCSA operating authority, DOT number, and motor carrier number do not automatically transfer — buyers apply for their own or acquire your existing authority. We coordinate this process with your transaction attorney.
Fleet age and condition directly impact value. Well-maintained, newer equipment with clear title commands a premium. Buyers who need to immediately replace equipment will discount the purchase price accordingly.
Buyers include larger regional carriers, PE-backed transportation platforms, and owner-operators with industry experience. Illinois's position as a national logistics hub means strong buyer demand across all truck types and specializations.
Driver retention is a significant value factor. Companies with low driver turnover, competitive pay packages, and strong safety records sell faster and at higher multiples than those with high turnover.
Illinois Form CBS-1 is due at least 10 business days before an asset sale. Cook County and the City of Chicago each add a 45-day local notice when the sale meets their rules. Ask counsel which notices apply to this Rolling Meadows company.
Rolling Meadows sits in the deepest Illinois buyer pool: owner-operators, neighboring shops, and platforms that already cover Cook County. Density is why a public listing leaks. Start with confidential outreach.
No. The planning multiple for trucking companies is a statewide starting point, not a Rolling Meadows appraisal. Buyers in Cook County still adjust seller’s discretionary earnings, then argue the lease, licenses, labor, and owner dependency.
Service Area
Trucking Company Brokerage Near Rolling Meadows
We serve trucking companies owners and buyers across Cook County and the surrounding region.