Proficient Auto Logistics consolidates North America's auto haulers
Money MovesA $130 million deal for Hansen & Adkins gives one carrier about a quarter of the new-car hauling market
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Overview
Almost every new car in North America rides to the dealer on a specialized truck built to carry nothing else. On August 12, 2026, one company moved to control about a quarter of that traffic. Proficient Auto Logistics agreed to buy Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport for roughly $130 million.
The deal more than doubles Proficient's own fleet and pushes it into Canada for the first time. Combined, the two carriers run more than 1,350 tractors and haul over 4 million vehicles a year. That scale arrives 18 months after the industry's near-century-old leader, Jack Cooper, shut down.
Why it matters
One carrier now moves about a quarter of North America's new cars, so a strike or outage at Proficient could stall dealer lots across the continent.
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
The only publicly traded finished-vehicle hauler in North America, built through a roll-up of regional carriers.
A Los Alamitos, California hauler with a large company-owned fleet and terminals across the Southeast.
For decades the largest unionized car hauler in North America, closed within weeks of losing its Ford and General Motors contracts.
Timeline
1994 August 2026
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Proficient agrees to buy Hansen & Adkins
Latest AcquisitionThe $130 million deal, funded partly by a $75 million convertible bond offering, would make Proficient the continent's largest auto hauler.
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Jack Cooper shuts down
IndustryThe near-century-old leader closes after Ford and GM both end their contracts, freeing up capacity.
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Proficient buys Auto Transport Group
AcquisitionThe newly public company makes its first bolt-on acquisition, expanding fleet and coverage.
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Proficient goes public on Nasdaq
CorporateProficient prices its IPO at $15 a share and merges five regional car haulers into one company.
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Hansen & Adkins opens for business
OriginTwo Southern California managers start a hauler with 10 trucks and a single Honda account.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Allied Holdings bankruptcy (2005-2013)
Allied Holdings was once the largest car hauler in North America. It filed for Chapter 11 in August 2005 and was delisted, emerged in 2007 under Yucaipa, then filed again in 2012. Jack Cooper bought its assets for about $135 million in 2013.
Allied's fleet and contracts passed to Jack Cooper, which became the industry leader.
The sale showed how quickly a dominant hauler can unwind when debt and thin margins collide.
Scale in this business has never guaranteed survival. Proficient is now assembling the kind of lead that both Allied and Jack Cooper once held.
Jack Cooper shutdown (2025)
Ford ended a roughly 40-year contract with Jack Cooper in early January 2025 using a 30-day exit clause. General Motors pulled its business weeks later. On February 8, the near-century-old hauler shut down, cutting about 2,500 jobs.
Freight and drivers scattered to rival carriers, and Proficient captured roughly $60 million in contracts.
The collapse showed how a hauler leaning on a few automaker contracts can vanish in weeks.
Jack Cooper's exit cleared room at the top. The Hansen & Adkins deal is Proficient moving to fill it.
