How do I find a diesel or heavy truck repair shop for sale?
Heavy truck repair shops may not be advertised the way car garages are. Some sales surface through parts suppliers, fleet managers, equipment dealers and retiring technician-owners, so search listings and also ask people who work with these shops daily. Qualify each lead on its bays, fleet accounts and technicians.
A shop that services tractors, trailers and work trucks is a narrower market than a neighbourhood garage, and an owner may see no reason to advertise a sale. Searching listings is one part of the work. The rest is talking to the people who already deal with these shops every week. If you have only looked at car-garage listings, this is a different search, so plan it that way.
Start with the listings you can see
Business-for-sale sites and brokers do carry some heavy-duty shops, so set up searches under several phrasings: diesel, commercial truck, heavy-duty and trailer repair. Ask any broker you meet whether they hold or expect a shop of this kind. The page on finding an auto repair shop for sale covers the general routes, and many of them apply here.
Ask the people who see the shops
Parts counter staff, tire and trailer suppliers, equipment dealers and fleet maintenance managers know which owners are tired, close to retirement or looking for a way out. A short, polite conversation can lead to an introduction long before anything is listed. Say plainly what you are looking for and what you can bring to it, and keep the people you ask informed about how the search is going.
Approach owners directly
Some owners are technicians who have run the shop for decades and never thought about selling. A respectful, confidential letter or visit can start the conversation. Do not press, and do not mention what you have heard about their finances. If the owner is interested, expect them to want to know who you are before they share anything about the business.
Qualify a lead before you spend time on it
- How many bays, and can they take full-length tractor-trailers?
- Which fleet accounts bring in the steady work, and are they under contract?
- How many licensed technicians work there, and will they stay?
- Why is the owner selling, and how long will they help afterward?
Related reading
12 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Buying
- GuideBuying a heavy truck and trailer repair shop in Canada
- Expert answerCan I buy an auto repair shop if I’m not a mechanic?
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- Expert answerHow do I check a trucking fleet’s maintenance records before buying?
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Due diligence
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWorking with a broker to find a business to buy
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
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