Flatbed Carriers
Carriers operating open-deck flatbed trailer fleets.
Market snapshot
These figures describe Flatbed & Specialized Carriers (10.9.2), the segment that Flatbed Carriers sits within — not Flatbed Carriers on its own.
- Market size
- ~$110B
- Growth
- ~5.7%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
- Companies
- ~44,800
U.S. Census Bureau 2022 CBP/Economic Census, NAICS 484220 (specialized local) + 484230 (specialized long-distance); includes flatbed, heavy-haul, and other specialized freight.
Business model & economics
Revenue model
Specialized freight rates (premium for capability)
Key economics
- Recurring revenue
- Moderate
- EBITDA margin
- Better than dry van; capability-driven
- Capex intensity
- High
recurring industrial accounts
Characteristics
- Flatbed/specialized equipment for non-standard cargo.
- Construction, industrial, and energy demand.
- Equipment and expertise create modest barriers.
Geographic concentration
Flatbed and specialized trucking concentrates in energy- and resource-extraction states — North Dakota, Wyoming, West Virginia, and New Mexico — where oilfield and heavy-equipment hauling drive demand.
U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 County Business Patterns (employment by state), NAICS 484220. Concentration shown by location quotient.
M&A deal context
Who’s acquiring
- Specialized & flatbed carriers
- PE-backed platforms
- Industrial-logistics strategics
What’s driving deals
- Construction/industrial-cycle demand.
- Specialized-capability consolidation.
- Energy-transition and project freight.
Find Flatbed Carriers acquisition targets
Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Flatbed Carriers (10.9.2.1) and build a targeted deal pipeline.
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