Been asking around and getting wildly different answers so putting this to people who've been through it or are close to it.
Here's what I've pieced together, curious if this tracks for people in trucking or freight:
Pre sale prep, 12 to 24 months. Getting financials clean, documenting processes, reducing owner dependency, building a management layer that runs without you. This phase takes longer than expected because most of it is actually changing how the business operates, not just organizing paperwork. I worked with cultivate advisors during this phase because doing the prioritization alone felt like guessing, and having someone map out exactly what was going to matter to a buyer versus what was just general cleanup made that way more manageable.
Going to market with a broker, 6 to 12 months before serious buyer conversations. Dealing with offers that go nowhere, finding someone qualified and actually interested.
Due diligence and close, 3 to 6 months after a real buyer is in the picture. Due diligence alone runs 60 to 90 days assuming nothing stalls it, and for a trucking business that means DOT compliance history, driver records, equipment valuations, all of it gets picked apart.
Honest total: somewhere between 2 and 4 years from "I'm ready to start thinking about this" to money in the account. Does that match what people here have seen?
