Q2 2024 – Market Summary & Outlook

• In Q2 2024, US Transportation and Logistics (“T&L”) M&A activity matched Q2 2023 levels, closing 32 transactions. Globally, the T&L sector closed 125 deals in Q2 2024, an 11% decrease from the same period in 2023. Among these deals, the third-party logistics (3PL) subsector led deal activity, accounting for 27% of closed deals in the T&L sector.
• The slowdown in global M&A activity within the T&L sector is primarily due to a decline in strategic deal volume. However, strategic investors still accounted for 85% of global deals in Q2 2024. Despite navigating sector-wide challenges such as low freight rates and a high-interest rate environment, these investors remain well-positioned to pursue transactions, leveraging cost savings and potential synergies.
• Investors remain optimistic that M&A deal volumes will improve in the second half of 2024. A report by NTG Freight(1) predicts a 50% increase in deal volumes in the second half of 2024 compared to the previous year, driven by strengthening global economic conditions and rising corporate confidence. This would mark a significant rebound from historically low activity levels, the weakest in a decade.

Read Transportation & Logistics M&A Pulse Q2 2024 Full Report