Transport, postal and warehousing in the United States
This page gathers the figures we hold on transport, postal and warehousing in the United States. Each section names its own source.
Each source groups industries its own way, so the edges of transport, postal and warehousing differ a little from section to section.
- Median sale multiple6.5times EBITDA
- Wage rate change+3.3%the year to June 2026
What businesses sold for
- Transport, postal and warehousing6.5 times EBITDA, middle half 5.0 to 8.0, 30+ deals
- Road freight and logistics5.0 times EBITDA, middle half 4.5 to 6.0, 10+ deals
Deal details
Transport, postal and warehousing: median 6.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 5.0 to 8.0 times (30+ deals of US$6.7 million to US$333 million, announced 2002 to 2023).
Road freight and logistics: median 5.0 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 4.5 to 6.0 times (10+ deals of US$6.7 million to US$333 million, announced 2002 to 2023).
Sizes are converted from our size range of A$10 million to A$500 million, at the fixed rate our database uses to place overseas deals: US$1 = A$1.50. The rate stays fixed, so the range always describes the same deals.
See what US businesses sell for, by sector.
These are deals for US businesses in our database, not every deal in the market.
Source: deals in our database with a published value. Counts by onestepright.
Compare sale multiples across countries.
How many businesses are still active
About 58 in every 100 were still active three years later.
The Census Bureau counts businesses with employees. The rate is our calculation from its counts.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics (2023 release). Survival computed by onestepright.
What costs did
What wage rates and input prices did in this industry. Each comes from its own BLS series and grouping of industries. The wage series holds the mix of jobs fixed, so it tracks pay rates.
Each bar comes from its own BLS series, named below.
Wage rates in transportation and warehousing, the BLS group nearest transport, postal and warehousing, rose 3.3% in the year to June 2026.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Cost Index, wages and salaries, private industry, 12 months to June 2026.
Prices of the inputs for inputs to truck transportation rose 28.0% in the year to June 2026.
This covers inputs to truck transportation alone. No BLS series measures the rest of the industry's inputs.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Index, inputs to industries, June 2025 and June 2026. Change computed by onestepright from the published index.
Prices businesses expect to charge
In September 2026, 38.0% of transport, postal and warehousing businesses expected their prices to be higher six months on. Across all businesses, 38.4% did.
The Census Bureau asks businesses with employees every two weeks. Each business counts once, whatever its size.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey, 7 to 20 September 2026.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures marked as ours are onestepright's calculations from their published data.
See transport, postal and warehousing in Australia.
See transport, postal and warehousing in New Zealand.
See transport, postal and warehousing in the United Kingdom.
See transport, postal and warehousing in Canada.
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