Major trucking company declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

The trucking industry finished the first half of 2025 still trapped in the Great Freight Recession.

Dry van truckload contract rates were unchanged from the same period a year ago, FreightWaves reported, and trucking spot rates, which shippers pay carriers for a one-time shipment, finished the first half below levels from a year ago.

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Long-haul truckload demand reportedly plummeted by 25% in the first half of 2025, with trucking becoming more of a short-haul delivery method for the final leg of freight movement.

Overall freight demand had faced an unseasonal decline in April 2025, “likely presaging further deterioration in the coming months,” according to Ryder and FreightWaves’ State of the Industry Report released on April 23.

The decline is unseasonal, since the beginning of the second quarter usually sees demand slowly ramp up in anticipation of summer inventories and produce deliveries, according to the report.

As the Great Freight Recession continues, financial distress in the trucking industry remains, as more transportation companies continue to file for bankruptcy protection.

Trucking companies file for bankruptcy protection

Some examples include Palatine, Ill., women-owned and founded trucking company Dolche Truckload Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 protection on June 15 to reorganize its business and restructure its debts.

Dolche Truckload, founded and owned by Desi Evans since 2010, operates 70 trucks for interstate shipping to 48 contiguous states, according to its website.

Major trucking and logistics company Elite Carriers and four affiliates also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 21 to restructure their debts.

Elite Carriers, which was founded in 1999, operates 70 trucks and employs 70 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.

The company transports goods from the Midwest to the East Coast and Canada, according to its website.

Mount Prospect, Ill., trucking and freight transportation company AZA Transportation Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 14 to reorganize its business.

The company’s creditors include merchant cash advance lenders, equipment finance companies for their trucks, fuel vendors, and tollway authorities.

Three trucking companies that are not affiliated filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 7, 2025, including C&C Freight Network of Braselton, Ga.; Dedham, Mass.-based Best Choice Trucking LLC; and Memphis, Tenn.-based Best Logistics Inc., which all filed petitions to restructure their debts.

Daniel Trucking International files for bankruptcy protection.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

Daniel Trucking files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Finally, nationwide freight hauling company Daniel Trucking International Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its business.

The Bettendorf, Iowa-based trucking company filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 7, listing $1 million to $10 million in assets and liabilities.

More bankruptcy

Daniel Trucking International, founded in 2005, operates 58 trucks, according to its website, and 59 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration SAFER website.

The company ships to 48 contiguous states, operating numerous Freightliner Cascadia models, including refrigerated trucks, Great Dane trailers, and other commercial vehicles.

The debtor’s largest creditors include Huntington National Bank, owed $1.19 million, and M&T Capital. The debtor indicated in its petition that funds would be available to pay unsecured creditors after paying administrative expenses.