Premier Trailer & Equipment Dealership, Established 2006

$4.5M

Revenue

$698K

SDE

3.7x

Multiple

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Full Editorial Writeup

This is a trailer and truck equipment dealership established in 2006 that sells new trailers, truck beds, parts, and accessories while also generating meaningful revenue from professional installations and repair services. The customer base spans commercial, agricultural, municipal, and recreational buyers across a regional market, giving it real diversification rather than reliance on a single end market. On roughly $4.5M in annual revenue it produces a 3-year average SDE of about $698k, a 15.5% owner-earnings margin that is healthy for a dealership carrying inventory.

The revenue mix is the interesting part. New equipment sales tend to be lower margin and cyclical, but the parts, service, and installation lines are higher margin, stickier, and less discretionary. Trucks and trailers that are already in the field still need beds, hitches, wiring, and repairs regardless of the economic cycle, which cushions the business against a downturn in new-unit sales. An approximately 10,000-name customer database plus an established online presence supports repeat and referral-driven demand.

With 8 employees, established vendor relationships, and a turnkey facility on a lease running through 2034, this is a going-concern operating business rather than an asset sale. It is priced at $2.6M, or about 3.72x cash flow, and is marketed as SBA eligible with seller financing available. The stated upside is fleet sales expansion, more service capacity, e-commerce and parts growth, and broader geographic reach.

Why we like it

Earnings quality is solid for the category: about $698k of SDE on $4.5M revenue is a 15%-plus margin, and the diversified mix of new sales plus high-margin parts, service, and installation reduces reliance on any single product line. The 3-year average SDE framing suggests the number is not a single peak year, which matters for a dealership with cyclical new-unit sales.
The moat is the installed base and the service annuity. An approximately 10,000-customer database, loyal repeat clientele, and referral-driven growth create a durable pipeline, and the parts and repair work locks customers in after the initial equipment purchase. Established vendor relationships and dealer agreements are hard for a new entrant to replicate quickly.
Demand is defensively positioned. Commercial, agricultural, and municipal customers keep their trailers and truck bodies working through downturns, and when they defer buying new they spend more on parts and repairs, which shifts revenue toward the higher-margin service side rather than eliminating it. Municipal and ag exposure adds non-discretionary ballast to the customer mix.
This is a real operator's platform, not a lifestyle business. Eight employees, a turnkey facility, and a lease locked through 2034 mean a buyer inherits an operating machine, and the stated growth levers (commercial fleet sales, service capacity, digital and e-commerce) are the kind an operator can actually pull without reinventing the business.

How to improve it

Push the higher-margin service and installation mix. Audit bay utilization and technician capacity, then add shifts or a bay before adding new-unit inventory, because service and parts carry better margins and smooth the cyclical swings in equipment sales. Even a modest shift in revenue mix toward service lifts blended margin.
Monetize the 10,000-customer database. Most dealerships never systematically remarket to their installed base, so build an email and SMS program tied to warranty expirations, seasonal maintenance, and trade-in cycles to drive repeat parts and service revenue at near-zero acquisition cost.
Build out e-commerce for parts and accessories. The listing already cites a strong online presence, so stand up a real parts storefront to capture out-of-market buyers and turn one-time installers into national parts customers. Parts sold online carry freight but strong margin and no bay time.
Tighten inventory and floor-plan discipline. With $130k of inventory, review aging and turns by SKU and product line, cut slow movers, and negotiate better terms or consignment with key vendors to free up working capital that funds service expansion.
Formalize commercial fleet and municipal accounts. Fleet and municipal buyers place recurring, higher-volume orders, so assign a dedicated rep, pursue bid lists and government purchasing schedules, and lock in multi-year supply relationships to convert transactional buyers into contracted accounts.
Install real financial and KPI reporting. Break out margin by revenue stream (new sales, parts, service, installation), track technician revenue per hour, and monitor gross margin trends so the new owner manages by data rather than the seller's institutional knowledge.

Diligence notes

Verify the SDE and confirm the add-backs. The $698k is a 3-year average, so get year-by-year figures to see whether recent performance is trending up, flat, or declining, and confirm which owner expenses were added back and whether they are genuinely non-recurring or would return under a new operator.
Understand revenue concentration and the mix. Break revenue into new equipment, parts, service, and installation, and check customer concentration; a handful of large commercial or municipal accounts driving the numbers is a different risk profile than a broad, diversified book.
Scrutinize the vendor and dealer agreements. New-unit sales depend on manufacturer relationships and dealer contracts, so confirm those agreements are transferable to a buyer, review any territory or volume requirements, and identify whether losing a key brand would gut a revenue line.
Pressure-test the lease and location. Rent is $7,300 per month with the lease running to 2034, so confirm the terms, escalators, and whether the facility can support the planned service and installation expansion, since bay and yard space directly cap service revenue.
Assess key-person and staff risk. With only 8 employees, identify which technicians and salespeople carry the customer relationships and technical expertise, and structure retention or non-competes so the operating knowledge does not walk out with the seller during the transition.

Source

Originally listed on BizBuySell. View original listing →