JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A major consolidation in the vehicle-hauling business is now official, creating what the companies say is the largest finished-vehicle transportation operation in North America.
Proficient Auto Logistics completed its acquisition of Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport on Aug. 13, bringing one of the best-known names in automobile hauling under the Proficient umbrella.
The deal gives Proficient a much larger company-owned fleet, a wider terminal network and its first significant foothold in Canada. Hansen & Adkins will continue operating under its existing name in the United States, while its Canadian operation will continue as MCL McGill.
Deal valued at roughly $130 million
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Proficient agreed to an upfront purchase price of approximately $130 million, including about $75 million in assumed debt.
The acquisition was also accompanied by a separate $75 million offering of convertible senior notes. Proficient completed that financing on Aug. 13, the same day the Hansen & Adkins transaction closed.
It’s more than just a change in ownership though.
Proficient says the combined company is now responsible for transporting roughly one-quarter of the addressable new-vehicle transportation market in North America and expects to move more than 4 million vehicles annually.
More than 900 workers join Proficient operation
When the acquisition was announced earlier this month, Proficient said Hansen & Adkins would add more than 900 drivers, operations employees and management personnel to the organization.
The acquisition also more than doubles Proficient’s owned fleet capacity, according to the company.
For drivers working in the specialized auto-hauling segment, the scale of the combined operation matters. More freight density can allow carriers to match loads more efficiently, cut down on empty miles and reposition trucks across a larger network.
That doesn’t mean every lane gets better overnight, obviously, but the potential efficiencies are there.
Proficient specifically identified reduced empty mileage and improved equipment utilization as potential benefits of the combination.
Hansen & Adkins name isn’t disappearing
Hansen & Adkins was founded in 1994 and grew into one of the largest privately owned vehicle-hauling companies in the country.
Despite the acquisition, Proficient does not intend to immediately replace the Hansen & Adkins identity.
The company said Hansen & Adkins will remain its largest operating company and continue using the Hansen & Adkins name in the United States.
Co-founders Steve Hansen and Louie Adkins are also expected to remain involved as advisers through the end of 2026 to help with the transition.
Integration expected into 2027
The two companies are now moving into the harder part of the transaction, actually combining operations.
Proficient President and Chief Operating Officer Amy Rice said the company is initially focusing on operational efficiencies, shop locations, customer capacity and bringing the two workforces together.
The broader integration process is expected to continue into early 2027.
For the auto-hauling sector, the deal creates a carrier with a lot more equipment, geographic reach and customer leverage than before.
It also comes at a time when specialized vehicle-transport capacity has been under pressure from regulatory, labor and economic factors.
The result is a company capable of moving millions of newly manufactured vehicles between assembly plants, ports, railheads and dealerships across both the United States and Canada.
And for drivers in the auto-hauling business, one thing is pretty clear.
One of the biggest players in the industry just got a whole lot bigger.
