A trucking company in Sycamore is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to DeKalb — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide trucking companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Sycamore file. Confidential sale. No upfront listing fee.
Confidential • No upfront fees • Illinois statewide
Sycamore market
Selling a trucking company in Sycamore
A trucking company in Sycamore is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to DeKalb — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide trucking companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Sycamore file.
Sycamore is DeKalb County’s seat: a courthouse square, the Pumpkin Festival, and a quieter downtown than NIU’s DeKalb a few miles west.
County-office professional services and household routes are the story. Do not borrow NIU seasonality unless the customers are actually students. Buyers treat this as the civic twin of DeKalb, then price it as a small county-seat city, not a campus town.
Sycamore has about 17,788 residents in DeKalb County, inside the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area. Nearby markets buyers already compare this book to include DeKalb. That comparison changes who shows up: a buyer who will drive from DeKalb 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
DeKalb County
Population
17,788
Metro
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Nearby comps
DeKalb
Closing clock
Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago
Rockford, the I-90 industrial belt, and Wisconsin-line towns draw owner-operators and regional manufacturers more often than a Loop platform.
State CBS-1 still applies. Price the customer list and the license holder, not a Chicago multiple.
Sycamore demand for trucking companies is the customer list and the license path — not the Census population figure. About 17,788 residents is context for who already lives in the trade area. It is not a sale price.
Trucking Company in Sycamore
What a Sycamore buyer will underwrite on this trucking company
Sycamore 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 Sycamore 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 Sycamore file: Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. 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 Sycamore application of it.
Sycamore is a regional market. The first serious call is often an owner-operator from DeKalb, not a platform that needs $2 million of earnings to pay for diligence. SBA 7(a) and seller financing usually matter more here than a headline multiple.
Buyer pool
Who buys a trucking company in Sycamore
SBA buyers who understand university towns; agricultural-service buyers in the townships. PE only for scaled routes.
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 DeKalb is a larger business than one that stops at the Sycamore city limit. Tell the truth about the route. Buyers will map it.
SDE recast
How a buyer will read the books on this Sycamore 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 Sycamore shop. A trucking company whose tax return shows $162,000 of net profit is not worth $162,000 × a rumor multiple.
Add back the owner’s $115,000 W-2 and payroll tax, $23,500 of discretionary benefits, $6,500 of accepted one-time cost, and $6,000 of personal expenses that a buyer will not run. Then subtract $13,000 of replacement labor if the owner still diagnoses, sells, or closes the books.
Adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings are $300,000. At the planning range 3.0x–5.0x, enterprise value is $900,000 to $1,500,000. Mid-range 4.00x is $1,200,000 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. A Sycamore buyer will argue the multiple after they ride with the staff and read the lease.
At 4.00 times $300,000 of seller’s discretionary earnings, enterprise value is $1,200,000 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 Sycamore trucking company — not a quote
Net profit
$162,000
Owner W-2
$115,000
Benefits
$23,500
One-time
$6,500
Personal
$6,000
Replacement labor (subtract)
−$13,000
Recast SDE
$300,000
Planning EV at 4.00x
$1,200,000
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.
DeKalb County uses state CBS-1 plus City of DeKalb and Sycamore licenses. Student-housing and downtown retail near NIU have lease and seasonality issues.
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 Sycamore
For a trucking company in Sycamore, the first labor question is: Contracted freight and a CSA score a carrier will renew.
Northern Illinois University drives restaurants, rentals, and services on an academic calendar. Summer cash flow must be explained. Farm-service businesses follow a different clock.
I-88 between Chicago and the Quad Cities. Two economies: campus and corn.
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 Sycamore 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 Sycamore 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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yrs
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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 Sycamore trucking company for sale
Recast this Sycamore trucking company. Start with the tax return. Add owner pay. Subtract replacement labor if the seller still does the work a Sycamore 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 Sycamore, and whether that person stays. Personal licenses do not transfer with the assets.
Tell the truth about the Sycamore 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 Sycamore limit.
Open the lease and the labor file. Remaining term and assignment in DeKalb County. Whether the crew can run without the seller living eight minutes away.
Calendar the notices that apply here. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. 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 Sycamore file. Confidential consult — no upfront listing fee.
Answers for owners and buyers in DeKalb 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.
Most Sycamore asset sales file Illinois Form CBS-1 at least 10 business days before closing. DeKalb County does not use Chicago’s 45-day city notice unless the business also operates there. Municipal licenses and the lease still need their own calendar.
The first serious call in Sycamore is usually an owner-operator or a neighboring shop, not a coastal fund. DeKalb County buyers already know the trade area. Seller financing and a clean lease matter more than a headline multiple.
No. The planning multiple for trucking companies is a statewide starting point, not a Sycamore appraisal. Buyers in DeKalb County still adjust seller’s discretionary earnings, then argue the lease, licenses, labor, and owner dependency.
Service Area
Trucking Company Brokerage Near Sycamore
We serve trucking companies owners and buyers across DeKalb County and the surrounding region.